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Dock Seals


Dock Seals

Current lead time 2-3 Weeks    Last Update:
 2022-2-2

Control Air and Pests With Docks Seals

Docks Seals within loading dock systems are an integral part of any facility. Unfortunately not all Loading Docks are built the same. For this reason all dock Seals offered through Loading Dock Supply are custom built to suit your facility. With our short lead times and and expert advice were sure to provide you the best possible seal found on the market today, without the wait. Loading Dock Supply, LLC prides itself on being available to discuss your needs give us a call and we'll help you choose the right Dock Seal for the job.

Loading Dock Supply Dock Seals Offer

  • High grade vinyl material in 22, 35, or 40 oz gauges.
  • Yellow guide stripes offset 3" from inside edge of verticals for higher visibility and accurate docking.
  • Rot resistant pressure treated wood backing, painted and chemically bonded to high density foam cushion
  • Curtain model headers are coupled with wedged top verticals to inhibit water accumulation
  • All Dock Seals are designed to accommodate your slope
  • Wear shields come in a variety of overlaps and materials
  • FIRE RESISTANT Dock Seals Available
  • Available for 8' wide, 9' wide, and 10' wide Doors

Need a hand? Ask a Dock Seal Specialist
Call 1800-741-1258
Dock Seal SurveyQuick Quote


Dock Seal Construction

Dock Seal Construction

  1. Pressure treated wood backer board, painted black for greater weather durability. Optional steel channel backer available upon request.
  2. Resilient industrial adhesive chemically bonds high density foam to wood backer; ensures foam pad stays in the position where it is most effective.
  3. Total of (9) 90 degree angle brackets for outside edges of seals.
  4. High Density foam for a longer life and superior compression.
  5. Two vent pockets on the outside of each seal vertical and two on the underside of the header pad prevent excess wear and tear as air escapes the pad while also keeping rain out.
  6. Yellow guide stripes offset three inches from inside edges, to direct drivers to the correct dock position.
  7. Total of (9) Flat brackets for mounting to edge of door; offset seals will use 90 degree angles for any offset edge great enough to accommodate angle.
  8. 3" Tapered bottom ensures the seal is not damaged by pinching between docked trucks and bumpers; Drainage holes punched in bottom to ensure release of moisture accumulation and air when compressed.

Step One: Select Door width

WEAR SHIELDS
HT-L LIGHT DUTY - 18" DUROPREEN FLAP W/2" OVERLAP $109.00
HT-M MEDIUM DUTY - 18" DUROPREEN FLAP W/10" OVERLAP $143.00
HT-H HEAVY DUTY - 9" DUROPREEN FLAP W/5" OVERLAP $165.00

COMPRESSION SEAL OPTIONS Seal Projection
Description 8"-14" 15"-21"
18" High Header Instead of 12" $162 $188
Drop Curtain-UP to 24" $47 $47
Adjustable Curtain Header $179 $205
Vertical Length over 10' $20 + $5 per 1" $20 + $7 per 1"
Wedge Shaped Pads 12" x 15" $115 $141
Wedge Shaped Pads 9" x 15" $74 $89
Curtain Header Slit w/ Velcro $82 $82
11" Vinyl Covered Wood Extensions $500
9"   Vinyl Covered Wood Extensions $460
7"   Vinyl Covered Wood Extensions $420

Loading Dock Supply specializes in more than just Dock Seals

We also offer seals for Oversize Openings, Pit Levelers, Agricultural Operations, Livestock Load out, Pig Doors, Dairy Facilities, Grain Silos, & Lumber Mills, among many other unique applications requiring custom fit foam seals and curtains.


Dock Seal Design

Working with your loading bay system Dock Seals & Dock Shelters provide environmental protection and a guide for trucks docking with your facility. By compressing between the trailer and wall, dock seals effectively guard against high wind, outside rain, snow, heat, cold, birds, mice & other pests. To achieve all these benefits differences in door widths, dock heights, and bumper projections must be taken into consideration.

Key Dock Dimensions

  1. Dock Height
  2. Door Width
  3. Door Height
  4. Dock Bumper Projection
  5. Slope

Getting the right seal for your application is our mission, to do that the above dimensions are an essential component.

dock Seal design

Dock Seal Depth

Ideally all dock seals should extend 5" past the face of the dock bumper. This ensures that there is adequate compression while also limiting over compression. To achieve this it is critical we first determine the distance from where the dock seal mounts out to the dock bumper face.

A) Dock Seal Depth
B) Lintel + Dock Bumper Depth
C) Lintel Depth
D) Dock Bumper Depth
E) Dock Seal Projection Past Bumper Face

Dock seal Depth is also affected by any slope over 2%. To accommodate the trailer angle, dock seal pads will be wedged to match the trailers angle when docked. This is a critical step that may require different Dock Bumpers as well. Our goal should always be to keep trailers a minimum of 4" from the wall. If your bumpers are not sufficient there is a risk trailers will impact on the wood backer of the dock seal.

Dock Seal Depth

Sealing Your Dock Door Width

There are three common door widths in the loading dock industry, 8', 9', and 10' wide. In contrast, common trailers range from 8' to 8'6" wide. Taking into consideration trailers will rarely dock perfectly the ideal opening size is 7'6". You'll note Loading Dock Supply offers three dock seal patterns C Series, ZN, and ZT Series to seal the widths designed to achieve this 7'6" opening; for Full access see our Dock Shelters.

C Series - 8' Wide Doors
Designed for use on the most common door width of 8', the C Series uses a vertical pad is wedged 9" at the back to a 12" face. This pad is also available in a 15" face for doors measuring 8'6" wide.

ZN Series - 9' Wide Doors
The less common 9' wide dock door calls for our specialized ZN option. Wedged from a 7.5" back to a 16" wide face the ZN Dock Seal has a thicker inside lip than the C series, measuring in at 4" thick. This ensures the seal is rigid enough to remain effectiveness for the life of the Dock Seal.

ZT Series - 10' Wide Doors
10' wide dock doors are a rare occurrence which require an extra large dock seal face. Measuring in at 7.5" at the back and 21" at the face the ZT Dock Seal follows suit with the ZN models, showcasing a thicker inside lip for lasting performance.

All three dock seal models come standard with a high visibility yellow guide stripe set 3" in from the inside edge to indicate the 8' center. This helps trucks line up with your dock door in addition to your dock bumpers. The ZN and ZT models carry an additional feature of an large wear shield patch sewn into the bottom corner to reduce wear and tear.

Vertical Pad for 8' Wide Door

8' wide door seal

Vertical Pad for 9' Wide Door

9' wide door seal

Vertical Pad for 10' Wide Door

10' wide door seal

Sealing Your Dock Door Height

Loading dock door openings range from 8' to 10' in height or even greater. Adding in the common dock height of 48", this puts the top of doors in a range of 12' to 14'. In contrast, the standard Height range for 53' LTL dry van trailers is 12' to 13'6". To seal this range there are three standard header set ups.

18" High Dock Seal Header (Top)
When the top of the dock door finishes at 12', the general rule of thumb is to defer to a 18" high header. This ensures the standard range of trailers seals tightly to keep out rain, dust, and pests. If you are looking to keep costs down, ask our sales team about alternatives to 18" high headers.

12" High Dock Seal Header (Middle)
For dock doors finishing between 12' and 13'6" high, a 12" high head pad with drop curtain is standard. ideally the top of the 12" head pad will finish at or above 13'6", while the drop curtain sewn to the bottom of the face will hang to seal the remaining space below.

Curtain Header (Bottom)
For docks finishing at 14' or higher a curtain header is the ideal choice, as a foam header will never be impacted at this height. Designed to hang 18" to 24", the curtain style header contains a pocket enclosed steel pipe for placement and a pocketed foam pipe at the base of the drop to improve compression and rigidity. Curtain headers are an easy option for any door height, simply increase the dock seal vertical height to finish at 14' to use this option on doors finishing lower than 14'.

18" Header Pad for 8' High Door

8' high door header seal

12" Header Pad for 9' High Door

9' high door header seal

Header Curtain for 10' High Door

10' high door header seal

Dock Seal Vinyl Base Fabric Comparison

Often times, dock seal and shelter cover fabric specifications are based on some of the more expensive rubber based products that have been very heavily promoted by dock seal industry leaders. Although these fabrics have a good reputation, from a durability stand point the important factor is not whether the coating is rubber or vinyl, but the shear strength of the fabric. Known as Base fabric, the interwoven nylon or polyester strands sandwiched between the two layers of rubber or vinyl, is graded by the thickness and quality of the strands used in construction. For this reason knowing your material is as important as the quality of construction. On the market now there are common specified light duty base fabrics used in conjunction with expensive rubber coatings. Different coatings can feel very different offering a variety of benefits; however without the proper base layer a rather expensive product can perform at a much lower level than expected. The end result is a product with low durability and a high cost. Loading Dock Supply takes pride in ensuring our products are top grade industrial quality, we do not believe in cutting corners and strive to offer you the highest quality products and satisfaction.

Properties 22 oz Vinyl 40 oz vinyl Duropreen
Fabric Base Woven (16 x 16) Woven (31 x 31) Woven (30 x 30)
Coating Type Poly Vinyl Chloride Poly Vinyl Chloride Poly Vinyl Chloride
Coating Distribution 60% Front/40% Back 76% Front/24% Back Not Specified
Tongue Tear 123 Lbs.
65 Lbs.
126 Lbs.
149 Lbs.
200 Lbs.
195 Lbs.
Fire Rating Not Rated Not Rated Self Extinguishing
Low Temp. Rating -40° F -40° F -40° F
Resistance mildew and UV
resistant
UV Inhibitor, Mildew
Resistant, Dull Finish
Anti-Mildew, UV

Note: The most important factor of your dock seal cover is the tongue tear strength.

Increase durability with Wearshields

Vinyl pleats also known as wear shields are a rather inexpensive method of increasing the life of your dock seals vinyl base. Available in three vinyl weights and overlap patterns.

WEAR SHIELDS
HT-L-40 LIGHT DUTY - 18" DUROPREEN FLAP
W/2" OVERLAP - OVER 40oz. VINYL BASE FABRIC
HT-M-40 MEDIUM DUTY - 18" DUROPREEN FLAP
W/10" OVERLAP - OVER 40oz. VINYL BASE FABRIC
HT-H-40 HEAVY DUTY - 9" DUROPREEN FLAP
W/5" OVERLAP - OVER 40oz. VINYL BASE FABRIC
HT-L-HT LIGHT DUTY - 18" DUROPREEN FLAP
W/2" OVERLAP - OVER DUROPREEN BASE FABRIC
HT-M-HT MEDIUM DUTY - 18" DUROPREEN FLAP
W/10" OVERLAP - OVER DUROPREEN BASE FABRIC
HT-H-HT HEAVY DUTY - 9" DUROPREEN FLAP
W/5" OVERLAP - OVER DUROPREEN BASE FABRIC
22-L-22 LIGHT DUTY - 18" 22oz VINYL FLAP
W/2" OVERLAP - OVER 22oz VINYL BASE FABRIC
22-M-22 MEDIUM DUTY - 18" 22oz VINYL FLAP
W/10" OVERLAP - OVER 22oz VINYL BASE FABRIC

Dock Seal FAQ

How thick should my dock seal be?
Your dock seal depth is determined by the slope of your approach and the dock bumper thickness. level approaches typically have 4.5" thick dock bumpers and a 9"-10" thick seal. For each degree of slope we add or reduce an inch of projection depending on whether the slope is an incline or decline.


What dock seal do I need?
Loading docks are not all the same bumper projection, dock height, approach, door opening size, wall construction, access required to the rear of the trailer, trailer sizes being service as well as several other questions are key factors when designing a dock. For this reason there is no simple answer to this question. On our site there are several tools to help. You can call us during business hours, fill out an RFQ, or submit the dock seal survey on the dock seal page and we will help you with a dock seal fit to match your needs.


Why is the dock seal top head pad getting damaged?
If your top pad is receiving more damage than other parts of your seal there are several reasons it could be happening. The most common reason for this is a sloped approach. When the dock slopes down and the dock bumpers are not thick enough the truck will hit the wall or over compress the top of the seal causing it to wear out early. The way to avoid this situation is a wedged seal with adequate dock bumper projection.


How to install a dock seal?
Installing a dock seal is simple and can be performed with basic tools. Comprising of flat and angle brackets installation is simple and can be performed in an hour or two depending on experience. For installation instructions email us at sales@loadingdocksupply.com


Where to buy a loading dock door wrap around seal?
There are many terms used in the door industry to describe what we call dock seals; we often hear them called dock wrap around, dock bumper cushions, door pads, docking pads, etc. Loading dock supply, experts in this field, offer a full range of dock seals, truck shelters, and other dock equipment with same day quotes most handled on the phone.


Dock Seal Vs. Truck Shelter?
A dock seal is traditionally designed to enclose a loading dock reducing its width to an optimal 7'6", while a truck shelter is designed to allow full access to the trailer without restricting the available space around the door. Truck shelters typically afford service to a wider range of trucks than a dock seal as well, due to the nature of the seal. When a vehicle docks with a shelter the curtains with spring steel stays slide along the side of the vehicle rather than compress like a dock seal.


Our hassle free, non commission, sales team is here help you

Get a Quote  Dock Seal Survey

Speak to a Dock Seal Specialist
1800-741-1258

sales@loadingdocksupply.com
Contact Us
1-800-741-1258
Loading Dock Equipment, Loading Dock Ramps, Dock Bumpers, Dock Boards, Yard Ramps, Dock Lights, and Industrial Equipment

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Loading Dock Equipment
October 31, 2019

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