Automatic glass doors combine a clean, modern look with hands-free convenience — making them the entrance of choice for shopfronts, offices, malls and commercial buildings across South Africa. Coetz™ and MC Automations supply and install automatic glass doors in framed or frameless designs, in both sliding and swing configurations.
Types of automatic glass doors
Automatic glass sliding doors
The most popular option for high-traffic entrances. Our automatic glass sliding doors use the MC-125 operator and suit retail, offices and commercial shopfronts.
Automatic glass swing doors
Powered by the MCW-100 operator, automatic glass swing doors work where a sliding track is impractical, and can automate existing glass doors.
Framed vs frameless glass doors
Aluminium-framed glass doors are robust and cost-effective, while frameless glass gives a premium, minimalist look. See our comparison of framed vs frameless automatic sliding doors.
Where automated commercial glass doors are used
Automatic glass doors are ideal for retail stores and shopping malls, office and corporate receptions, showrooms, hotels and restaurants — anywhere a bright, welcoming, professional first impression matters while keeping foot traffic flowing.
Glass options & safety
Automatic glass doors are glazed with safety glass — toughened or laminated — for strength and safe breakage behaviour. Combined with correctly configured safety sensors that hold the door open while someone is in the opening, a well-installed automatic glass door is both safe and durable. Learn more about safety glass.
Why choose automatic glass doors
- Natural light — glass keeps entrances bright and open.
- Professional appearance — a premium first impression for customers and visitors.
- Hands-free convenience — easier access and better foot-traffic flow.
- Accessibility — effortless entry for everyone, including wheelchair users.
Supply & installation across South Africa
We install automatic glass doors across Gauteng — Johannesburg, Pretoria and the greater East and West Rand — and supply operators and spares nationwide. New to automatic doors? Start with our guide to automatic doors in South Africa, or browse our automatic door solutions.
Frequently asked questions
Are automatic glass doors safe?
Yes. They use toughened or laminated safety glass and safety sensors that detect people in the opening and hold the door open, preventing it from closing on anyone.
Should I choose framed or frameless glass doors?
Both work well. Aluminium-framed glass doors are robust and cost-effective; frameless glass offers a premium, minimalist look. We can advise based on your building and budget.
Do you supply automated commercial glass doors?
Yes. We supply and install automated commercial glass doors — sliding and swing — for retail, offices, malls and commercial buildings.
Sliding or swing glass doors — which is better?
Sliding suits high-traffic, wide entrances; swing suits lower-traffic or retrofit situations. See our sliding vs swing comparison.
Get a quote for automatic glass doors
Ready to add automatic glass doors to your building? Contact our team on 010 412 0062 for a tailored quote. Installation across Gauteng, supply nationwide.
Automatic glass doors can be built as motorised sliding doors for a hands-free entrance.
For background, see this laminated glass overview.
Working with Coetz Glazing
Every automatic glass doors project at Coetz starts with a free site measure, so we can confirm the opening, the power supply and the traffic flow before quoting a fixed price.
We build each entrance around a durable aluminium frame, glaze it with 6.38mm laminated safety glass, and set the operator to safe opening and closing speeds during commissioning.
Because we supply, install and service every automatic glass doors ourselves, one accountable team handles the job from quote to aftercare, with operators, sensors and spares kept in stock for fast repairs.
Why aluminium is the right choice
For automatic glass doors, aluminium is the material that lasts. It will not rust, warp or rot, it shrugs off the South African sun, and it needs almost no maintenance beyond an occasional wipe-down.
Our frames are powder-coated in any colour, from crisp white and charcoal to bronze and natural anodised finishes, so the windows match the architecture instead of fighting it. Slim sightlines let in more glass and more daylight.
Every unit is glazed with 6.38mm laminated safety glass as standard, which improves security, cuts outside noise and holds together if it is ever broken. Double glazing and performance glass are available where thermal comfort matters.
We manufacture automatic glass doors to your exact sizes in our own factory, so there is no waiting on imported stock and no compromise on fit. Large and repeat orders are planned and delivered on schedule.
From a single building to a full development, Coetz supplies, installs and services what we make. One accountable team, one point of contact, and a workmanship guarantee stands behind every installation.
Getting automatic glass doors right the first time
The enquiries that turn into clean, on-time projects nearly always arrive with the same handful of details settled. When you are pricing automatic glass doors, these are the ones our estimators ask for.
- The structural opening. Measure the brickwork opening rather than an existing frame, and note whether the reveal is square.
- Traffic and duty cycle. A quiet office entrance and a centre entrance passing thousands of people a day are not the same specification.
- Power and controls. Confirm what supply reaches the head of the opening, and whether access control, an intercom or a fire panel must interface.
- Glass. Coetz™ glazes as standard with 6.38 mm clear laminated safety glass.
- Service access. Automatic door systems are installed and serviced by our team, so plan for periodic servicing from day one.
With that information we can turn automatic glass doors around quickly and without a site visit in most cases. Where a detail is still undecided, we would rather quote automatic glass doors both ways than reissue later.
Specifying the panes in a powered entrance
The pane in a powered entrance leads a harder life than one in a fixed screen. It is accelerated and decelerated many times a day, it carries its own weight on running gear rather than resting in a rebate, and it sits at the exact height where trolleys, luggage and shoulders make contact. That combination is why the specification deserves attention rather than being inherited from the shopfront around it.
Why edge condition matters more than thickness
Most breakages in powered entrances do not begin with an impact. They begin at a chipped or nipped edge, knocked during transport or while the leaf was being manoeuvred into its gear, and they surface days or weeks later with no obvious cause. A clean arrissed edge spreads load evenly around the perimeter; a damaged one concentrates it into a single point. Leaves should be carried upright, stored against a padded rack and never rested on a concrete floor.
Manifestation and visibility
A large, clean pane is close to invisible to someone walking towards it at pace, which is why manifestation — a band of frit, film or applied graphics at eye level — is a routine part of a commercial entrance rather than a decorative extra. Position it so it reads to both adults and children, and remember that a leaf which slides or folds moves its manifestation with it. On a fixed screen alongside a moving leaf, the two should align when the entrance is closed.
Pinch points and finger protection
Wherever a moving leaf approaches a fixed one, a fixed screen or a reveal, there is a closing gap. On a sliding arrangement this is usually managed by the safety detection field; on a swinging or folding arrangement it can also need physical protection at the hinge line. The relevant question at specification stage is not only how the leaf opens, but what happens in the last hundred millimetres before it closes.
Cleaning, sealing and daily wear
Powered entrances collect handprints at exactly the height people push, and the tracks below them collect grit. Neither is cosmetic: contamination in the bottom track is the most common cause of an entrance that has become heavy or noisy, and it accelerates roller wear long before anything actually fails. A wipe-down of the leaves and a clean track are the two maintenance habits that most extend service life, and they cost nothing but attention.
Getting the specification agreed early
The pane, the framing, the operator and the surrounding structure all have to suit each other, and the cheapest time to reconcile them is before anything is manufactured. Send the structural opening, the finished floor detail, an estimate of daily traffic and a note of any access-control equipment that must integrate, and the specification can be settled on paper rather than on site.