An entrance that everyone can use without help is the mark of a well-designed building, and automatic doors are one of the simplest ways to get there. Wheelchair accessible doors remove the two biggest barriers of a manual door — the pull force and the handle — and replace them with a wide, hands-free opening that anyone can pass through. This guide explains what makes automatic doors properly wheelchair accessible, from clear opening width to activation and timing, so your entrance works for wheelchair users, people with mobility aids, parents with prams and everyone else.
Why automatic doors for wheelchair access?
A conventional door asks a lot of the person using it: grip the handle, pull against a spring or closer, then hold it open while moving through. For a wheelchair user or someone with limited strength, that can be difficult or impossible. Automatic doors remove the effort entirely — the door senses the approach and opens on its own, with no handle to reach and no weight to push. That makes automatic doors for wheelchair access far more usable, and it benefits the elderly, people carrying items, and anyone with a temporary injury too.
What makes a door wheelchair accessible?
Truly wheelchair accessible doors come down to a few practical things: a wide enough clear opening to pass through comfortably, a low or level threshold so wheels aren’t stopped by a lip, a hold-open time long enough to cross without rushing, activation that needs little or no reach, and a gentle, safe closing action. In South Africa, accessibility in buildings is guided by SANS 10400-S, the standard covering facilities for people with disabilities — see our glazing compliance centre for background, and confirm the specific requirements for your building with your architect. Published SANS standards are available from the SABS.
Clear opening width and threshold
The clear opening is what actually matters to a wheelchair — not the frame size, but the unobstructed gap when the door is open. Automatic sliding doors are excellent here because the panels slide fully aside to give a wide, clean opening with no door leaf swinging into the path. Pair that with a level or low-profile threshold so wheels roll straight through, and you have an entrance that’s easy to cross. For existing hinged doors, an automatic swing operator can open the door fully and hold it, keeping the path clear.
Activation: sensors, push pads and touchless
How the door is triggered is central to accessibility. A motion or presence sensor that opens the door automatically on approach is ideal, because it needs no action at all from the user. Where a manual trigger is used on a swing operator, a large push pad mounted at a reachable height — or a touchless wave-to-open sensor — lets a wheelchair user activate the door without gripping or twisting anything. The aim is always the same: open the door with the least possible effort.
Sliding or swing for accessibility?
Both can be made into wheelchair accessible doors, and the right choice depends on your opening. Automatic sliding doors give the widest, cleanest clear opening and have no swing path to keep clear, which makes them a natural fit for accessible entrances. Automatic swing doors, driven by an operator like the MCW-100, are ideal for automating an existing hinged door or where a sliding track isn’t practical. For a fuller comparison, see sliding vs swing automatic doors.
Keeping wheelchair accessible doors reliable
Wheelchair accessible doors only stay accessible if they keep working as intended. Safety sensors must be set so the door never closes on someone crossing slowly, the hold-open time should suit the users, and the threshold and seals need to stay in good order. Regular servicing keeps all of that reliable. Our parent company, MC Automations, installs and services accessible automatic entrances across South Africa and can set the opening, timing and sensors to suit your building and its visitors.
Frequently asked questions
Are automatic doors good for wheelchair access?
Yes — they are one of the best options. Automatic doors open hands-free with no handle to grip or weight to pull, and sliding versions give a wide clear opening, making them very easy for wheelchair users to pass through.
What makes a door wheelchair accessible?
A wide clear opening, a low or level threshold, a hold-open time long enough to cross comfortably, easy or automatic activation, and a safe, gentle closing action. Automatic doors make all of these easy to achieve.
Which is better for accessibility, sliding or swing?
Automatic sliding doors give the widest clear opening and no swing path, so they’re often the best fit. An automatic swing operator is ideal for automating an existing hinged door. Both can be set up to be fully accessible.
Do automatic doors meet SANS accessibility requirements?
Accessibility in South African buildings is guided by SANS 10400-S. Automatic doors help provide the wide, easy, barrier-free access it addresses, but the specific requirements for your building should be confirmed with your architect or professional.
Talk to us about automatic doors that give a wide, hands-free, barrier-free entrance for wheelchair users and everyone else.
Related reading: automatic doors in South Africa, touchless automatic doors, and automatic sliding vs swing doors.
Wheelchair accessible doors: getting a quote
If you are weighing up wheelchair accessible doors, MC Automations, our parent company, can help: it supplies, installs and services automatic doors. To quote accurately, we need to know:
- The opening. The width and height of the clear opening, with photos of the existing frame or shopfront.
- Sliding or swing. The MC-125 automatic sliding door system is R27 590 and the MCW-100 swing door operator R15 900, excluding VAT.
- Traffic. How many people use the entrance, and whether trolleys, prams or wheelchairs pass through.
- Power. Whether there is a power point near the head of the door.
- Installation. Installation is included in Gauteng; outside Gauteng it is quoted per project.
- Service and warranty. We recommend a service every six months, and the operator carries a 24-month warranty.
Questions about wheelchair accessible doors? Call 010 412 0062, WhatsApp photos to 076 613 4418, or price an automatic door in the online estimator.
Which door type suits the opening
Traffic and wall space decide the layout for Wheelchair Accessible doors. Single sliding is the everyday shopfront answer; bi-parting halves the travel and handles the busiest public entrances; telescopic stacks the leaves where there is not enough wall to park them; and a swing operator automates a hinged door you already have.
- MC-125 sliding: single leaf to 150 kg, or bi-parting 2 × 120 kg, openings 1450–5000 mm.
- MCW-100 swing: existing hinged doors to 1,200 mm / 150 kg (interdependent).
- Tested to one million operating cycles, 2-year manufacturer warranty on the operator.
Getting the opening right for Wheelchair Accessible doors
Most trouble with a powered entrance starts at the opening, not the operator. We measure the structural opening, confirm the head can carry the load, look for anything above it that competes for space, and establish where the power comes in. An operator fixed to an inadequate head is the single most common cause of early call-outs, and it is entirely avoidable at survey stage.
Power, load-shedding and access control
Decide up front whether the door should fail open for escape or fail secure for stock, and whether a battery backup should keep it running through a load-shedding slot or simply park it safely. Whichever you choose, staff need to be shown the manual release. Access control belongs in the same conversation: card readers, push buttons, intercoms and time clocks are far cheaper specified with the door than cabled in afterwards through a finished ceiling.
How long is the warranty?
Two years on the operator, from the manufacturer. Wear parts — belts, rollers, guides and seals — are handled through servicing rather than warranty.
Can you automate a door we already have?
In most cases, yes — a swing operator such as the MCW-100 automates an existing hinged door up to 1,200 mm and 150 kg (interdependent).
What to send us for a quote
A useful quotation needs very little: the structural opening width and height, a photograph of the doorway taken square-on, a note of what is above the opening, and a rough idea of daily traffic. Tell us whether access control or a battery backup is wanted and the quote comes back complete rather than caveated.
- Structural opening width and height in millimetres.
- A square-on photograph of the doorway and what sits above it.
- Rough daily traffic, including deliveries.
- Whether access control, intercom or battery backup is wanted.
- Any deadline the entrance has to meet.
Making the entrance work for everybody
Hands-free access matters most to the people who find doors hardest: wheelchair users, parents with prams, delivery staff with both hands full. For Wheelchair Accessible doors we set hold-open time against how quickly people really move through the opening, and presence detection holds the door for anyone who pauses. A push-pad or a wave switch can be added where staff want manual control.
How much work will the door really do?
Traffic is the number that sizes Wheelchair Accessible doors. Count people in and out, then add deliveries, staff movements and trolleys. A quiet reception and a supermarket entrance can look identical on a drawing and behave completely differently in service, which is why the cycle estimate belongs in the specification rather than in the assumptions.
Can we add card readers or an intercom?
Yes. They are far cheaper included with the original installation than retro-fitted, because the cable route is open while the header is being fitted.
Can we choose a different glass?
Yes. The standard is 6.38 mm laminated safety glass, and tinted, obscured or performance glass can be specified, and is quoted separately, where the frontage needs it.
Wheelchair accessible doors in short
If you are pricing wheelchair accessible doors, send the structural opening sizes and a photograph and we will specify the system, the sensors and the glass against the traffic the doorway really carries. Wheelchair accessible doors are supplied, installed and serviced by one team, with spares held locally.
Ask us about wheelchair accessible doors and we will confirm the opening, the power supply and the traffic flow before quoting a fixed price.
Wheelchair accessible doors at a glance
- Pricing for wheelchair accessible doors follows the opening width, the glass and the sensor layout.
- Ask us to confirm the opening before ordering wheelchair accessible doors.
More on accessible entrances: low energy automatic swing doors and automatic sliding doors for homes.
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