Heavy Lead Door Handling, Storage, and Install

HEAVY DOOR — RECEIVING, STORAGE, HANDLING & BASIC INSTALLATION GUIDELINES

IMPORTANT — READ BEFORE HANDLING
These doors are engineered life-safety products. Depending on size, lead thickness, and other options these doors may exceed 1,000+ pounds. Improper handling can cause severe damage, personal injury, or death. By accepting delivery, the customer acknowledges responsibility for following these instructions in full.

1. RECEIVING INSTRUCTIONS

  • All doors are manufactured, inspected, QA-verified, and digitally photographed immediately prior to crating and shipment.

  • Upon delivery, you MUST immediately uncrate and inspect all doors for:

    • Correct size and configuration

    • Proper lead/fire/ballistic protection level

    • Any visible freight damage or concealed damage

  • Any freight damage must be reported at the time of delivery and noted on the carrier’s BOL.
    Failure to document damage at delivery voids all claims and confirms the product arrived in perfect condition.

  • Once accepted without notation, doors are considered delivered in full, correct, undamaged condition, and all liability transfers to the customer.

2. HANDLING REQUIREMENTS

  • These doors are extremely heavy. Only use appropriate material-handling equipment, such as forklifts, pallet jacks, door carts, or powered lifts rated for the full door weight.

  • All personnel must be qualified, strong, capable, and experienced tradesmen (carpenters, installers, journeymen).

  • A minimum of 2–4 trained handlers may be required depending on door size and weight.

  • Never attempt to manually lift, flip, or rotate these doors without proper equipment.

  • Do NOT “flat drop,” tip, slide, or allow impact of any kind. Even small impacts may distort the door, buckle internal lead layers, or permanently damage the core.

  • Improper handling, offloading, or installation immediately voids warranty and may result in serious injury or death.

3. STORAGE REQUIREMENTS

  • Store indoors only in a secure, climate-controlled, dry environment, away from humidity, moisture, water intrusion, radiant heat, or direct sunlight.

  • Doors do not become damaged on their own; any bowing, twisting, warping, or corrosion is caused by environmental conditions or external force after delivery.

  • Store:

    • Flat on level pallets, or

    • Vertically on edge, fully supported and secured to prevent tipping

  • Do NOT:

    • Store directly on floors or unlevel surfaces

    • Place wood blocks or materials under only one side—this causes shape memory and warping

    • Stack any materials, products, or pallets on top of the doors

    • Store outdoors under any circumstances

  • Customer assumes full responsibility for proper storage and environmental protection after delivery.

4. INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS

  • Installation must be performed only by qualified trade professionals with the proper tools, equipment, clearances, and experience handling extremely heavy life-safety doors.

  • Frames must be verified and confirmed by the installer as fully level, plumb, square, and structurally adequate before door installation begins.

  • Frames and hardware must provide equal or greater protection ratings than the door:

    • Fire-rating

    • Radiation shielding

    • Ballistic resistance

  • Hardware used by the customer must be rated EXCEEDING the actual door weight. Using under-rated hardware is unsafe and voids all warranty.

  • Power door operators may be required to safely operate doors and maintain ANSI/BHMA safety compliance.

  • Installers may need to use shims and accepted industry practices to properly align and balance the door for long-term performance.

5. PROHIBITIONS & LIMITATIONS

  • Any after-the-fact field modifications, including cutouts, trimming, drilling, mortising, wire chases, or hardware alterations, may:

    • Void the warranty

    • Compromise radiation/fire/ballistic performance

    • Create unsafe conditions

  • The customer and installer are solely responsible for:

    • Verifying wall/support structure can safely support the full door weight

    • Safe offloading, storage, movement, and installation

    • Compliance with local building codes, life-safety standards, and job-specific engineering requirements

  • Manufacturer is not responsible for:

    • Damage caused by handling, storage, environmental exposure, installation, misuse, or inadequate site conditions

    • Personal injury or property damage caused by improper handling or installation

    • Delays, liquidated damages, downtime, or jobsite costs arising from misuse, modification, or failure to follow these instructions

6. SAFETY WARNING

These doors can cause severe injury or death if mishandled.
The customer and installer assume full responsibility for adherence to OSHA requirements, jobsite safety protocols, and manufacturer guidelines.

Failure to follow these instructions immediately voids warranty and releases the manufacturer from all liability.

7. ACCEPTANCE OF RESPONSIBILITY

By receiving, storing, handling, installing, or allowing others to interact with these doors, the customer acknowledges and agrees that:

  • All risks associated with post-delivery handling and installation are transferred fully to the customer.

  • Manufacturer liability ends once the door is accepted and verified upon delivery.

  • Any damage or injury resulting from failure to follow these guidelines is solely the responsibility of the customer and/or installer.