This guide is for maintenance teams, panel builders and buyers who need a rubber seal for an enclosure, a door or a cover. Our catalogue lists rubber seals as flexible sealing solutions designed to help prevent leakage, vibration, dust and moisture entry. Here is what to tell us, because a seal cannot be ordered by its name alone.
Say what the seal must do
Our catalogue names four jobs for rubber seals: leakage, vibration, dust and moisture entry. Pick the one that is your problem, and write it in the first line of your enquiry.
A door that lets dust into a cabinet and a cover that lets liquid out of a tank are two different problems. Both may look like a simple gap. We cannot choose the right seal until we know which problem you have.
Also say where the seal sits. It may be on a door, a hatch, a lid, a panel joint or a cover plate. If it is on something else, describe it in plain words.
If your drawing or your customer asks for a protection level, copy the exact wording into your enquiry. We will tell you what we can confirm, and you can ask us for the product documents.
Describe the door, cover or gap
The seal has to fit the place where it sits. Measure that place before you write to us. Use millimetres for every size, and use the same unit throughout.
Tell us:
- the width and depth of the gap or groove the seal sits in;
- the total length of the run, and whether it is a straight run or a closed frame with corners;
- how the door or cover closes: hinged, lifted off, slid or bolted down;
- how often the door or cover is opened;
- which side of the seal faces the inside of the enclosure.
Measure the gap in more than one place, because a door or cover may not close evenly along its whole length. Write down the smallest and the largest reading. A sketch of the frame with the corners marked also helps us understand the run.
If there is vibration, say so. Vibration is one of the four jobs in our catalogue. Tell us what the machine is and where the panel is fixed.
Send an old seal or a drawing
The shape of the cross-section decides the fit, and a sample shows it better than words. Send the old seal, a clear photo with a ruler beside it, or a drawing of the profile. Our guide to matching a worn rubber seal shows how to measure and photograph it.
If you cannot send a sample or a drawing, send photos and measurements, and we will say what else we need.
Tell us the conditions around the seal
Conditions change which material we should quote. Write down where the enclosure stands and what touches the seal.
- Outdoors, with sun and rain, or indoors.
- Oil, fuel or cleaning fluid near the seal, with the name of each one.
- Washing with water, and whether it is a hose or a wipe.
- Heat from a machine or a process close to the enclosure, with the hottest point you know.
One sheet material in our catalogue is described in terms of weather. The catalogue calls EPDM a weather-resistant sheet for outdoor sealing, waterproofing and insulation work.
That is a sheet, and a seal is a separate item in the catalogue. Tell us whether you need a seal or a sheet, and we will confirm which to quote. Do not assume that the material of a seal matches a sheet name.
You can see all of these items on our industrial materials page.
What to send us for a quote
- What the seal must do: leakage, vibration, dust or moisture entry.
- What it is fitted to: door, hatch, lid, cover or panel joint.
- The gap or groove width and depth in millimetres, and the total length.
- Whether it is a straight run or a closed frame.
- An old seal, or a clear photo with a ruler, or a drawing of the profile.
- The conditions: outdoors or indoors, oil, fuel, cleaning fluid, heat.
- Whether you need a seal or a sheet.
- The quantity you need.
Request a quote on our website or message us on WhatsApp, and we will confirm the right material for the job.