IN A WORLD OF SHORTCUTS, WE DON'T™
Food Grade Strip Curtains
FDA-Compliant Strip Curtains for Bakery and Food Plant Oven Openings
Food grade strip curtains from Steel Guard Safety are built entirely from materials that comply with FDA food contact regulations, for oven infeeds and discharges, fryer hoods, and the other hot openings on a food production line. Every order ships with a letter of guaranty citing the FDA regulation that covers the material, so your QA team has the document an auditor asks for.
Most heat curtains are made from silicone coated fiberglass. That works on a paint line, but the coating carries no food contact compliance, and every cut edge is fiberglass that can shed over an open product zone. We build this line in two FDA-compliant materials instead. For our full material range, see the High Temperature Strip Curtains line.
Two Builds, Chosen by Temperature and Buildup
HTS-5000S FDA Silicone
Solid translucent silicone, compliant with FDA 21 CFR 177.2600. There is no fabric inside it, so there is no fiberglass and nothing to fray. Operators can see the line through the strips, and the smooth surface wipes down for allergen changeovers. The material is rated to 446°F, and we recommend it for openings that run below 400°F: cake and pastry ovens, proofers, low-temperature dryers, and freezer entries.
HTS-5000P FDA PTFE
PTFE coated fiberglass compliant with FDA 21 CFR 177.1550, in a crease and tear resistant construction designed for repeated flexing. It is rated 500°F continuous, and its tear strength is two to three times that of standard PTFE curtain fabric. Sugar, glaze, dough, and fat release from PTFE instead of building up. Every strip edge is sealed so no cut fiberglass faces the product. Choose it for bread and cookie oven discharges, fryers, cooked meat lines, and anywhere buildup is the problem.
Two questions decide the build: how hot is the opening, and does anything stick to it? Below 400°F with nothing sticking, choose silicone. Hotter, or greasy and sugary, choose PTFE.
Where They Go on the Line
The core application is the open slot at each end of a continuous oven. The oven exhaust pulls room air in through that slot all shift. A curtain there holds bake temperature steady, cuts gas use, and drops the heat load on operators at the loading and unloading stations. The discharge end usually runs hotter than the infeed, because product leaves at full temperature.
The same silicone strip works at the cold end of the line. Spiral and tunnel freezers lose cold through the same kind of slot, and silicone stays flexible far below the point where PVC stiffens and cracks. One material and one letter of guaranty can cover both the oven and the freezer. For walk-in coolers and freezers, see our Refrigeration Strip Curtains.
In meat and poultry plants, cooked product passes from the oven through an opening in the wall that separates the raw side from the ready-to-eat side. That opening needs a curtain that tolerates heat on one face and sanitation on both. Both builds qualify; the operating temperature decides which.
Matching the Build to the Opening
| Opening | Typical Temperature | What Happens There | Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cake and pastry oven discharge | 325–375°F | Clean product; operators need line of sight | HTS-5000S |
| Proofer entrance | ~100°F, humid | Steam and condensation, little heat stress | HTS-5000S |
| Spiral or tunnel freezer entry | -20 to -40°F | PVC stiffens and cracks at these temperatures | HTS-5000S |
| Pet food and treat dryers | Below 350°F | Dry product, moderate heat | HTS-5000S |
| Bread and roll tunnel oven discharge | 400–475°F | Above the silicone recommendation | HTS-5000P |
| Cookie and cracker ovens | 400°F+ | Sugar and dough contact | HTS-5000P |
| Continuous fryer hoods | 350–375°F | Grease vapor wicks into most surfaces | HTS-5000P |
| Cooked meat and poultry ovens | Varies | Fat and smoke residue, daily caustic washdown | HTS-5000P |
| Snack, cereal, and nut roasting | 250–400°F | Sugar and dust buildup | HTS-5000P |
| Raw to ready-to-eat wall pass-through | Varies | Hot on one face, sanitized on both | Either, by temperature |
| Tortilla and pizza ovens | Often 500°F+ | Above both builds | Not suitable — call us |
These are typical setpoints, and the curtain at the mouth of an oven usually runs cooler than the oven itself. Plants vary, so give us your actual operating temperature at the opening and we will confirm the build.
Built for a Food Plant Audit
- FDA-compliant materials — silicone under 21 CFR 177.2600, PTFE under 21 CFR 177.1550
- Letter of guaranty with every order, naming the material and the regulation that covers it
- No exposed fiberglass — the silicone build contains none, and PTFE strip edges are sealed
- Stainless steel mounting hardware — no galvanized zinc over the product zone
- Individual strips are replaceable — replace what wears rather than the whole curtain
- Built to any opening, from a conveyor slot to a full oven mouth
Seal Level
We build three configurations. Full overlap, 50%, gives complete double coverage and the best heat containment. Mid overlap, 33%, uses narrower strips for easier passage. Butt joint hangs the strips edge to edge, and it is usually the right choice over a conveyor carrying unwrapped product, because it gives the least drag across the product surface.
Silicone strips are heavier than coated fabric, roughly 0.8 lb per square foot at 1/8 in. thick. That weight helps them hang flat and reseal quickly after product passes.
Contact one of our experienced sales reps at 1-800-347-8368 or request a quote online. Tell us the opening size, your operating temperature, what passes through, and whether product touches the strips.
HTS-5000S FDA Silicone
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Material | Solid silicone rubber, translucent |
| Food contact compliance | FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 |
| Thickness | 1/8 in. (3.2 mm) |
| Weight | Approx. 0.8 lb per sq ft |
| Material temperature rating | 446°F |
| Recommended use | Openings operating below 400°F |
| Low temperature | Remains flexible to -50°F |
| Fiberglass content | None |
| Color | Translucent; blue metal-detectable available on request (390°F maximum) |
| Strip mounting | Punched on 2 in. centers and held by a stainless retainer bar; no grommets |
HTS-5000P FDA PTFE
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Material | PTFE coated fiberglass, crease and tear resistant construction |
| Food contact compliance | FDA 21 CFR 177.1550 |
| Construction | Single ply |
| Weight | 1.83 lb per sq yd (approx. 29 oz) |
| Thickness | 0.025 in. |
| Continuous service rating | 500°F |
| Low temperature | -100°F |
| Tensile strength | 450 / 625 lb per in. (warp / fill) |
| Tear strength | 60 / 80 lb (warp / fill) |
| Edges | Sealed; no exposed cut fiberglass |
| Strip mounting | Stainless steel grommets on 2 in. centers |
Both Builds
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Mounting hardware | Stainless steel strip door hardware, 2 in. stud spacing; header, wall, or universal mount |
| Strip widths | 4, 6, or 8 in. |
| Seal options | Full overlap (50%), mid overlap (33%), or butt joint |
| Documentation | Letter of guaranty citing the applicable FDA regulation; material data sheet on request |
| Replacement | Individual strips replaceable |
| Sizing | Built to your opening |
| Manufactured | South Holland, Illinois |
FDA does not approve individual curtain materials. It regulates which materials may be used in contact with food. Our silicone build is made from material compliant with FDA 21 CFR 177.2600, and our PTFE build from material compliant with FDA 21 CFR 177.1550. Every order ships with a letter of guaranty naming the material and the regulation it complies with.
USDA no longer approves construction materials or equipment components. Meat and poultry plants are instead expected to keep documentation on file showing a material is safe for its use, and a supplier’s letter of guaranty is the standard form of that documentation. We provide one with every order. Be cautious of any curtain sold as “USDA approved,” since no such approval currently exists.
A letter of guaranty identifying the curtain material and the FDA regulation it complies with, plus the material data sheet on request. If your QA program needs anything specific for your audit file, tell us when you request a quote.
Two questions decide it: how hot is the opening, and does anything stick to it? For openings below 400°F where the plant wants no fiberglass at all, line visibility through the strips, or one material for both the oven and the freezer, choose the HTS-5000S silicone. For hotter openings, or anywhere sugar, glaze, dough, or grease builds up, choose the HTS-5000P PTFE, which is rated to 500°F and releases buildup.
Two questions decide it: how hot is the opening, and does anything stick to it? For openings below 400°F with clean product, choose the HTS-5000S silicone. It costs less, it is translucent, and it contains no fiberglass. For hotter openings, or anywhere sugar, glaze, dough, or grease builds up, choose the HTS-5000P PTFE, which is rated to 500°F and releases buildup.
Standard silicone coated fiberglass carries no food contact compliance, and every cut edge is fiberglass that can shed over an open product zone. It is a good industrial heat curtain, but it is the wrong material for a food line.
No. The HTS-3000 is built for powder coat and paint lines, and its PTFE fabric is an industrial grade with no FDA compliance. The HTS-5000P uses a different PTFE fabric that complies with FDA 21 CFR 177.1550.
Both builds are made from FDA-compliant materials suitable for food contact. Even so, most plants prefer strips that clear the product. Over a conveyor carrying unwrapped product, a butt joint configuration gives the least drag. Tell us whether product will touch the strips and we will set the hang height and seal level accordingly.
Both builds wipe down and tolerate routine washdown. PTFE is chemically inert and releases buildup readily. If your sanitation program uses concentrated caustic or high-pressure hot water directly on the curtain, tell us the chemicals and conditions and we will confirm compatibility before you order.
Metal-detectable blue silicone is available on request for the HTS-5000S. It carries a lower temperature limit of 390°F, so we recommend it for proofers, coolers, freezers, and other lower-temperature openings rather than oven mouths.
Stainless steel strip door hardware with studs on 2 in. centers, in header, wall, or universal mount. Silicone strips are held by a stainless retainer bar that spreads the load across the strip, so there are no grommets to tear out. PTFE strips use stainless steel grommets.
Neither build is suitable above 500°F. Tortilla ovens and pizza impingement ovens often run hotter than that. Call us with your operating temperature and we will tell you honestly what is and is not available for your opening.
Yes. Strips are mounted individually, so you replace only the ones that wear rather than the whole curtain.
