Category
External Access Panels
External access panels give secure, weather-resistant access to services and voids on the outside of a building — underfloor voids beneath suspended floors, soffits, external pipework and valves, and service openings in outbuildings — without letting water, draughts or heat through the opening. They're sealed, insulated and finished to cope with exposed conditions year-round. Part of our wider access panel range.
What makes a panel fit for outside use
A standard internal panel isn't built to keep weather out. Our external panel has dual seals — on the back of the frame and around the door — to stop water getting in and air leaking through, and every weld is ground flat and every corner smoothed so the seals sit on a completely flat surface. It's fabricated from 0.9mm Zintec steel, primed with a rust-inhibitive powder coat and finished in a RAL 9010 white satin powder coat, and it closes with an airtight key-operated radial tumbler lock.
Insulated and air tested
The door cavity is filled with extruded polystyrene insulation board (XPS), which resists water vapour and gives a U-value of 0.35 W/m²K — so the opening doesn't become a cold spot in an insulated wall. The panel is air tested in a UKAS-accredited test house, smoke tested to BS EN 1634-3, and gives 36dB of sound reduction as a bonus. Note that it isn't fire-rated; where a fire rating is specified, see our fire-rated access panels.
Sizes and fitting
Stock sizes are 300×300, 450×450 and 600×600mm. As with all our panels, allow around 5mm clearance — a 300×300 panel wants a structural opening of 305×305mm. It's a picture-frame panel, so the 25mm frame sits on the surface, and it suits walls or ceilings, including soffits. Need something different? We make it to measure, with the current lead time shown on the product page.