Description

Electric Circular Wine Cellar Door (Spiral Cellar Glass Hatch)

A round, walk-on glass floor hatch that opens itself at the touch of a switch or remote, made for spiral staircases and circular openings down to a wine cellar or basement. The structural toughened-and-laminated glass sits in a circular steel frame, driven by an electric actuator. Made to order in our Sheffield workshop to fit your opening or existing spiral stair.

2026 update

Our electric doors now use an upgraded actuator that is faster and quieter. The photos and video here show the previous system: the new actuator looks slightly different, but all other components, safety features and operation are the same, and the remote style may vary from the images. All specifications below are current.

Made to your opening or spiral stair

Every circular door is made to order. Give us the exact size of your opening and we build a self-supporting frame with a little tolerance for fitting, and fixing points around the perimeter to secure it down. We make these from 800mm to 1500mm in diameter for spiral stairs, cellars, basements and well openings:

Up to 1000mm diameter: opens fully
Larger diameters: designed to open partially (see our PDF illustration, or ask us)
For larger openings again, we can quote a double-opening door

You can also choose the hatch edge profile: a Z-shaped cut (a stepped edge) or a straight cut. See it working in our short video.

How it opens, and the safety built in

The hatch is driven by electric strut actuators, controlled from a wall switch with optional handheld remotes (choose your combination when you order). A safety key lets you lock the door out, disabling the switch and remote so it cannot be opened, useful for child safety or to secure the cellar shut. A closing sounder warns when the floor is coming down, and can be turned off. The electrics come as a fully assembled "plug and play" control box, so installation needs only a standard UK plug socket, no wiring from scratch.

Product features

25.5mm toughened and laminated structural glass panel with painted borders
Circular steel support framework with a sealed, hinged glass panel
Black powder-coated framework (other colours on request)
Flush-fitting stainless steel hinges
Electric strut actuators with wiring looms, control panel and wall switch
Safety key lock-out that disables the switch and remote to secure the door shut; optional remote control
Closing sounder for added safety (can be deactivated)
Fully assembled "plug and play" electrics, standard UK plug socket
Z-shaped or straight-cut edge profile
Optional non-slip treatment, invisible to the eye and lasting around five years

Lead time and express

Manufacture is around 10 to 12 weeks from drawing approval, or 8 to 10 weeks with our DioMet Express service (if we miss the express date, the premium is refunded).

Certifications and standards

The steel framework is UKCA marked to BS EN 1090-2. The glass is engineered for the domestic (Category A) floor loadings in the UK National Annex to BS EN 1991-1-1:2002, a 1.5kN/sqm distributed load and a 2.0kN point load, and the hatch is structurally approved for domestic use. Glass thickness can vary with size, position, building use and support, so consult a structural glass engineer if unsure; meeting your own building control sign-off remains your responsibility. Our glass floor building regulations guide covers fire safety, glass specification and what building control may ask for. The optional non-slip finish reaches a Pendulum Test Value (PTV) of 68, against the 36 usually needed to rate as low slip risk in the dry; see our anti-slip guide.

Where they suit

These circular hatches are for spiral-stair, cellar, basement and storage access, not as the main way in and out of a habitable room. The frames are not watertight, so keep them to internal, dry areas.

International delivery

We ship worldwide. As the unit is supplied fully assembled with plug-and-play electrics, overseas delivery is quoted per order: send us the diameter and your delivery address and we will price the crating and freight.

See it in real projects

Other options and help

Prefer to open it by hand? See the manual circular wine cellar glass hatch. For a square or rectangular opening, we make an electric rectangular hatch and manual streamline and ring pull versions. Browse the full wine cellar glass door range or our guide to glass wine cellar doors. Read the hinged glass floor FAQ, or contact us for a bespoke size or a double-opening door.