Door-Type vs. Conveyor Warewashing — Capacity, Cost, Footprint
Door-type warewashers wash one rack per batch and suit kitchens with spiky, moderate volume; conveyor and flight-type machines run racks continuously and suit high, steady throughput. For most pot-and-pan loads under ~30 racks/hour, a door-type machine is the lower-cost, smaller-footprint choice.
How each class works
A door-type machine is a single chamber: load, close, run, unload. A conveyor machine pulls racks through wash and rinse zones on a moving track, so it never stops. The conveyor wins on sustained throughput but costs far more and needs a much larger footprint and labour line.
Capacity crossover
Below roughly 30 racks/hour, a door-type machine like the CE-UWL keeps up comfortably. Above that — large flight kitchens, big institutional cafeterias — a conveyor earns its cost. Buying a conveyor for a 25-rack/hour load wastes capital and floor space.
Cost and footprint
Door-type machines occupy around 1 m² and cost a fraction of a conveyor line. The CE-UWL’s 1030 × 895 mm footprint fits into kitchens where a conveyor simply will not.
- Door-type = batch, lower cost, smaller footprint.
- Conveyor = continuous, high capacity, high cost.
- Under ~30 racks/hour, door-type is usually the right call.