Know your type with one look
You do not need to take anything apart. Stand at the window, inside the house. A strap is easy to see: a fabric strap goes down into a box on the wall. A crank shutter has a small metal eye under the shutter box, and the handle hooks into it.
How does a strap shutter open and close?
You hold the strap and pull it down by hand, and the shutter opens. To close it, you let the strap go back slowly until the shutter comes down. The spring inside the box winds the strap back in. This is why a broken strap, or a strap that does not go back in, needs a new winder.
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How does a crank shutter open and close?
You hook the crank handle into the eye under the shutter box and turn it. One way opens the shutter, and the other way closes it. The joint takes the turning movement into the box. The same crank handle opens an electric shutter in a power cut, if its motor has manual override.
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The difference in detail
| Strap | Crank | |
|---|---|---|
| How you open it | Pull the strap by hand | Hook the crank handle into the eye and turn it |
| How you close it | Let the strap go back slowly | Turn the crank handle the other way |
| What you see | A strap that comes out of a box on the wall | A metal joint that comes down from the box, with an eye at the end |
| What moves the shutter | A spring in the box winds the strap and pulls it back | The joint takes the turning of the crank handle into the box |
| Spare part | Complete strap winder | Crank handle · joint · or the kit |
Spare parts for each type
Strap shutter: the part is the strap winder. It is sold complete, with the box, reel, spring and strap. There are two types: standard and zanbalak.
Crank shutter: the parts are the crank handle and the cardan joint. You can buy each one alone, or both as a kit.
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Which one is better?
The choice depends on the size of the shutter and how people use it. You decide this with the shutter technician when the shutter is made. When an existing shutter breaks, this is what matters: know which type it is, so you order the right part the first time. Other problems are in the manual roller shutter problems guide.
Strap and crank questions
What is a manual roller shutter?
A shutter that you open and close by hand, without a motor. You either pull a strap or turn a crank handle.
How do I close a strap shutter?
Let the strap go back slowly by hand until the shutter comes down. The spring inside the box winds the strap back in.
Do strap parts work on a crank shutter?
No. Each type has its own parts: a strap winder for strap shutters, and a crank handle and joint for crank shutters.
Do shutter motors have a crank?
Some shutter motors have an emergency manual override, so you can open the shutter by hand in a power cut. A motor without override cannot be opened by hand.
I do not know which type I have. What should I do?
Take a photo of the window from inside and send it on WhatsApp 01098470908. We will tell you the type and the right part.
How do I close a crank shutter?
With the same crank handle: hook it into the eye and turn it the other way until the shutter closes.
Can I change a manual shutter to electric?
Yes. Read our Arabic guide converting a manual roller shutter to electric with a remote.
Abu Seif Steel has supplied roller shutter spare parts and automatic door parts in Egypt for more than 12 years. The photos in this article are from our own warehouse. Delivery within hours in Cairo and Giza and shipping to all governorates in 3–5 working days. Pay cash on delivery, by bank transfer or by InstaPay.
Send a photo of the old part, and we will tell you the replacement we have in stock.
📱 WhatsApp 01098470908