Technical guides
FRP or metal grating: which to use in each plant area
Grating is the surface the operator walks on every day. Choosing it badly does not show in the first year: it shows when the grating corrodes under a platform nobody inspects from below.
A Panamanian plant contains very different areas: a washdown zone with permanent chemical exposure has nothing in common with a maintenance platform beside a furnace. The usual mistake is specifying the same grating plant-wide because it is simpler to buy that way.
FRP: where there is chemistry, water or corrosion
Moulded fiberglass-and-resin grating does not rust. Not slowly — it does not do it at all. That is why it dominates washdown areas, chemical spill zones, treatment plants and anywhere water stands.
It has three further advantages that often decide the purchase:
- It does not conduct electricity, which matters in substations and electrical areas.
- Its gritted surface keeps its grip when wet, which is when falls happen.
- It weighs a fraction of metal, so two people can lift a panel without equipment.
Its limits are temperature and concentrated point loads. It is not a material for hot areas or for anywhere heavy equipment will travel.
Galvanised steel: load and price
Galvanised steel grating is the standard for industrial walkways and platforms where corrosion is moderate and load rules. It takes heavy traffic, tolerates temperature, and its cost per square metre is hard to beat.
Galvanising protects while the coating is intact. The weak point is field cuts: every cut leaves bare steel, and if it is not touched up that is where corrosion starts.
Stainless steel: salt air and sanitary areas
In ports, shipyards and food plants, stainless is the answer when corrosion comes on top of real load or aggressive cleaning. It costs more and the life cycle justifies it, not the purchase order.
On the Panamanian coast, with permanent salt spray, galvanised in an exposed area lasts considerably less than its data sheet suggests.
Serrated or plain bar is not a detail
Metal grating is ordered with plain or serrated bearing bars. Serrated noticeably improves grip on wet or oily surfaces, and it is what belongs on stairs, ramps and wet process areas.
Plain is for dry interiors, where it is also easier to clean. Specifying plain on an outdoor stair is an avoidable risk that costs nothing to get right.
What to define before ordering
- Design load and span between supports: that sets the depth and bar spacing.
- What is in the environment: water, chemicals, salinity, temperature.
- Whether the area is electrical or there is contact risk.
- Surface: serrated or plain, with or without anti-slip grit.
- Panel dimensions and whether cut-to-size pieces or perimeter framing are needed.
Cut-to-size pieces and framing are what most often turn out missing on assembly day. It is worth counting them in the initial list, not once the platform is already up.
Frequently asked questions
That is not its application. FRP is designed for pedestrian traffic and distributed load; for heavy equipment or concentrated point loads, metal grating sized for that load is what applies.
The cut leaves bare steel and that edge is where corrosion starts. It has to be touched up with cold zinc coating, or the pieces ordered cut to size from the factory.
In permanent salt air, in chemical washdown areas, and wherever replacement is expensive or interrupts operations. It is a life-cycle decision: galvanised wins the purchase order and loses on the second replacement.
