What Is Metal Decking and Where Is It Used?
In construction, the term “metal decking” is often tossed around.
What does it mean? As a general understanding, metal decking has nothing to do with your backyard deck. Metal decking, or steel decking as it is sometimes called, is a broad term used to refer to corrugated metal sheeting used as a structural roof or floor deck.
Following the recent changes in building regulations, there’s a need to rethink decking and cladding options for use in high-rise building projects. Metal decking, particularly composite decking options, has evolved a lot in the past decade, and there’s a wide variety to choose from.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about metal decking, including where it’s used and the various types available.
What Is Metal Decking?
In the construction industry, the term “metal decking” covers all forms of profiled steel sheeting that, together with steelwork and concrete, form the basis for setting up a flooring system or building a structure for roof construction.
Metal decking is usually supported by joists or steel beams. Its purpose is to support the insulating roof membrane or bond with the concrete to build a composite metal floor deck.
One advantage of metal decking is that it has a high strength-to-weight ratio, which decreases the material handling cost. It’s perfect for multi-story buildings as it significantly brings down the weight of the entire project, allowing for smaller foundational sizes. It also eliminates the need for or reduces the number of support props required for slab casting.
Where Is Metal Decking Used?
Metal decking is typically used in roofing and flooring applications
Metal Roof Decking
As the name implies, metal roof decking can be used in various roofing applications to provide a solid platform for installing roofing materials. It’s usually installed over steel joists or beams and mostly attached with screws or fasteners.
Typical uses for metal roof decking include:
- Support the roof system of a building
- Steel canopies—an overhead structure used to provide shelter and shade
- Mezzanines, which are intermediate floors covered with plywood
Metal Floor Decking
Metal floor decking is used for floor applications.
Metal floor deck acts as a base for flooring systems. It’s installed over steel beams and joints and supports wet concrete. Once the metal floor deck is laid down, concrete is poured to create a strong foundation.
Metal decking combined with a concrete slab and a steel frame forms a lightweight, cost-effective floor construction that doesn’t require props.
Metal floor decks can be formed in various widths, depths, and gauges to fit the needs of residential, commercial, and industrial construction projects.
Typical uses for metal floor decking include:
- Laying a strong foundation for multi-story buildings
- To stabilize the frame of a building
- To create a composite floor deck system that carries the design of the building
Types and Uses of Metal Floor Decks
There are various types of metal floor decks, each with different uses.
- Composite Deck
A composite deck is a thin, profiled steel sheet designed to provide extra strength for flooring systems without adding too much weight.
Composite metal floor decks are strong and lightweight and can have deep or shallow profiles depending on the end requirement. The three common types of composite floor decks are 1.5-inch, 2-inch, and 3-inch composite decks.
1.5-Inch Composite Deck
The 1-5 inches composite metal decks, sometimes known as Type B, are durable and easy-to-install metal floor decking. These decks are used in many outdoor flooring applications and are ideal for short spans.
2-Inch Composite Deck
Compared to 1.5-inch decks, these composite metal floor decks can handle thicker concrete slabs. They’re mostly used for medium-span applications.
3-Inch Composite Deck
These are the deepest composite decks available. 3-inch composite decks can support thicker concrete slabs than 2-inch and 1.5-inch decks, making them extremely sturdy for flooring. Typically, 3-inch composite decks are used for long-span outdoor flooring applications.
- Form Deck
Form deck is a workhorse in flooring applications, used extensively to support concrete slabs during erection. It’s commonly used as a permanent steel base for reinforced concrete slabs.
Form decking is popular because its economical and assumes a permanent form. In other words, it doesn’t have to be removed when the concrete is cured. Unlike a concrete deck, a metal form deck doesn’t have embossment.
Benefits of Metal Decking
Metal decking offers a myriad of benefits during construction, including:
- Cost Saving
Metal decking reduces the weight of your project across the board, meaning you can spend less on other materials, such as reinforcements. You can use the scaled-back costs to acquire quality materials or cover other expenses.
- Less Weight
As mentioned, metal decking has a high strength-to-weight ratio, meaning you can expect to work with less weight in your projects.
Compared to traditional concrete slabs, slabs made with steel decking are lighter and have high structural strength. This can be beneficial for multi-story buildings as they significantly reduce the construction’s weight.
- High Strength
Using metal decking in your concrete slabs will significantly increase the strength of the material. The increased strength means it will withstand greater load over a long period.
- Easy Handling
Another benefit of metal decking is the ease of handling, both onsite and offsite.
Metal decks are easy to handle, even during construction. You can cut it to your unique requirements before transporting it to the construction site, making it easier to carry.
Wrapping Up
Metal decking is an excellent choice for roof or floor decking due to its many benefits. It’s inexpensive, lightweight, easy to handle, and offers a high strength-to-weight ratio.
If you’re looking for a reliable metal decking supplier, get in touch with us today. Whatever your project requires, we can provide a composite steel decking to suit. We have metal decks in stock at 30 locations, so you can expect timely delivery no matter where you’re located.
