Grating is sold under a pile of different names in the UAE: GI grating, galvanized grating, steel grating, MS grating, walkway grating, trench cover. They all describe the same product, a panel of steel bearing bars with cross bars welded across them, hot dip galvanized after fabrication. This guide covers the sizes, the weights, the load classes and what actually drives the price per square metre, so you can specify it properly the first time.
How grating is specified
Four numbers describe almost any panel:
- Bearing bar size, for example 25 x 3 or 40 x 5 mm. The first figure is the depth, which carries the load. The second is the thickness.
- Bearing bar pitch, the gap between bars, usually 30 mm or 40 mm centre to centre.
- Cross bar pitch, usually 100 mm, sometimes 50 mm on heavy duty panels.
- Panel size, commonly 1000 x 5800 mm or 1000 x 6000 mm, cut down to your opening.
Written out, a typical walkway panel is 25 x 5 at 30 / 100. Give those four numbers and any supplier in the UAE knows exactly what you want.
Weights per square metre
Grating is priced and shipped by weight, so this is the table that matters. Figures are for bare steel with 6 mm twisted cross bars at 100 mm centres. Hot dip galvanizing adds roughly 3 to 5 per cent.
| Bearing bar | Pitch 30 mm (kg/m²) | Pitch 40 mm (kg/m²) |
|---|---|---|
| 25 x 3 mm | 22.5 | 17.5 |
| 25 x 5 mm | 35.5 | 27.4 |
| 32 x 5 mm | 44.7 | 34.2 |
| 40 x 5 mm | 55.2 | 42.1 |
| 50 x 5 mm | 68.2 | 51.9 |
A 1 x 6 m panel in 25 x 5 at 30 / 100 therefore weighs about 213 kg bare, or around 220 kg galvanized. Worth knowing before you plan the lift. Other sections are in our steel weight chart.
Load classes for trench and drainage covers
Where grating covers a trench or gully that people or vehicles cross, the specification usually references EN 1124 or EN 1433 load classes. These are the ones that come up on UAE projects:
| Class | Test load | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| A 15 | 15 kN | Pedestrian areas and cycle paths only |
| B 125 | 125 kN | Footpaths, car parks and light vehicle areas |
| C 250 | 250 kN | Kerbside channels and road edges |
| D 400 | 400 kN | Carriageways, roads and heavy vehicle yards |
| E 600 | 600 kN | Docks, industrial yards and heavy forklift traffic |
| F 900 | 900 kN | Airport aprons and the heaviest wheel loads |
The load class is not something you can read off the bar size alone. It depends on the bearing bar depth, the pitch, the clear span of the opening and the frame the panel sits in. Send us the opening width and the traffic it takes, and the panel gets specified to suit rather than guessed.
Choosing a bearing bar for the span
As a rough starting point for pedestrian walkways with a light frame:
- Spans up to about 700 mm: 25 x 3 or 25 x 5
- Spans up to about 1000 mm: 32 x 5 or 40 x 5
- Spans beyond that, or forklift and vehicle loads: 50 x 5 and heavier, or a supporting frame under the panel
Deeper bars carry more load for the same weight of steel, so a deeper bar at a wider pitch is often cheaper than a shallow bar packed tightly. If you are covering a wide opening, adding one intermediate support is almost always cheaper than jumping two bar sizes.
How the panels are made
- Press locked and welded: cross bars are welded or pressed into the bearing bars. This is the standard walkway and platform product.
- Electroforged: cross bars are fused into the bearing bars under pressure and current, giving a very rigid panel. Common on industrial and offshore work.
- Serrated: the top edge of each bearing bar is notched for extra grip. Worth specifying where the surface gets wet or oily.
Galvanizing
Grating for outdoor use in the UAE should be hot dip galvanized after fabrication, to EN ISO 1461. Dipping the finished panel coats the welds, the cut ends and the inside faces of every bar, which is exactly where a painted panel fails first. Coastal sites and anywhere near water make this non negotiable. Our guide to galvanized coating classes explains how the thickness is set and how it compares with pre-galvanized sheet.
Grating or chequered plate
Grating drains, lets light through, weighs less and does not collect sand and water on an open platform. Chequered plate gives a solid floor, keeps small items and dust from falling through, and is the right answer for stair treads in some layouts and for anything that must be sealed. For enclosed floors and ramps, see chequered plate. For open walkways, drainage and platforms, grating wins on both cost and maintenance.
Fixings, banding and cut-outs
- Banding: any cut edge should be banded with flat bar so the bars stay tied together. Unbanded cut edges come apart in service.
- Clips and saddles: standard grating clips fix panels to the frame without welding, which keeps the galvanizing intact.
- Cut-outs: for pipes, columns and drains, send the drawing so the cut-outs are made and banded before galvanizing, not on site afterwards.
- Stair treads: supplied with a serrated nosing plate and end plates drilled to your stringer.
What drives the price per square metre
Price per square metre follows weight almost exactly, then adds fabrication. A 25 x 3 panel at 40 mm pitch is about a quarter of the weight of a 50 x 5 panel at 30 mm pitch, so the price difference is large. What adds cost on top of the steel: cut-outs and non rectangular shapes, banding on every cut edge, heavier galvanizing, serration, and small orders where a part panel still has to be cut from a full one. Sending the opening sizes rather than a panel count usually saves money, because panels get nested to reduce offcuts.
What to send for a quote
- Bearing bar size and pitch, or the load and span if you want it specified for you
- Panel sizes, or the opening dimensions and a layout
- Quantity in square metres or number of panels
- Galvanized or bare
- Any cut-outs, banding, clips or stair tread requirements
- Delivery location
Frequently asked questions
What is GI grating?
Galvanized iron grating, which in practice means steel grating that has been hot dip galvanized. The panel is made from steel bearing bars with cross bars welded across them.
What is the weight of 25 x 5 grating?
About 35.5 kg per square metre at 30 mm pitch, or 27.4 kg per square metre at 40 mm pitch, before galvanizing.
What load class do I need for a car park?
B 125 covers car parks and light vehicle areas. Access roads and yards that take trucks need C 250 or D 400. Confirm against the drawing, because the frame matters as much as the panel.
What is the standard panel size?
1000 x 5800 mm and 1000 x 6000 mm are the usual mill panels, cut down to your sizes.
Can grating be cut on site?
It can, but every cut edge needs banding and the cut exposes bare steel that has to be treated with zinc rich paint. Cutting to size before galvanizing is always the better job.
Do you supply mill test certificates?
Yes, MTCs are issued with the material.
Getting a price
Send your grating requirement through the steel quote request form or on WhatsApp at +971 56 227 5722. Full sizes, heavy duty options and trench cover details are on our GI gratings page, and deliveries go to all seven emirates.
For the full range of sections we supply, with sizes, grades and standards, see all steel products we supply in the UAE.
Not sure which construction type you need? Our guide to steel grating types compares welded, press locked, electroforged and serrated panels and says which to specify where.
If you are past the specification stage and need pricing, Seen Steel is a GI grating supplier in Dubai and across the UAE, with panels cut and banded to your opening sizes, galvanized to EN ISO 1461 and delivered to site.