How to Avoid the Top 3 Pitfalls When Ordering Industrial Grating for the First Time
So you've been tasked with ordering industrial grating. Maybe it's for a new mezzanine, a drainage cover, or a pedestrian walkway. If you're like me—an office administrator or a facilities coordinator—this is probably outside your daily routine. You're used to ordering office supplies or maybe some basic safety gear. Suddenly you're looking at terms like 'serrated grating' and 'bearing bar spacing,' and it's a whole new world.
I've been handling these kinds of purchases for a few years now. Not an engineer, not a project manager. Just the person who makes sure the right stuff shows up so other people can do their jobs. And I've made enough mistakes to know what trips people up. This checklist is for anyone who's dropped into this role and needs to get it right the first time—or at least not make the same mistakes I did.
There are three main pitfalls I see (and have experienced) when ordering industrial products like grating. Here’s how to navigate them.
Step 1: Confirm What 'Grating' Actually Means for Your Job
The biggest trap is ordering the wrong type of product. 'Grating' is a category, not a specific item. You have welded steel, press-locked, swaged, and fiberglass. They all serve different purposes. A steel grating is great for heavy loads and fire escapes, but terrible for a chemical plant floor where corrosion is a concern. Fiberglass grating, on the other hand, is ideal for corrosive environments but has different load ratings.
The check: Before you even start looking at catalogs, list out the three things: 1) The environment (wet, dry, corrosive?), 2) The load (will people walk on it, or will a forklift drive over it?), and 3) The opening size (is it for a drain or a platform?).
If you skip this, you'll end up with a product that needs replacing in a year. I learned this the hard way when I ordered standard steel for a washdown area. Within six months, it was rusting out.
Step 2: Get the Bearing Bar Direction Right (Everyone Gets This Wrong)
Okay, this seems like a minor technical detail, but it's the one that causes the most headaches. Grating has a 'bearing bar'—the main load-bearing piece—and a 'cross bar.' The bearing bars run in the long direction. The cross bars are the smaller ones that run perpendicular. You need the bearing bars to be perpendicular to the direction of traffic or the span of the opening.
People think, 'Well, it's a grid, so it's strong in both directions.' Not true. The strength is almost entirely in the bearing bar direction. If you install it the wrong way, the grating will sag or even fail. I had a vendor once send me a quote where I assumed the orientation. Nope. The cut pieces were perfect, but the bearing bar direction was parallel to the opening. Useless.
The check: On your order, specify the 'span' in inches and confirm with your supplier that the bearing bars will run across that span. A good supplier (like McNichols, who I use frequently) will have a technical team that can confirm this, even if you're not 100% sure.
Step 3: Don't Forget the Little Things (Clips, Banding, and Over-Ordering)
This is the 'hidden cost' pitfall. The grating itself is just one part. You'll need clips to attach it to the structure (saddle clips, snap-on clips, etc.). You'll need a certain amount of banding or edge trim. And you usually need to order extra for cutting waste or future modifications. I once ordered exactly 100 square feet for a 100-square-foot platform. When we had to cut around a column, we ended up with 8% waste. No extra material. Had to pay for a rush delivery.
The check: Ask for a 'complete kit' quote that includes clips and trim. Order 10-15% more material than your initial measurement for waste (the supplier can usually help you estimate this). Ask about payment terms and wait times—some suppliers offer net terms that can help with cash flow.
From my perspective, the value of a supplier like McNichols isn't just the catalog. It's the technical support that helps a non-engineer like me avoid these traps. Their '48 Hour Print' service isn't just about speed; it's about having someone confirm your order before they cut steel.
Take this with a grain of salt: I'm not an expert, just someone who's ordered 60-80 line items annually for the last 4 years. But these three steps have saved my budget and my time.
