McNichols Metal Grating: 8 Questions I Wish I'd Asked Before My First Order

Quick context: I've been ordering metal grating and perforated panels for a mid-size manufacturing plant since 2019. Five costly mistakes and roughly $6,800 in wasted budget later, I keep a checklist. This is the article I wish I'd found before my first order — the questions I get asked most, plus the ones I never thought to ask myself.

1. What does McNichols actually sell? Is it just grating?

Way more than just grating, is the short answer. McNichols stocks and fabricates bar grating (steel, aluminum, stainless), fiberglass grating, perforated metal, expanded metal, wire mesh, stair treads, and architectural screen panels. Basically a one-stop shop for structural metal.

That's not a pitch — that's a lesson. In 2022, I ordered wire mesh from one vendor and stair treads from another, and McNichols carried both. The split shipping and coordination mess cost us about $300 extra and a week of lag. Now McNichols is my first call, not my second. Honestly, I'm not sure why I forgot that in the first place. My best guess: the brand is so tied to "grating" that the rest of the line gets overlooked.

2. I keep seeing "Holbrook auto parts" next to McNichols in my search. Same company?

No. Not affiliated. If your search for McNichols surfaces an auto parts store nearby — in Holbrook or anywhere else — that store is an independent business, not a McNichols location.

I get the confusion. Industrial metal suppliers don't exactly have recognizable storefronts, and map results group everything by proximity. A colleague asked me the same thing last year. But McNichols does not sell auto parts. No pads, no alternators, no wiper blades. They run distribution centers and fabrication shops for metal products. If you typed that search looking for car parts, you're in the wrong place. If you need expanded metal or grating, you're in the right place. Just not the same place.

3. Which material do I order — steel, aluminum, or fiberglass?

Depends entirely on the environment. My default used to be galvanized steel, because it's the workhorse. Then in 2021, I ordered galvanized steel grating for a chemical washdown area at our plant. The fumes chewed through the coating in about 18 months. That was a $2,100 redo, and the lesson stuck.

Fiberglass grating is the call for corrosive environments — it won't rust and it's non-conductive, which matters if electrical hazards are around. Aluminum is my pick for outdoor walkways because it's roughly a third of steel's weight and handles moisture far better.

And here's my limitation: my experience covers maybe 60 orders, mostly pedestrian-duty stuff. If you're spec'ing heavy truck access or a chemical processing area, talk to a McNichols specialist. Honestly, I'm still not 100% sure when stainless is worth its premium over coated carbon steel. My best guess is it comes down to chloride exposure and service life, but I let the specialist make that call.

4. Can I order custom cut sizes?

Yes. McNichols fabricates to spec — cutting, notching, banding, drilling. But custom fabrication comes with a responsibility: review the drawings like they're a contract.

Here's what I learned the hard way. In 2023, I ordered 42 stair treads with what I thought was a complete spec. I said "standard size." What I meant was our standard stringer opening spacing. What they heard was standard tread dimensions. The mismatch didn't come to light until the treads were on site and the bolt holes lined up with nothing.

42 treads, $540 in rework, plus a week of downtime. And the worst part? McNichols had sent a fabrication drawing for approval before production. I skimmed it instead of studying it. That one's on me, not the vendor.

5. How do I measure for a grating order?

Measure the supporting structure, not just the open hole. That single sentence would have saved me $890.

In 2022, I measured a floor opening at 36 × 60 inches and ordered a panel to match. But the opening had a 1-inch bearing ledge on each side — the grating needs to sit on that ledge, not span the full hole. My panel arrived 2 inches too wide. $890, plus a week of delay while the replacement was cut.

The process I use now:

• Measure the clear opening, then subtract the bearing edge depth on each side (typically 1–2 inches — confirm with the structural spec).
• Verify bar spacing. For pedestrian walking surfaces, 1-3/16" centers is a common default, but check your load requirements first.
• Know the application. OSHA's walking-working surface rules (29 CFR 1910.23) can dictate gap size for floors and platforms — verify current requirements before you order.

It's not glamorous. But it's way cheaper than the redo.

6. Does McNichols do color options? My search keeps suggesting "color tiles."

Ceramic tile? No. That's not what they sell. But if "color tiles" in your search is really about colored architectural metal — that's a conversation worth having.

McNichols carries perforated panels and architectural screen products that can be finished in custom colors. A facility manager friend of mine used a decorative perforated panel as a facade accent and had the finish matched to the building's brand palette. It looked sharp. They'll quote finish options as part of the fabrication process.

My advice: order a finish sample before you commit to a full run. I caught a wrong shade on a sample once and saved myself a 12-panel redo. If you're actually searching for ceramic tile for a shower wall or backsplash, though, keep moving — this is not that aisle.

7. Do they sell shower valves or Can Am Defender doors?

No. And honestly, that's part of why I trust them.

McNichols won't sell you a shower valve, and they won't sell you ready-made doors for a Can Am Defender. Those searches land on their site because of the word "metal," not because the products exist in the catalog. What they do sell is the material for a DIY version — expanded metal mesh and aluminum angle for custom door inserts, for example. If the project is "build it myself," they can help. If the project is "sell me the finished product," a custom fabricator is the better avenue.

Here's the thing I've learned after dealing with overpromising suppliers: the vendor who tells you "this isn't our strength — here's who does it better" earns my trust for everything else. McNichols' sales team has said exactly that to me more than once. I'd rather work with a specialist who knows their limits than a generalist who overpromises.

8. What's the one thing you wish you knew before your first order?

The drawing approval is the whole ballgame.

Every significant mistake I've made traces back to not reviewing the fabrication drawing carefully. That 2023 tread order? I approved it without verifying the cutout positions. I still kick myself over it — 15 minutes of review would've saved $540 and a week of downtime.

Now the rule is simple: no drawing review, no order release. Doesn't matter how standard the part seems. I've caught 11 potential errors with that rule in the last 18 months, and every single one would've been a field headache.

Take nothing else from this article, take that: build a checklist, review every drawing, and ask the awkward question. Your future self will thank you.