Why Your First McNichols Grating Order Will Probably End Up in the Trash (And How to Prevent It)

I'm a project coordinator handling material orders for industrial contractors. I've been at this for just over four years now. In that time, I've personally made and documented eleven significant mistakes on material orders—mostly with McNichols products because that's who we use for 80% of our grating and perforated metal. The total wasted budget from those eleven errors? Roughly $3,200, not counting the expedited shipping to fix the delays. Ouch.

This article is a checklist I now maintain for my team. It's designed to prevent you from repeating the specific errors I've made. If you're ordering grating, stair treads, plank grating, wire mesh, or perforated panels for a construction or manufacturing project, this is for you. There are seven steps.

Step 1: Verify Your Bearing Bar Direction (The One Everyone Misses)

This is the mistake that cost me the most. In September 2022, I ordered 48 pieces of McNichols welded bar grating for a mezzanine project. The drawing clearly showed the span running the short way. I ordered the grating with the bearing bars running the long way. It's the most basic thing—the bars need to run perpendicular to the supports.

I checked the order myself. Approved it. Processed it. We caught the error when the steel erectors tried to fit the first piece. It didn't span the gap. Every single piece was wrong. $890 in redo cost plus a one-week delay. The lesson: the bearing bar direction is the single most common mistake I see on grating orders. Confirm it against the support layout, not just the overall dimensions.