Welded Or Press Locked Steel Grating

The Joint Is The Difference

In a welded panel the cross bar is pressure welded to the bearing bar. In a press locked panel it is forced into a notch under pressure and held mechanically. Both hold the mesh together; they fail and they look completely different.

Load Comes From The Bearing Bar Either Way

It is tempting to assume one joint is stronger. In practice the load a panel carries is governed by bearing bar depth, thickness and pitch, not by the joint type. Choosing press locked will not rescue a section that was too light, and choosing welded will not either.

Where Welded Wins

Cost per square metre and availability. Welded panels are produced here on an automatic pressure welding line, which is why they are the default for platforms, walkways and yard trench covers where nobody is looking closely at the surface.

Where Press Locked Wins

Anywhere the surface is visible or has to stay clean, and anywhere stainless steel is involved. There is no weld bead on the walking surface, no weld fillet for residue, and no weld heat in the stainless, which is exactly where welded stainless grating starts to corrode.

How To Decide In One Question

Ask who looks at the panel and what touches it. Boots and forklifts in a yard: welded. Cleaners with chemicals, or the public in a finished entrance: press locked.