Mezzanines and Floor Capacities - How to Get it Right to Ensure Smooth Implementation

Correct mezzanine specification starts on the ground floor

By Darrell Griffin
Cisco-Eagle, Inc.

When implementing an Industrial Equipment Platform (mezzanine) be sure that you are not putting too much stress or weight on the floor of the building. Too much weight will cause the floor to crack – or worse.

The typical floor in the Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas region is made of 6” thick concrete and has a capacity of 25,000 pounds. Keep in mind that this is the typical capacity, not an across-the-board standard.

When installing a mezzanine or other heavy equipment, you’ll need to know the exact floor and ground specifications of your facility.

Floor capacity depends on the thickness of the concrete, but that’s not the end of the story. It also matters how much the soil underneath the slab will compress. We have seen situations where a 6” thick slab was in place, but the capacity was rated at just 10,000 pounds due to the proximity of the water table to the surface. Knowing the characteristics of both your floor and of the underlying soil are key to successful mezzanine projects.

In order to determine how much weight you need to know some key elements about the platform you are considering:

• The load rating of the platform

• The column spacing of the platform

The interior columns of the platform will always bear the most weight due to the fact that they support the most square footage of the platform. If your slab can support interior column loads, then the exterior columns should not be a challenge.

If you use this rule of thumb, with a 125 lbs/square foot platform capacity, you will quickly determine that a 14’ x 14’ column grid is going to be the largest standard column spacing for many situations. It will typically hinge on what area of the country you’re in, the soil, and the floor depth, but those are things you need to know as you proceed.

If you cannot accept that, there are alternatives. You can consult with your landlord, or building architect of about the possibilities of pouring footers where the columns are located. Footers are reinforced portions of the floor. A contractor would have to cut a portion of the floor out in the area of the column, dig out the soil that lies underneath and pour new concrete that would be capable of handling the new loads.

Cisco-Eagle (and most mezzanine providers) aren’t architects. We cannot to say what a floor is capable of handling. You must confirm this information with a qualified architect as the mezzanine project proceeds.

This issue is one of the primary reasons that the following statement is included in Cisco-Eagle standard proposal:

"It is the Purchaser’s responsibility to verify that his building will support any loads placed on it by equipment furnished by Seller. Seller will provide appropriate point loading diagrams, which will reflect these loads to the Purchaser as soon as approval drawings are signed and returned to Seller. The Seller will not assume any responsibility for the Purchaser’s building integrity. Any building modifications required will be made by Purchaser, or contractors hired by Purchaser."

We can help you with the process of ensuring that everything about your mezzanine project is correctly specified, but it all starts on the ground floor.

If you need more information of help with quoting a platform, contact us.
 

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