03 — Tools / Decking Selector
Mezzanine decking selector
Six questions about how the deck will actually be used — one recommendation with its trade-offs stated plainly, and the runner-up worth pricing against it.
Recommended decking
B-deck + wood overlay
The most common, most economical solid system; smooth surface for carts and pallet jacks; easy to work on.
Watch out: Solid deck triggers sprinklers below in sprinklered buildings; wood overlay dislikes standing water.
Worth comparing
Resin floor panel (ResinDek-type)
Rated for pallet-jack traffic; cleaner finish than plywood; lighter than concrete with comparable service in dry use.
A selection aid, not a specification — deck choice interacts with load rating, fire protection, and structure weight. Confirm with your engineer, and price both options in a real quote.
Methodology — the rules behind the recommendation
The selector scores the five deck systems documented in our decking comparison against your answers, using the documented properties of each system: bar grating's open area and washdown drainage, resin panels' pallet-jack rating, concrete's durability and weight penalty, B-deck-plus-wood's cost position, and the fire-code interaction covered in the sprinkler guide — solid decks trigger heads below; sufficiently open grating sometimes doesn't. Weight differences flow into the structure itself, which is why the final call belongs in the engineered design alongside the load rating.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common mezzanine decking?
Corrugated steel B-deck with a wood overlay is the most common and most economical solid deck system for industrial mezzanines — a smooth working surface for carts and pallet jacks at the lowest installed cost.
When should you use bar grating on a mezzanine?
When light and air need to pass between levels, for washdown environments, and for equipment-access platforms. Under fire-code rules, grating must be at least 70% open to be treated as grated, and storage above and below the deck at once still triggers sprinklers beneath.
What decking works for pallet jacks on a mezzanine?
Resin floor panels are specifically rated for pallet-jack traffic, and concrete over B-deck handles the heaviest rolling loads. Open bar grating is the worst choice for wheeled traffic.
What is the cheapest mezzanine decking?
Published material comparisons put engineered wood panels around $2.30 per square foot and resin panels around $2.80, versus $3.25-plus for concrete — with B-deck plus wood overlay typically the lowest-cost complete system installed.
Does decking choice affect sprinkler requirements?
Yes. Any solid deck wider than 4 feet is an obstruction requiring sprinklers below it in a sprinklered building. Sufficiently open bar grating can avoid heads below the deck in single-side storage cases under FM guidance — one of the few ways decking changes fire-protection scope.