What Is A Mezzanine Floor? - Mezzanine Benefits & Applications

What is a mezzanine floor?

Derived from the Italian word mezzo, meaning half or middle, a mezzanine is an intermediate level between the main floors of a building that is designed to create additional space. While often incorporated as part of the design of a new building, mezzanines can also be added to existing facilities as a cheaper, quicker and less disruptive means of creating more space than modifying the building itself or moving to larger premises. Mezzanine floors are common in distribution centres, manufacturing plants, commercial offices, educational facilities, retail stores and showrooms. With practically no restrictions on their shape or dimensions, mezzanines are highly versatile structures and are used for a wide range of applications. Usually freestanding, they can generally be dismantled and relocated if required.

Mezzanine floor components

Our custom-engineered mezzanine floors are designed and built to order, with the component parts manufactured to precise specifications before being shipped to site for assembly.

A mezzanine floor system is generally constructed using these components:

Joists or purlins – spanning between the primary beams, these provide the fixing points for the decking. The number and type of purlins will depend on the decisions made in the planning stage, including the amount of deflection expected for the floor.
Decking – the top surface of the mezzanine floor. Standard flooring consists of 38mm P6 chipboard, although there is a wide choice of options including moisture-resistant material.
Primary beams – these generally span from column to column in order to provide support to the remainder of the mezzanine structure
Columns – vertical steel components that support the mezzanine structure. The spacing and specifications of columns depend on the intended mezzanine load and the floor slab loading capability.
Bracing – this is generally cross bracing, bolted between selected columns where possible, to reduce any lateral movement
Ancillaries – complementary products such as stairs, handrails and safety gates.

Benefits of a mezzanine

With many business sectors today being highly competitive, investing in a mezzanine floor is one of the ways in which your company can secure benefits that deliver competitive advantage. This can leverage increased market share and help to accelerate growth. A mezzanine floor solution enables you to:

Create space faster and at a lower cost than building modifications

Avoid the cost and disruption of moving premises

Eliminate the need for leased space

Optimize the payback on an existing building by utilizing more of its volume

Extend, adapt or relocate the floor in the future

Benefit from tax depreciation, in some cases

Enhance efficiency and quality through space creation and improved workflow

Achieve flexible integration with other machinery or systems

Mezzanine applications

The floors we deliver are used for a wide variety of applications across many industry sectors. We tailor the design of each system to suit the customer's precise operation, ranging from the floor acting as a simple storage platform to being used to support heavy robotic systems. Mezzanine floor applications include:

E-commerce mezzanine floors

Warehouse mezzanine floors

Industrial mezzanine floors

Retail mezzanine floors

Office mezzanine floors

Storage mezzanine floors