Catwalks. Service routes between equipment platforms.

Where they fit

Corridors, not decks.

Catwalks share most of their detail with mezzanines — same beam framing, same guard standards, same deck options — but the use case is travel, not staging. The deck width is sized to the route's purpose: inspection access, periodic service, or routine traffic. The structural design takes advantage of that narrower geometry to use lighter sections than a typical mezzanine.

Common applications

• Conveyor inspection routes — narrow catwalks running parallel to conveyor lines for belt inspection, motor service, and cleaning.
• Equipment-platform connectors — catwalks between adjacent equipment-support platforms.
• Crane / hoist runways — service access along an overhead crane runway.
• Process inspection — elevated routes over batch tanks, mixers, or process floors.
• Cable / pipe trays — combined catwalk + cable tray; service traffic plus utility routing.

Detail decisions

• Width — 600 mm (inspection) / 900 mm (service) / 1100 mm (routine traffic).
• Deck — bar-grate is the default — drainage, sprinkler reach, snow shed (if exterior).
• Guards — both sides at 42"; toe-plate continuous to prevent tools dropping.
• Support spacing — typically 6 – 12 ft column or hanger spacing depending on width.
• Hanger vs. column — hung from overhead structure where the floor below is occupied or process-active; column-supported elsewhere.
• End access — every catwalk needs a defined access route at one or both ends; usually a stair or ship's ladder.

Typical parameters

• Width600 mm – 1100 mm
• Live load4.8 kPa + 1.3 kN concentrated
• Deckbar-grate (default) / checker-plate
• Guard42" both sides + toe-plate
• Spantypically 12 – 30 ft between supports
• Finishshop primer / galvanized / powder-coat
• Lead time4 – 6 weeks from sign-off