Balcony decking requirements
Building codes and fire safety standards guide regulations for balcony decking to ensure durability, structural integrity, and compliance with safety requirements.
Structural safety: Balcony decking must support expected loads without risk of collapse. This includes live loads, such as people and furniture, and dead loads (the weight of the structure itself).
Fire safety: After the Grenfell fire, fire safety regulations for balconies and balcony flooring have become more stringent, especially in high rise residential buildings. Materials for balcony decking in buildings over 11m high must have a minimum fire performance rating of A2-s1, d0 (non-combustible). Timber and other combustible materials are unsuitable.
Slip resistance: The materials used for balcony flooring must have adequate slip resistance in both wet and dry conditions.
Stringent testing for balcony decking
At Dura Composites, there’s no leaving performance to chance. It’s engineered into every product and proven through rigorous testing. We choose UKAS testing labs for our products which means we can guarantee the quality of the results, ensure compliance with all testing regulations, be confident that the tests were completed to the highest standards, and provide testing certificates with international recognition to our clients and customers.
It’s not just a case of testing the material and confidently granting it a certain level of safety. Every component of our products is tested individually and given a unique fire rating, contributing to the overall fire safety of the product. Our balcony decking products are tested horizontally, as they will be installed, to ensure the accuracy of the results, and all available colours are tested individually, so we can be confident that every option in our range performs to the same high standards.
These are the tests you really need for maximum peace of mind. Our balcony flooring is tested in exactly the way you plan to use it, in every colour.
Safe and versatile balcony flooring
Engineered to suit the demanding requirements of high-rise settings, our high-quality decking materials enhance resilience, safety and longevity, reducing the risk of incidents that could jeopardise the safety of residents and the buildings themselves.
Our porcelain and aluminium balcony decking ranges are versatile and adaptable to a wide range of project specifications. Whether the design calls for a modern and sleek appearance or a more traditional aesthetic, our balcony decking products seamlessly integrate into diverse architectural styles. The flexibility offered by our ranges ensures that developers and contractors have the freedom to bring their creative visions to life while adhering to the highest standards of functionality and safety.
Whether you’re looking for new or replacement balcony decking, our aluminium and porcelain balcony flooring ranges are engineered with safety in mind.
Aluminium balcony decking
Our clever, patented aluminium balcony flooring ranges are designed to meet all specifications required for balcony projects, giving developers and contractors ultimate peace of mind.
Tested by a UKAS-accredited body, our aluminium balcony decking has superb fire resistance (A2fl-s1), double skin with an anti-slip surface, a lightweight design and a hard-wearing composition. Leveraging our expertise in heavy-duty structural flooring, we design our aluminium balcony decking around just 0.5% deflection or L/200 for a higher safety factor. Even with this increased safety factor, our range of aluminium balcony flooring products outspan competitors’ by up to 75%, while our advanced engineering uses up to 25% less material.
Traditionally, there were fears of aluminium decking becoming too hot underfoot to be suitably used as balcony flooring. We’ve worked to dispel this concern, creating an aluminium balcony decking range that remains comfortable underfoot in all temperatures. With high thermal conductivity and a unique surface powder coating that is specifically formulated and designed to make barefoot use a pleasure, our aluminium balcony flooring range is cooler underfoot by up to 13.8°C versus composite timber decking in a comparable colour.
Dura Deck Aluminium
- A2 fire rating
- Unique paint formula for unrivaled low slip potential
- Lightweight profile, ideal for new builds and refurbishments
- Cool under foot
- Two drainage options
Porcelain balcony decking
Our porcelain balcony decking range (Dura Deck Inspire) offers the appearance of traditional timber planks but boasts an A1 fire rating. Up to 21% stronger than competitor products, our porcelain balcony flooring ensures a longer lifespan, reducing the need for frequent repairs and replacements. More resistant to wear and tear, impacts, and other mechanical stresses than competitor products, we also test extensively for features such as anti-slip, reaching higher performance than the R11 standard others offer.
Spanning up to 50% more than competitor products, substructure material costs are lowered and the installation process is much simpler and quicker due to requiring less handling and labour. With a unique length of 1.8 metres, a floating area of 3.24m² can be installed in less than 3 minutes!
Manufactured in Europe from 60% post-consumer recycled content results in a lower carbon footprint than competitor materials, and our porcelain balcony decking is fully recyclable at end of use too.
Dura Deck Inspire
- A1 fire rating
- Exceptional strength
- Resistant to heat and water absorption
- Excellent anti-slip and anti-scratch properties
- Variegated wood grain finish
As well as supply-only, we also offer installation training for contractors and commercial landscapers and in some cases, we also offer contract installation to complement our other high rise building services (such as fabricating plant and maintenance access structures and riser void flooring installation).
