Most FRP enquiries are not for a standard catalogue item. A rusted-out section of steel needs replacing, a custom staircase must go into a remote location, or a load-table question pops up for a use case nobody wrote in the original spec. That is what custom FRP solutions actually mean in practice, and pultruded FRP profiles and fibreglass grating are the materials that make it possible.
Pultruded FRP profiles as a direct swap for rusted steel
The most common trigger for a structural profile enquiry is corrosion, not a brand-new design. Badly rusted C-channel and hardware near a pool – a chlorinated, humid environment that eats mild steel from the inside out within a few seasons – is a frequent scenario. Rotted timber substructure under a pool deck is another, where a direct like-for-like replacement is all that is needed without a full redesign.
That is what pultruded products are engineered for: C-channel and equal angle sections that fill the same structural role steel or timber used to occupy, without the corrosion cycle starting up again in five years. Sizes range up to 203 x 56mm for C-channel, and profiles can be manufactured to custom dimensions, shapes, and colours if standard stock does not match what is coming out. Short, specific lengths are also available rather than full production runs, which suits pool, garden, and minor structural repairs just as well as commercial builds.
When custom means genuinely one-off
Some briefs do not map to an existing product at all. FRP steps and landings for a full staircase in a remote, corrosive, high-UV environment offer a classic example – somewhere steel would become a maintenance headache from day one and full site fabrication would blow out both budget and timeline. A pedestal decking layout across an irregular footprint is another, where pedestals and boards must be specified together so finished heights line up across every section.
This is where PermaStruct® Platforms and Staircases do the heavy lifting: precision-engineered grating and pultruded FRP profiles combined into a structure with no on-site welding required. That counts for a lot when the nearest steel fabricator is hours away and every extra site visit adds costs.
Fibreglass grating has more variety than people expect
Fibreglass grating is not a single product. Heavy-duty applications require load-span tables confirmed in kilograms rather than a generic rating, particularly for moving mechanical loads rather than static foot traffic. Lighter applications might only need confirmation of panel dimensions for polypropylene grating, while architectural or display work sometimes calls for transparent moulded FRP grating with colour options – a distinct use case from industrial flooring.
If you are unsure which grating variant fits your build, tell us the load, the environment, and whether it needs to be walked on, driven over, or seen through. That is usually enough to point you to the right panel from our Grating & Decking range, which includes fire-resistant options where site compliance requires it.
Compliance questions we are glad to get
Getting compliance details cleared early makes everything downstream easier. Checking whether mesh complies with AS1428.1 and AS1657 – specifically whether grate openings sit at the required 7mm max gap for accessibility – before finalising an order avoids an expensive retrofitted fix later. The same applies to trench lid load ratings on drivable systems: confirm the rating before specifying a Class B lid for a vehicle path, not after.
Fire-resistant FRP solutions fall into the same category, usually raised by specifiers who know their project has strict compliance thresholds and need matching documentation. Ask before you spec, not after installation, as replacing non-compliant panels in a completed structure is an expensive exercise.
Where this is heading
Composite fibre technologies have moved well past being just an alternative to steel into genuinely custom fabrication: car turntables, remote staircases, irregular pedestal layouts, and accessibility-compliant mesh. If your project does not fit a standard catalogue page, that is completely normal.
Get in touch with your dimensions, load requirements, and site environmental factors, and our team will determine the right combination of profiles, grating, and fixings for your project.