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FRP Bridge Decking Planks: The right choice

With more than 20 years of experience in FRP bridge decking elements and construction profiles, krafton®® is one of Europe’s most experienced suppliers of FRP bridge decking elements, as evidenced by our many quality certificates. In our home market, we are the market leader with approximately 80% market share. Demand from other European countries is also growing fast, partly due to DIBt approval on a wide variety of fibreglass-reinforced plastic bridge decking planks.
  • Long lifespan
  • Low installation costs
  • Lightweight
  • UV-resistant
  • Non-magnetic
  • Corrosion- and chemical-resistant
  • Strong material
  • Electrically and thermally insulating
  • Excellent ECI value

LCA study results in excellent Environmental Cost Indicator (ECI) value for our krafton® boards

We commissioned an LCA study, which yielded an MKI value. For our krafton® bridge decking planks, this value ranges between €0.83 and €2.12 per m1, which translates to €2.60 to €5.30 per m2, based on a lifespan of 100 years. This is 46.7–73.9% lower than a wooden bridge deck, which needs to be replaced every 20 years (based on the NMD product card Walkway (wood), category 3). Compared to a bridge deck made of steel grating, this is 78.2–89.3% lower, with the grating needing to be replaced every 50 years (based on the NMD product card Grating; steel, galvanized, coated, category 3).
View all ECI values

FRP Bridge Decking Planks for any application

You are looking for certified FRP Bridge Decking Planks for a cycle or pedestrian bridge, jetty, boardwalk, patio, walkway or platform. Or perhaps you need larger FRP bridge decking elements for platforms, loading decks, ship decks or even sewage systems. We have developed a unique fibreglass-reinforced plastic product for any application that meets the conditions and requirements for usage. FRP Bridge Decking Planks are durable, maintenance-free, UV resistant and fire retardant. What’s more, FRP Bridge Decking Planks and FRP Bridge Decking Elements have high resistance and do not expand much, if at all, under extreme heat. On this page, you will find our complete FRP range that is suitable for your desired application.

The most frequently asked questions about our FRP Bridge decking planks

What exactly is FRP?

(FRP) Fibre-reinforced plastic or also called (GRP) Glass fibre reinforced plastics, are a cost-saving, high-quality glass fibre composite. At krafton®®, we constantly carry out internal quality control of our raw materials, the production process and the profiles produced. In addition, there is semi-annual external monitoring to ensure the best quality at all times. Glass fibre reinforced plastic does not show corrosion, even in aggressive environments. This makes it a suitable material for tanks in factory construction or for boat hulls, as well as in livestock sheds.

Fibre-reinforced plastic has a good electrical insulation effect, making it an excellent material for electrical engineering. Especially insulators that have to transmit high mechanical loads are made of glass-fibre reinforced plastic. Outdoor enclosures are often made of FRP because of the material’s durability and stability. FRP is the material of the future!

Certifications of these FRP bridge decking planks

We already know it: our FRP bridge deck boards are of a unique quality. But we think it is important that it is also clear to you that quality always comes first with us.

Our internal business processes are aimed at consistently producing high-quality FRP bridge deck planks. We work on this every day. That is why our FRP bridge decks are also regularly inspected by various national and international bodies, which has resulted in a large number of approvals and FRP certifications.

View the certifications of all FRP bridge deck planks from krafton® here.

How durable is a FRP bridge decking plank from krafton®?

FRP Bridge Deck by krafton®® is environmentally friendly. But what does this term ‘environmentally friendly’, which is used so often, really mean? And what makes an FRP Bridge Deck environmentally friendly? Environmentally friendly means that a product is manufactured in a way that is better for the environment compared with other, harmful products. If something is environmentally friendly, it means it does not harm the climate and our environment. For example, an environmentally friendly production or working method uses renewable raw materials and consumes less energy. Environmentally friendly can also refer to the amount of waste or surplus relative to the alternatives. In addition, environmentally friendly may also refer to using (self-generated) green energy or recycled materials.

As we have mentioned, FRP Bridge Deck by krafton®® is environmentally friendly. At krafton®®, the environmentally friendly quality mark relates to the entire process, from production to installation. After all, in addition to energy-efficient production, krafton®® also uses sustainable raw materials and produces FRP Bridge decks that, apart from having a very long service life, are also easy to transport, assemble, maintain and recycle. This combination results in an environmentally friendly FRP Bridge Deck that has a very long service life due to the sustainable manufacturing process, and is recycled at the end of its service life based on krafton®®’s guaranteed return policy. With an environmentally friendly FRP Bridge Deck, polluting emissions during manufacturing, transportation and installation are all minimal compared with the processes for steel and concrete bridges.

Wear-resistant suraces

All FRP Bridge Decks by krafton®® feature a TÜV-tested non-slip wear-resistant surface. In addition to the R12 and R13 evaluation groups of slip resistance, our wear-resistant surfaces also comply with Class E of fire resistance (according to EN13501-1:2007+A1:2009 and ISO11925-2:2010).

Thanks to carefully constructed wear-resistant surface layers, we can guarantee long-term and safe use for the intended conditions. In this way, the wear-resistant surface provides an FRP Bridge Deck without slippery spots, and thus reliable non-slip properties during use. The grain layers vary in size from 0.7 – 3mm.

Assembly, what are the options?

krafton®® offers a broad range of different fasteners. The fasteners are an essential, but unfortunately often forgotten, component for the connection between the bridge decking plank and the support structure. That is why krafton®® has invested in the development and certification of 12 methods that make krafton®® unique in the European market.

  • Mounting on steel
  • Mounting on wood
  • Mounting on wooden or PE mounting bar

View all Assembly methods here.