How is composite steel decking manufactured

To manufacture steel decking, thin strips of galvanized steel are cold rolled into corrugated, or ribbed, shapes known as profiles.  

The two most common steel decking profiles are shallow (dovetail or re-entrant) which are up to 76mm deep and used for short spans, and deep deck (trapezoidal) which are up to 130mm deep and used for longer spans.   

Each steel deck profile can be manufactured in a different steel gauge according to construction project requirements, usually between 0.75mm and 1.52mm. Sheet metal gauges are based on a weight of 20kg per square inch of thickness.

The shape and gauge of the metal deck profile influences factors such as the load capacity, thickness and fire performance of the finished composite floor slab.