Aluminium deck and combi deck
A lightweight platform unit made of an aluminium profile, or an aluminium frame with plywood infill, for scaffolds that are built up by hand.
Also called: alu deck, aluminium plank, combi deck, plywood deck, aluminium frame panel
On a scaffold that goes up lift by lift, every deck is passed up by hand, so weight matters. Aluminium decks and combi decks are the light alternative to the steel deck. They form the working surface just the same, carry people and materials and, hooked in as system decks, help to brace the lift. Painters, renderers, roofers and fit-out crews like them, as does anyone who erects by hand and does not load pallets of blocks onto the platform.
Two designs under one name
- Aluminium profile deck: an extruded hollow section with a slip-resistant surface, usually about 0.32 m wide. Depending on the maker, the end fittings are plastic, aluminium or steel, riveted or welded. Wide versions of about 0.60 m fill a 0.73 m bay with a single unit.
- Combi deck (frame panel): an aluminium frame, typically about 0.60 m wide, holding a water-resistant film-faced plywood board or an aluminium sheet. With a built-in hatch it becomes a ladder access deck.
On a 0.70–0.73 m scaffold one wide panel or two narrow decks close the bay. A bricklaying scaffold of 1.00–1.09 m needs three narrow decks, or one wide panel plus a narrow one. Lengths run from 0.73 m to about 3.07 m.
Load capacity
The spread is wide. Solid aluminium profiles reach load class 6 at short lengths, whereas plywood panels on long bays are often limited to load class 3 (2.0 kN/m²). That is fine for painting, but not always for brickwork with stacked blocks, so look up the rating before you plan the job.
Handling on site
Large panels catch the wind like a sail, so grip them firmly along both long edges. Because aluminium decks are light, wind suction from below can lift them, which makes securing them against uplift even more important than with steel. Store panels dry and flat so the plywood does not suffer.
What to check when buying used
- Plywood: swollen, soft or worn-through areas, peeling film or rot mean the panel is finished. Moisture is the main enemy.
- Rivets and end fittings: loose rivets, cracked plastic caps and bent hooks are the usual wear points.
- Dents: aluminium is softer than steel; deep dents or kinks in the hollow section weaken it.
- Approvals: on roof catch scaffolds only decks approved for that purpose are allowed, and older plywood panels are often not among them.
Many contractors mix both materials: steel decks in the working bays, aluminium hatch decks in the access bay. Our comparison of steel, aluminium, combi and timber decks goes into detail.