Checking used scaffold decks: timber, steel or aluminium

Decks are the parts of a scaffold that people stand on all day, and they are also the parts that take the most punishment. They are thrown onto trucks, used as ramps for wheelbarrows, buried in mortar and left lying in wet grass. When you buy used decks, or sort your own fleet after a long job, a few minutes per deck tell you whether it goes back into service or onto the scrap pile. This guide gives you a routine that works for steel, aluminium, combi panels and timber boards.

Set up before you start

Checking decks in a heap is guesswork. A short preparation makes the result reliable:

• A flat surface: a concrete floor or two level trestles. Deflection only shows on a flat base.
• A straightedge or taut string line at least as long as the deck, or simply a second deck known to be straight.
• A short piece of ledger or frame head of the same system, to test how each deck seats.
• Good light, a wire brush and a scraper, because hairline cracks hide under dirt.
• Three stacks: fit for use, needs cleaning or repair by the manufacturer's method, reject.

Mark rejected decks at once, with paint or by cutting the hooks, so they cannot drift back into the yard stock.

Steel decks: the workhorses

Galvanised steel decks are the usual choice for heavy work, typically rated somewhere between load class 4 and 6 in short bays. They tolerate a lot, but they still wear out in predictable places.

Hooks and claws

The hooks at each end carry the whole load into the ledger or frame head. Look at them from the side and from above. They must not be bent open, twisted or torn, and the weld between hook and deck body must be free of cracks. A fine crack often shows up as a thin line of rust. Lay the deck on your test ledger: it must seat fully and lie flat. If it rocks, it is out.

Walking surface and profile

The perforations or embossing give grip and let water run off. Concrete and paint residues can clog them to the point where the surface becomes slippery; clean such decks or set them aside. Check the side profiles for dents and kinks, especially near the middle where loads concentrate.

Corrosion

Dull, discoloured zinc is normal on used material. White rust is a surface issue. What matters is red rust that has eaten into the steel: rust holes along the profile edges, at the hooks or at the welds mean rejection.

Aluminium decks and combi panels

Aluminium decks save a lot of effort on site, but the softer metal shows damage differently.

• Dents in the hollow profile: small cosmetic marks are acceptable; a dent that changes the cross-section or sits at the edge of the profile weakens the deck.
• Cracks: look along the extrusion and around the end fittings. Any crack in the aluminium profile is a reason to reject.
• Hook wear: aluminium hooks wear faster through friction. Compare their shape with a new or known-good deck.
• Etched surfaces: rough, whitish or pitted areas usually mean mortar or concrete sat on the deck for a long time. Light etching is cosmetic, deep attack is not.

On combi panels with a plywood board the board needs extra attention. Press it with your thumb along the edges and around the fixings. Soft spots, swollen edges, delamination, splits and rot mean the board has lost strength. If the manufacturer offers replacement boards and the frame is sound, a new board fitted to the manufacturer's specification can be worthwhile. A piece of plywood cut at the timber yard is not a repair.

Ladder access decks

Hatch decks combine a deck with moving parts. The hatch must open and close freely and stay shut under its own weight. Hinges must not be bent or loose. The built-in ladder must slide or fold out without force and lock into position, with all rungs straight and tight. A hatch that jams is more than a nuisance: people then leave it open, and an open hatch leaves a gap that someone will eventually step into.

Timber scaffold boards

Timber boards cost little to buy and wear out quickly. Start with the marking: boards for scaffolding must be graded for that purpose and marked accordingly, and an unmarked board has no proven capacity. Then check:

• splits running along the board, particularly from the ends;
• knots or notches at the edges, which reduce strength far more than their size suggests;
• rot, soft or discoloured patches, fungal growth;
• damaged or missing end bands, frayed or broken ends;
• warping or twisting that stops the board lying flat on its supports.

Deep cuts from saws or tools and splintered edges are reasons to reject. Boards that have spent a winter on wet ground deserve particular suspicion.

When a deck must be rejected

Never straighten a bent deck or weld on new hooks yourself. A deck carries people, so it is repaired by the manufacturer's method or not at all.

Buying a large lot of used decks

With a few dozen decks you can check every one. With several hundred, sampling becomes important. Pull decks from different stacks and from the bottom of each stack, not only the top layer, which is often the best. Ask the seller how the material was inspected and sorted, what happened to rejected parts, and whether the decks all belong to one system. Legible stamps matter here too: without them the system, the year and the load class cannot be traced.

Also check that the decks fit what you already own. A deck with the right length but a different hook geometry is useless on your frames. Lengths, widths and support type should match your system, which is why it helps to send the seller the system name and, ideally, a photo of your frames.

Before any used deck leaves our Leipzig yard, we sort it by system, read the stamp, and check it for distortion and rust, as described on our quality page. Current stock is in the decks and boards and scaffold boards sections. For background on deck types and their load classes, see scaffold decks compared and the glossary entries on the steel deck and the deck lock.