Purchase checklist: 30 points before buying scaffolding

Most scaffolding problems start before the first frame is stood up: the toe boards are missing, the anchors do not suit the masonry, or half the frames turn out to belong to a different system. This checklist groups 30 points into five blocks, from your own requirements to delivery and storage. It applies to new and used material; where the two differ, we say so. Work through it in order, and write down every point you are unsure about so you can raise it before you pay.

Block 1: Requirements (points 1–8)

Settle these at your desk and in front of the building, before you ask anyone for a quote.

• 1. Scaffold area. Add up the length of every elevation plus the corner overhangs and multiply by the scaffold height. Our guide on calculating scaffold area shows the method.
• 2. Highest working point. Put the top deck roughly 2 m under the highest spot anyone has to work on. For roof work, the eaves set the height of the catch platform.
• 3. Load class. Under EN 12811-1, class 2 (1.50 kN/m²) is typical for painting and cleaning, class 3 (2.00 kN/m²) for render and insulation, class 4 (3.00 kN/m²) for brickwork with stacked blocks.
• 4. Width. Frame systems usually come in about 0.73 m or 1.09 m. If you store material on the deck, take the wider one.
• 5. Distance to the wall. Keep the deck close to the finished facade; new insulation moves that surface outwards, so plan inside brackets and longer ties.
• 6. Special points. Entrances, driveways, canopies, bay windows, balconies and conservatories each need their own parts, such as passage frames, lattice girders or brackets.
• 7. Access. An internal ladder run with hatch decks is enough for most houses; a stair tower is better for many workers or heavy tools.
• 8. Future use. One job, several, or a commercial fleet? This decides whether a widespread system that is easy to extend and resell is worth it.

For a first parts list and an indicative price, use the scaffolding calculator.

Block 2: System and documentation (points 9–13)

• 9. One system. Frames, decks, guard rails and braces must all belong to the same system. Parts from different makers often only appear to fit.
• 10. Standards and approval. In Europe, prefabricated facade scaffolds are designed to EN 12810 and EN 12811; some countries also require a national approval. Ask which documentation the material was made to.
• 11. Instructions. The manufacturer's instructions for assembly and use set out erection, tie pattern, permitted loads and additional parts. Without them you cannot erect the scaffold correctly.
• 12. Markings. Load-bearing parts carry an embossed mark or stamp with manufacturer and system reference. Missing or illegible marks are a warning sign, especially on used material.
• 13. Spare parts later. Can you add a bay, a passage frame or brackets next year? With widespread systems, that is far easier.

Block 3: Completeness (points 14–19)

• 14. Parts list. Ask for a list with component, length and quantity, and compare it with Block 1. A figure in square metres alone tells you nothing about special points.
• 15. Side protection. Guard rail and intermediate rail on every lift, toe boards of at least 150 mm, end guard rails and end toe boards. Toe boards and ends are what is most often missing.
• 16. Ties. Ties in the right lengths, couplers, eye bolts and plugs suited to the wall: hollow brick or aerated block needs different fixings from concrete.
• 17. Base. One base jack per leg, sole boards for soft or uneven ground, swivel base plates on slopes.
• 18. Bracing. Diagonal braces in the number the instructions require, plus any horizontal braces or ledgers.
• 19. Access and small parts. Hatch decks with ladders, deck locks, drop-lock pins, tubes and couplers for make-up work. Small parts are easily forgotten and hard to find on site.

Block 4: Condition, above all for used material (points 20–25)

• 20. Straight parts. Put each frame down on level ground and look down the length of its legs. Kinks, dents and twisted transoms mean rejection; bent parts are never straightened.
• 21. Corrosion protection. On steel, the zinc should be continuous; light surface rust is acceptable, deep rust at tube ends, welds and claws is not. On aluminium, look for etching from old mortar.
• 22. Welds. No cracks, especially where leg meets transom and at hooks and claws. A fine crack often shows as a line of rust.
• 23. Decks. Straight hooks, no holes or sag in the walking surface, grip intact; timber boards without through-splits, rot or broken edges.
• 24. Base jacks. The nut must turn easily along the whole thread; no flattened threads, no warped base plates.
• 25. Couplers and braces. Bolts turn freely, swivels move, couplers close cleanly around the tube; brace ends are not worn out.

Our quality page explains how CETRAC sorts and checks used material before it is sold.

Block 5: Supplier, payment and logistics (points 26–30)

• 26. The supplier. A full company address, a phone number that is answered, a real yard and the option to inspect or collect. Be wary of offers that only exist on classified sites with unusual payment routes.
• 27. Payment and tax. Agree how and when you pay. At CETRAC payment is made before loading. Within the EU, a business customer that supplies its VAT number is billed net of German VAT; buyers outside the EU pay no German VAT but must budget for import VAT and customs duty in their own country. Details are on delivery and payment.
• 28. Transport and unloading. Steel scaffolding for a house weighs several tonnes. A truck needs access and room to unload; for overseas buyers, the material is shipped in a container (20 ft or 40 ft) from a European port, so plan the unloading at your end.
• 29. Storage. Level, dry ground, timber bearers, room for stillages or stacks sorted by component.
• 30. Goods-in check. Count the parts on arrival, photograph anything unusual and report differences straight away.

Worked example: a painting firm buys its first fleet

A four-person painting firm near Cork wants its own scaffold instead of hiring for every job. Typical jobs are two-storey houses with up to 8 m of scaffold height. Block 1 gives a target of about 400 m², class 3, 0.73 m width, with a few passage frames for front doors and inside brackets for later insulation work. Two internal ladder runs are enough. Because the fleet will grow, a widespread used frame system that can be extended and resold makes sense.

In Blocks 2 and 3 the owner asks for the system name, gets the instructions and checks the parts list. The first offer has no end guard rails, too few toe boards, and plugs for concrete although most houses in the area have block walls. All three are corrected before ordering.

Block 5: in steel, 400 m² weighs about 8 t, so the firm takes delivery by truck at a builder's yard with a forklift. Used frame packages were quoted at an indicative €30 to €40 a square metre in October 2026, net of VAT, so the owner budgets roughly €12,000–16,000 plus freight. As an Irish company with a VAT ID, the firm is invoiced without German VAT. On delivery, two people count and photograph the stacks before they are moved.

New or used: where the checks differ

With large used lots, take samples from different stacks, not only from the top, and ask how rejected parts are handled. A supplier who answers these questions clearly usually has nothing to hide. The wider question of new versus used is covered in used or new scaffolding. And if you have material left over after a project, you can offer it to us through sell your scaffolding.