How to Choose a Floor Door Load Rating: Pedestrian vs H-20
The load rating on a floor door is set by the heaviest traffic that will cross it. Specify a pedestrian rating for foot traffic only, and an H-20 rating where vehicles, forklifts, or heavy equipment drive over the door.
Pedestrian-rated floor doors
A pedestrian floor door is built for foot traffic and light rolling loads such as a hand cart. It is the right choice for a mechanical room, a utility vault, or any opening people walk over but vehicles do not. Pedestrian doors use a lighter plate and frame than H-20 doors, so they cost less and weigh less.
H-20 rated floor doors
An H-20 floor door is engineered for AASHTO H-20 loading, a 16,000 lb wheel load that models highway truck traffic, applied with an impact allowance. Specify H-20 anywhere a truck, forklift, loading-dock traffic, or heavy equipment crosses the door: driveways, sidewalks with vehicle access, loading areas, and industrial floors. Confirm the exact wheel load and impact factor on the manufacturer submittal, since some sites call for a heavier rating than H-20.
Other factors to confirm
- Single or double leaf, sized to the equipment that goes through the opening.
- Drainage or floodtight construction where water intrusion matters (a channel frame with a drain coupling, or a gasketed floodtight door).
- Material: aluminum for lighter weight and corrosion resistance, steel where loads exceed H-20 or heavy high-frequency traffic runs over the door.
- Finish and lock or lift-assist hardware for how often the door is opened.
Victory stocks pedestrian and H-20 rated floor doors, floor hatches, and vault doors from Bilco and Halliday, priced online with the submittal available. Shop floor and vault doors.