Checking the carry-in route for made-to-measure steelwork

A made-to-measure frame can fit its final position perfectly and still be impossible to carry through the building. The decisive dimension may be a door closer, a low stair soffit or the space needed to rotate at a landing. Survey the complete route before approving the item. This is especially important for large pieces from interior steelwork, where cutting a finished frame on site defeats the design.

Define the item that must travel

Ask the workshop for the maximum length, width and depth of each delivery section, not just the finished product dimensions. Include projecting plates, hinges, feet, studs and removable parts. Ask whether the quoted envelope includes packaging and protective corner pieces. If it does not, add the protection specified for transport to your route check.

Record the mass and centre of gravity supplied for each section when these are known. Do not estimate handling effort from appearance. A long open frame may be awkward even if it is lighter than a compact plate, because people cannot stay close to its centre or control it through a turn.

Map the route from vehicle to final position

Draw one continuous plan beginning at the safe unloading point. Include gates, paths, steps, entrance doors, lobbies, corridors, lifts, stair flights, landings and the room opening. Number every pinch point and take photographs in the travel direction and looking back. A route that changes after external works or another trade stores material must be surveyed again.

Separate freight delivery from internal carrying. A carrier reaching the property does not prove that the driver will move goods inside. Confirm the exact delivery boundary, unloading arrangement and package count for the order through the frequently asked questions and written confirmation.

Measure clear openings, not nominal openings

At every doorway, measure the narrowest clear width with the leaf fixed in the position it can actually reach. Hinges, handles, panic bars, closers, stops and thick architraves can reduce it. Measure clear height below the closer or transom, and note thresholds or level changes that prevent a trolley from running straight.

1. Measure width at floor, middle and head.
2. Measure height at both jambs.
3. Take both diagonals where a frame may pass tilted.
4. Record wall thickness and the free space on both sides.
5. Mark anything removable, but only count it removed if permission and a reinstatement plan exist.

A nominal 900 mm door does not provide a guaranteed 900 mm passage. Record the actual clear dimension in millimetres. For glazed openings and finished steel doors or partitions, also plan protection against edge impact instead of using every last millimetre.

Check corners as a swept path

Two corridors that are each wider than the item do not prove that it can turn between them. The section sweeps a larger area as it rotates, and the rear end moves toward the opposite wall. Measure corridor widths before and after the corner, the full landing length, inside corner shape, door recesses and every radiator or handrail.

Plot a scaled rectangle for the item's true envelope and move it through a scaled plan. For irregular pieces, use the actual outline supplied by the workshop. Then test physically with a light rigid template, battens or cardboard that reproduces the critical length and depth. A flexible tape cannot reveal a rigid body's swept path.

Check tilting and overhead clearance

Turning a frame upright needs more ceiling height than its final height alone suggests. Measure the entire zone used for tilting, including light fittings, beams, sprinkler pipes, door heads and sloping soffits. On stairs, record clear width between handrails, pitch, vertical clearance above nosings and landing height.

A diagonal calculation can screen out an obviously impossible move, but it does not model projections, hand positions or a three-dimensional turn. Leave the movement allowance agreed with the handler. Do not treat a mathematical near fit as a handling plan.

Survey lifts properly

For a lift, record door clear width and height, cabin width, depth and height, and the position of handrails or control panels. Measure the lobby needed to align the piece with the door. Check the lift's displayed rated load and obtain permission for bulky construction goods. Passenger capacity does not answer whether a concentrated or long load is acceptable.

If a section has to stand diagonally in the cabin, confirm the complete three-dimensional envelope with the lift operator or building manager. Never block doors, override protection or use the roof space above the cabin.

Plan people, equipment and floor protection

There is no universal safe manual-lifting weight. Shape, grip, reach, stairs, team coordination and frequency all matter. In EU workplaces, Directive 90/269/EEC is implemented through national manual-handling rules, and the employer's risk assessment controls the method. Use trained handlers and lifting or moving equipment rated for the task.

Check that dollies, pallet trucks, lifting frames or hoists also pass every opening and can turn. Confirm floor capacity for concentrated wheel or outrigger loads with the building's responsible engineer. Protect finished floors without creating a loose trip surface, and keep an escape path available. Do not place hands under a suspended or uncontrolled steel section.

Decide section joints before cutting

If the envelope fails, do not hope for a more skilful carrying team. Ask the workshop to divide the product. A bolted joint changes stiffness, visible lines, coating, alignment and access for tools, so its position must be designed and shown on the approval drawing. The joint also needs enough space to assemble in the final room.

Typical candidates include long table bases, bed frames, tall partitions and stair flights, but no product group should be assumed to split in a standard way. The relevant product geometry can be discussed through furniture and fixtures before the detail is frozen.

Route-survey checklist

Send the numbered plan, photographs and limiting measurements with the enquiry. When the fabrication drawing arrives, compare each delivery section with the same survey again. Approval is the right time to change a split, not the day a rigid steel frame meets a corner it cannot turn.