Warehouse Equipment
Mezzanines
Stein Service & Supply specializes in structural steel mezzanines for storage, pallets, and offices. Whether the floor below is open or holds equipment that has to keep running, we design, permit, and install the mezzanine around it.
Certified byTodd McGeeWarehouse Solutions Specialist, in material handling since 1996
Mezzanine Services
We manage each project from site measurement and load design through the permit, installation, and final inspection.
Our home region is North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. In 2025 we also completed projects in 24 other states.
- Load rating and layout design for the planned use
- Site measurement and CAD drawings
- Permit documents and submission
- Installation, including in operating facilities
- Decking, stairs, gates, and handrail
- Material supply for customers with their own drawings and crew
Most facilities have unused vertical space that the owner is already paying for. A mezzanine puts it to work without a building addition or a larger lease.
Mezzanine Construction
A mezzanine is a freestanding steel structure. It is bolted together on site and anchored to the floor, and because it does not attach to the walls or roof, it is classified as equipment that can be removed and relocated later.
Most of the mezzanines we install are structural steel. Tube columns support steel I-beams, and bar joists span between the beams to support the deck, the floor of the upper level. Projects range from 10 by 10 feet to half of a building. Most are between 1,000 and 1,500 square feet.
In permit documents we describe a mezzanine as a freestanding work platform, which tells the code official that the structure is equipment and not an additional story of the building.
Storage
Shelving is the most common use. For a utility company’s new warehouse, we installed two mezzanines of approximately 2,300 and 3,400 square feet, with shelving above and modular drawer cabinets below. Small-parts storage doubled in the same footprint. Read the case study
Pallets
With a heavy-duty deck and a pallet gate at the edge, the upper level holds palletized product. A manual pallet jack moves pallets on the deck, and a forklift lifts them down at the gate.
Offices
A modular office or break room can be installed on the deck or below it. In one facility with 30-foot rack, the offices are below the mezzanine and pallet storage is above it.
Mezzanines and Building Expansion
When a facility runs out of floor space, the usual options are a larger lease, a building addition, or a mezzanine. A mezzanine is almost always the lowest-cost option, and it is available months sooner.
Tax Treatment
A mezzanine is usually depreciated as equipment, on a shorter schedule than a building addition. The owner’s accountant can confirm how this applies.
Removal and Resale
If the facility’s needs change, we can remove the mezzanine and assist with its sale.
Load Ratings
Each mezzanine is designed to one load rating. The use of the deck sets it, and it is built into the column spacing and the bar joists and cannot be increased after installation. Pallet rack beams can be replaced with heavier beams. A mezzanine cannot be upgraded that way.
When future storage on the deck is possible, we quote the deck at both 100 and 150 pounds per square foot (psf) for comparison. The cost difference is usually small.
Offices and Break Rooms
100psf
Light-duty rating
For a modular office, a supervisor’s office, or a break room.
Storage
150+psf
Rating for shelving, pallets, and rack
Higher ratings use more columns or deeper, closer bar joists, for example 24-inch joists in place of 18-inch joists.
The first question on every mezzanine project is the intended purpose for the structure (offices, packing, pallet storage, shelving, etc). The load rating is set by the column spacing, bar joists and support beams, and it cannot be increased after installation. If there’s a possibility of repurposing the mezzanine at a later date for heavier storage, then it should be designed accordingly from the beginning.
Design and Installation Process
Use and Load
We record how the space above and below the deck will be used, which sets the load rating, the area, and the clear height below the deck for any forklift traffic.
Site Measurement
We measure the ceiling height, the clear height to the lowest overhead obstruction, the sprinkler layout, and building columns. Because the steel is fabricated to these dimensions, we verify every measurement.
CAD Design
The CAD drawing sets the columns, deck height, stairs, and gates, with as few interior columns as possible. Where headroom is low, a 6-inch steel beam can replace an 18-inch bar joist.
Permit
The permit requires an engineer’s approval of the structure and anchoring, and a solid deck also requires sprinklers and lighting below it. We prepare the documents while the steel is fabricated. Permitting
Installation
Once the steel arrives, most mezzanines are installed in approximately one week. The person who designed the project stays involved through installation.
We can also supply the material only, for customers who have their own drawings and installation crew.
Decking Options
Every deck starts with corrugated steel decking (B-deck) that spans the joists, and the finished surface is installed on top of it. We select the surface for the traffic it will carry and for the sprinkler requirements.
| Deck | Properties |
|---|---|
| Resin deck | The most common surface, in 4 by 8 foot sheets with a gray diamond finish. Light-duty resin deck is the grade specified most often, and it accepts a rolling pallet jack load of approximately 2,000 lb. Heavy-duty resin deck accepts about 4,000 lb. |
| Plywood | A traditional surface. Pallet jack and cart traffic damages plywood over time, so resin deck has replaced it on most projects. |
| Poured concrete | Poured over a steel pan after the frame is erected. Used where a permanent, noncombustible surface is required. |
| Steel plate | Smooth quarter-inch plate, cut to fit on site. Very heavy, and can be painted after installation. |
| Bar grating | An open steel grate. Sprinkler water passes through it, which can eliminate sprinklers below the deck. Not suitable for most storage. |
Case Study
Installation in an Operating Facility
Most of the mezzanines we install go into facilities that remain in operation. Equipment below the mezzanine footprint is relocated before installation starts, and where the full area cannot be cleared, we install the mezzanine in two phases.
For an auto parts distributor, we installed a 12,000 square foot mezzanine with 40-foot spans over the conveyor and packing area. We did all of the work on third shift and weekends and installed 767 shelving units on the deck. Read the case study
We work onsite with the installation crew and from the Engineered drawings on every project. Field issues are identified and corrected before they affect the schedule or the customer’s operation.
Mezzanine Questions
What does a mezzanine cost?
Is a permit required?
What is the lead time?
What height is typical?
Can the load rating be increased later?
Are used mezzanines available?
Does a mezzanine require maintenance?
Contact
Discuss a Mezzanine Project
Contact us with the planned use and the available floor area.