Fibreglass (FRP) or Stainless steel?

When it comes to grating, what is better? Fibreglass or stainless steel??

We get asked this a lot, so, here is a list of responses to questions and myths around fibreglass and stainless steel for such things as:

• Grates and grating applications (showers, linear, floor and tile inserts)
• Drains
• Pits
• Sumps

Proof: Stainless Steel is better than Fibre Glass!

 Versus 

• Stainless steel is lighter weight kilo per kilo and offers more flexibility in design
• Stainless steel is resistant to ALL chemicals as fibreglass is only resilient to certain chemicals
• Stainless steel has some elasticity that’s inherent in its design, where FRP is somewhat rigid in design and will fail rather than flex under duress.
• Heelguard wedge wire gratings offer relief in their linear design meaning near or on-size particles pass thru the grate rather than clog in a parallel formed FRP grate
• Any skid resistance will wear out far more quickly on FRP grating as fibreglass is abrasive, whereas ss will maintain its slip resist edge far better due to its hardness of material
• FRP grating does not lend itself to a bespoke market
• Stainless steel grating is more flexible in its design lending itself to fabricated shapes of all sizes
• FRP is somewhat hazardous in its manufacture and not environmentally accepted
• Stainless holds a far better aesthetic appearance over FRP
• Stainless is shiny and accepted indoors and outdoors as a globally accepted finish complimenting its adjacent surrounds, be them timber, or abstract/contemporary.
• Stainless can be fabricated in a fine line appearance and maintain strength as it maintains a higher section modulus per similar section over resin grates and yield strength over resin style gratings. As a side note, funnily enough, in a laneway behind our factory we have an FRP fibreglass grate. Or at least, what used to be a fibreglass grate. Time, and the weather conditions; particularly the sun, caused this to buckle, go brittle and eventually break. Industrial runoff from neighbouring factories probably advanced it. Now, it is simple a trip hazard.