What Is a Raised Floor? An Easy Guide to Choosing One

A raised floor, also called a raised access floor, is a floor system built from prefabricated 600 × 600 mm panels laid on height-adjustable pedestals above the building's existing concrete slab. The void under the panels carries power cables and data cabling and can deliver cooling air, and any panel can be lifted to reach the services below.

In short: a raised floor lifts the walking surface off the slab on adjustable pedestals and covers it with removable panels, so power, network cabling and air ducts can run underneath. To see the system ANBS supplies and installs, read on at the RHINO raised floor system.

Other names for a raised floor

In English you will see several terms: raised floor, raised access floor and access floor. All three mean the same system. Drawings and specifications also use the terms panel, pedestal, stringer and FFH (finished floor height).

Components of a raised floor system

• Panels 600 × 600 mm, available bare, factory-finished, perforated for airflow (airflow panels) or with a stone finish
• Pedestals height-adjustable; they set the finished floor height (FFH)
• Stringers an optional rigid grid that ties the pedestal heads together
• Underfloor void the space for power, data cabling and underfloor air distribution

Why modern buildings use raised floors

Today's office and technology buildings carry many times more power cable, network cable, fibre and air ducting than they used to. If all of it runs in the ceiling or in trunking on the floor, every layout change means stripping out, drilling and making good again. A raised floor moves these services under the floor, so the room stays tidy, there are no cables to trip over, and the space is easy to change for the life of the building. That is why building owners often plan a raised floor at the design stage, so each tenant can arrange its own layout.

Which rooms should have a raised floor

• Server rooms and data centres with heavy cabling and underfloor cooling. See our data centre raised floor guide.
• Open-plan offices with many desks that need power and network points close by. See raised floors for offices.
• Control rooms and console rooms with dense signal cabling under the desks that must be reached quickly. See raised floors for control rooms.
• Rooms that need static control such as electronic equipment rooms. See anti-static raised floors.
• Classrooms, lecture theatres and cinemas where audio and power must be run to the seating.

Types of raised floor

The simplest way to group them is by panel core material and support structure.

• Cement-filled steel panels popular in server rooms and data centres, for example RhinoROC®
• Calcium sulphate panels quiet underfoot and well suited to offices, for example RhinoEU® and Lindner NORTEC
• Aluminium panels used where a lot of air must pass through the floor, for example RhinoAlutec®
• Low-profile systems for existing buildings with limited height, for example RhinoCross®
• Airflow panels perforated panels that deliver cooling air in front of the racks
• Outdoor pedestals for balconies and roof terraces, for example iPed®

Raised floor, raised access floor, raised floor system: what is the difference?

All three describe the same thing. "Raised floor" is the everyday term; "raised access floor" is common in architectural drawings and specifications; "raised floor system" is used when talking about the complete set of parts: panels, pedestals, stringers and accessories. Whichever term your drawings use, we can match it to the right RHINO product.

Panel materials supplied by ANBS

• RhinoROC® cold-rolled steel panels filled with cement, in grades ROC100, ROC200 and ROC300
• RhinoEU® high-density calcium sulphate panels (approx. 1,650 kg/m³)
• Lindner NORTEC calcium sulphate panels from Lindner, Germany

The finish is chosen to suit the use: bare panels with carpet tiles laid on site, anti-static HPL, conductive ESD vinyl or porcelain tiles. See examples under floor coverings, and accessories such as floor boxes and panel lifters under raised floor accessories.

Where raised floors are used

ANBS has installed raised floors since 1997 in data centres and server rooms, offices, control rooms and air traffic control towers, EGAT substations (Lindner NORTEC) and EGAT South Station (RhinoROC), banks, cinemas and universities. Project examples include Citibank headquarters, Bangkok, G Tower and Major Cineplex.

Benefits of a raised floor

• Power and data cables run under the floor instead of in the ceiling or in floor trunking.
• When desks are rearranged, floor boxes can be moved to new positions without cutting into walls.
• In server rooms, airflow panels deliver cooling air from the underfloor void to the front of the racks.
• Any panel can be lifted with a panel lifter to inspect or repair services.

How to choose a model

Start with the load the floor must carry, then look at the underfloor height, panel material and finish. Read more in how much load a raised floor can take, how to choose a raised floor and what raised floor price per square metre depends on.

Talk to ANBS about your raised floor

If you are not sure which raised floor suits your room, send our team the floor area, room type and site photos. We will survey the site and recommend a suitable system. Common customer questions are collected in our raised floor FAQ, and company information is on ANBS, owner of the RHINO trademark in Thailand.

Products

• RHINO raised floor system: how panels, pedestals and stringers fit together
• RhinoROC® cement-filled steel raised floor
• RhinoEU® calcium sulphate raised floor
• Lindner NORTEC calcium sulphate raised floor from Germany

Further reading

• How much load can a raised floor take? A load rating guide
• How to choose a raised floor
• Raised floors for data centres
• Raised floor price per square metre: what it depends on
• Anti-static raised floor

Read more: raised access floor · raised floor installation in Bangkok · control room raised floor