EN 124 load classes: the drainage mistake that surfaces at handover
A grate rated for footfall will deform under its first delivery lorry. Load class is set by where the unit sits, not by what the finishing budget allows.
01Class is a location decision
EN 124 covers access covers and gully tops; EN 1433 covers linear drainage channels. Both run the same ladder of classes from A 15 through F 900, where the number is the test load in kilonewtons. A 15 is pedestrian; B 125 covers footways and car parks; D 400 is carriageway; E 600 and F 900 belong to docks, logistics yards and aircraft pavements.
The specification error is almost always the same shape. A channel is selected for the landscaped stretch it starts in, then continues across a service access without changing class. The first delivery vehicle finds the weak section.
02The rule that prevents it
Where a run crosses from one traffic regime into another, the higher class governs the entire run. Do not step the class down mid-channel to recover budget. The saving is small and the failure is visible, disruptive and in a finished area.
Specify the class explicitly on the schedule rather than relying on a product name. Two grates that look identical in a brochure can sit three classes apart, and the difference is not visible once installed.