- Made in North Devon since 1973
- BSI Kitemark ready-mixed concrete
- Manufactured to BS EN 14992
- UK-wide & European delivery
Agricultural · arable · grain stores
Ventilated Floors.
Slotted, smooth, food-grade. Ready before harvest.
Precast slotted floor panels for on-floor grain drying — 20mm slots at 60mm centres (3/4in at 2in), 33% open area, food-grade closed-trowel finish. Designed to BS 5502-50 and AHDB on-floor drying guidance. Standard panels take a 5m heap (16'5"); heavy-duty take a 7m heap (23ft). Catalogue lead time 2-4 weeks.
On-floor drying done right is the cheapest way to dry combinable crops. The difference between a store that dries 14 to 12% and a store that does not is the slot pattern, the duct layout and the panel-to-panel seal. We cast all three to tolerance.
From a 200-tonne single-bay store to a 5000-tonne contract drying facility, we cast the panels, the duct covers and the plenum closures, and we deliver against harvest dates across the South West, the Cotswolds and East Anglia.
- · 20mm × 60mm slot (3/4in × 2in)
- · 33% open area
- · Up to 30 t/m²
- · Food-grade finish
- · BS 5502-50
- · 2-4 week lead
Photo needed
Hero — completed grain store with ventilated floor visible, fan plenum at gable, ready for harvest fill
Specification
Slot panels and duct elements.
Standard panels suit wheat, barley, oats and OSR. Tighter slot patterns are cast for peas, beans and small seed crops. Send us crop, heap height and store dimensions and we will issue a setting-out drawing.
| Variant | Slot pattern | Loading | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard slot panel · 2.4 × 1.2m (7ft10in × 3ft11in) | 20mm slots at 60mm centres (3/4in at 2in) | 20 t/m² grain stack | Wheat, barley, oats, maize floor stores |
| Heavy-duty slot panel · 2.4 × 1.2m (7ft10in × 3ft11in) | 20mm slots at 60mm centres, increased rebar (3/4in at 2in) | 30 t/m² stack height | Tall stores up to 7m heap (23ft), OSR |
| Pulse / pea panel | 15mm slots at 50mm centres (1/2in at 2in) | 15 t/m² | Beans, peas, smaller-grain crops |
| Edge / closure panel | Solid edge with side ducting | Per design | Wall edge, duct termination |
| Plenum duct cover slab | Solid with cast-in fan opening | Per fan schedule | Main fan plenum and turning chamber |
| Pillar / bridge support | N/A — support element | 20-30 t per pillar | Sub-floor pillars supporting slot panels |
Panels supplied with steel-trowel closed finish as standard. Food-grade two-pack epoxy seal available where the store is in a TASCC or FEMAS scheme.
Air volume sized per AHDB Grain Storage Guide — typically 0.05 m³/sec per tonne for ambient drying, more for hot-air assisted.
Grain store references
Recent grain store installations.
Photo plates being commissioned — placeholder shot briefs below.
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Top-down close-up of slot panel showing 20mm slots at 60mm centres (3/4in at 2in)
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Wide view of completed ventilated floor in steel-frame store before harvest fill
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Cross-section through plenum showing main duct, branch ducts and slot panel layout
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Gable end of store with main fan, plenum cover slab and air-throat detail
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Sub-floor pillar grid before slot panels are laid — duct space visible
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Close-up of pulse-crop panel with 15mm slots at 50mm centres (1/2in at 2in)
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Detail of trowelled top surface — closed, smooth, sealed
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WCCP HIAB lorry offloading slot panels at farm grain store before harvest
Where they go
Common applications.
From a 300-tonne arable farm in Devon to a 4000-tonne contract drying floor in Lincolnshire, the slot panel, the duct cover and the plenum closure all come from the same Holsworthy yard.
- · On-floor grain drying stores — wheat, barley, oats
- · OSR (oilseed rape) and pulse drying floors
- · Maize grain stores with deeper heap heights
- · Multi-bay stores with central plenum and side ducts
- · Retro-fits inside steel-framed stores converting from bag drying
- · Tip-over silos and dry-store grain handling buildings
- · Seed crops and food-grade contract drying
Standards & references
Cast to current code.
- BS 5502-50:1993
- Buildings and structures for agriculture — buildings for crop drying and storage.
- BS 8500-1:2023
- Concrete specification — C40/50, exposure XC1 (dry interior).
- BS EN 13369
- Common rules for precast concrete products — Factory Production Control.
- AHDB Grain Storage Guide
- On-floor drying air volumes, heap heights, slot specification.
- TASCC / AIC FEMAS
- Trade Assurance Scheme for Combinable Crops — food-grade store hygiene.
Configure your grain floor
Tell us crop, store dimensions and harvest date — we will quote and hold a delivery slot inside 24 hours.
Related products
Often ordered alongside.
Common questions
What arable farmers ask.
Five questions we answer most weeks. If yours is not here, ring the yard.
What slot pattern do you cast and why? +
Standard pattern is 20mm slots at 60mm centres (3/4in at 2in), giving roughly 33% open area — that is the proven figure for wheat, barley and oats per the AHDB on-floor drying guidance. For peas and beans we cast a tighter 15mm slot at 50mm centres (1/2in at 2in) so the crop does not bridge into the duct. The casting tolerance on slot width is ±1mm.
What stack height can the floor take? +
Standard panels are designed for a 5m grain heap (16ft5in, around 20 t/m² imposed load) to BS 5502-50 and the AHDB store-design guide. Heavy-duty panels with extra reinforcement take a 7m heap (23ft, around 30 t/m²). We will design to your store height and crop bulk density on application.
Is the finish food-grade? +
Yes — we steel-trowel the top face to a tight closed finish, sealed with a food-grade two-pack epoxy if specified. The store as a whole has to meet TASCC, AIC FEMAS or Red Tractor Combinable Crops scheme requirements depending on which assurance the farm operates under. Concrete grade is C40/50 to BS 8500-1, exposure XC1.
How does the plenum and ducting work? +
A typical layout is a central main plenum running the length of the store with branch ducts at right angles every 3-4m (9ft10in-13ft1in). Slot panels span the ducts. The fan at the gable end pushes air down the plenum, up through the slots and into the heap. We cast the duct cover slabs and the plenum closure pieces to match.
What is the lead time? +
Catalogue slot panels ship in 2-4 weeks. We hold standard sizes in stock at the Holsworthy yard during summer and autumn for harvest readiness. Bespoke duct layouts and special slot patterns run 4-6 weeks. Order before the end of June for a typical August harvest store.
How would you like it?
Supply-only or fitted — Ventilated Floors
Supply only
Per-unit / per-metre supply
Lead time: 2–4 weeks catalogue
- Cast slot panels, duct covers, plenum closures
- Setting-out drawing for the floor layout
- Mix design, cube-test data, BS 5502-50 conformity
- Delivery on flatbed or HIAB
- Sub-floor pillar build-up (in-situ block or precast)
- Fans, ducting and air-handling plant
Fitted (supply + install)
Supply + install crew
Lead time: 4–6 weeks (incl. site slot)
- Everything in supply only
- Two-man crew with HIAB to lay panels
- Setting-out, jointing, edge trimming
- Steel-frame store and cladding
- Electrical fan installation and commissioning
. Order before end of June for a typical August harvest store. Spring orders get priority casting slots.
Ready to spec it?
Tell us crop, tonnage and harvest date — we will quote and hold a delivery slot.