Heavily Loaded Drywall Carts
Technical Topic
In commercial construction, it is common practice to use drywall carts to move gypsum wallboard from one location to another. Occasionally, complaints occur when the wheels of heavily loaded drywall carters punch through floor panels, especially where the sheathing or combination subfloor-underlayment panels have been exposed to substantial wetting and have not yet fully dried.
This publication is designed for: builders, contractors
APA does not publish design loading information for panels subjected to this type of concentrated load. This publication discusses the concentrated static and impact test criteria listed in Table 2 of Voluntary Product Standard PS 2, Performance Standard for Wood Structural Panels, which can provide a guide for evaluating the potential for failure when the panels are subjected to heavy concentrated loads. Either traditional drywall carts should not be fully loaded, or a temporary second layer of 24 oc APA Rated Sturd-I-Floor® may be used to avoid punching failures of floor panels.
Published by APA — The Engineered Wood Association.
