Criterion
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Relative weight
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Relative build-up height
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Best for
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Trade-offs
The Numbers Behind a Marine Deck
Floating Floor Weight & Build-Up Thickness
The weight and thickness of a marine floating floor are properties of the complete build-up — insulation, floating layer, deck covering and finish together — and they vary by a factor of several between system families. Lightweight insulating-screed systems land in the low tens of kg/m²; classic mineral-wool-plus-screed constructions weigh several times more.
This guide explains what drives the numbers, how the system families compare, how to read datasheet kg/m² figures without getting caught out — and which levers actually cut weight on a real vessel.
kg/m²
Installed system weight
cm-range
Complete build-up height
Certified
Figures from type-approval
kg/m²A-0 to A-60Lightweight Systems
Every kilo is cargo you can't carry.
Six Inputs, One Number
What Drives Weight and Thickness
Two decks with the same fire rating can carry very different floors. These are the six inputs that set the kg/m² and the build-up height — fix them early and the numbers stop moving.
Required fire rating
A-60 needs more insulating performance than A-30 or A-15 — more insulation thickness or higher-performing material. The rating comes from the SOLAS tables, not from preference; see A-60 vs B-15.
Insulation technology
The big fork in the road: classic mineral wool slabs plus a wet screed, or a modern lightweight insulating screed that does fire insulation and load spreading in one lighter layer.
Load class
Cabins, corridors, galleys and vehicle-adjacent spaces carry different point and rolling loads — the floating layer is dimensioned for the worst regular case, and mass follows.
Acoustic target
Comfort-class noise targets add damping layers or floating mass. Thin visco-elastic layers cost little weight; added mass costs more — the trade-off is covered in the acoustics guide.
Deck condition & fairing
Refit decks are rarely flat. Fairing compound to level the steel comes on top of the system numbers — on distorted decks it can be a significant share of the total weight.
Finish build
The visible layer matters less than people expect — vinyl, linoleum and carpet differ by a few kg/m² — but terrazzo-style and stone-look builds can move the total noticeably.
System Families — Indicative Weight & Thickness
Read this as orientation, not specification: the certified installed weight and layer thicknesses of the exact type-approved system are the only numbers that belong in a spec — we quote those from the datasheets for every project.
Lightweight insulating screed
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Lowest — low tens of kg/m² installed
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Compact — few cm plus finish
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Refits, weight-critical newbuilds, high decks
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Pumping logistics; cure time before covering
Mineral wool + screed (classic)
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Highest — several times the lightweight figure
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Tallest — thick insulation core
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Proven standard where weight is uncritical
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Dead load; height eats into cabin clearance
Visco-elastic acoustic build
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Adds little over the base system
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Adds millimetres, not centimetres
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Cabins and public spaces with comfort-class targets
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Acoustic gain is system-specific — verify test reports
Get Certified Figures for Your Vessel
Weight questions deserve datasheet answers. Three steps from brief to numbers you can put in front of the owner.
01
Send zones and constraints
Deck areas with required fire ratings, clearance heights, acoustic targets and any hard weight budget — plus deck condition if it’s a refit.
02
We match systems and quote figures
A system per zone with the certified installed weight and thickness from the type-approval datasheets — plus the trade-off options where a lighter or thinner build exists.
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Documentation with the quotation
The B2B quotation ships with the datasheets and certificates, so the weight calculation and the Class file are built on the same numbers.
Related Reading
The guides around the weight question — the build-up itself, the ratings and the acoustic trade-off.
A-60 floating floor systems↗
The pillar guide — what A-60 means and how the six-layer build-up earns it.
Floating floor acoustics↗
Structure-borne and impact noise — where the dB come from and what they cost in weight.
A-60 vs B-15↗
The SOLAS division classes decoded — why the required rating drives the build.
Marine deck coverings↗
The GTF Freese systems — insulating screeds, mineral screeds and damping layers.
Floating Floor Weight — Frequently Asked Questions
The numbers questions specifiers and owners ask before signing off a deck build-up.
01 How much does a marine floating floor weigh per m²?
It depends on the system family. As indicative orientation: modern lightweight insulating-screed systems land in the low tens of kg/m² for the complete build-up, while classic mineral-wool-plus-screed constructions can weigh several times as much. The only number that belongs in a specification is the certified installed weight from the type-approval datasheet of the exact system — which is what we quote for every project instead of estimates.
02 How thick is the complete build-up?
From a few centimetres for lightweight insulating-screed systems to significantly more for classic slab constructions — plus whatever deck fairing the steel needs first. Thickness follows the fire rating, the acoustic target and the load class; the certified per-layer figures are in the system’s type-approval documentation.
03 What is the lightest way to achieve A-60?
A lightweight insulating screed system — fire insulation and load distribution in fewer, lighter layers instead of the classic heavy sandwich. That is why systems like TEFROLITH FTG-35 dominate refits and weight-critical newbuilds. The weight-vs-thickness-vs-acoustics trade-off is a per-project decision, which is why quotes are always per vessel and zone.
04 Does an acoustic layer add much weight?
Visco-elastic damping layers are thin and add comparatively little mass — their gain comes from damping and decoupling, not weight. The heavier acoustic lever is added floating mass, which is why acoustic and weight targets should be balanced together per zone — see the acoustics guide.
05 How do I verify weight figures before ordering?
Read the installed system weight (cured, covering included) and certified layer thicknesses from the type-approval datasheet — and check the datasheet system matches your specified build-up layer by layer, since substitutions void both the certificate and the numbers. We supply datasheets and certificates with every A-60 proposal as standard.
Need the Real Numbers for a Real Deck?
Trivaro quotes marine floating floors from certified datasheet figures — installed weight, layer thicknesses and the type-approval references — for GTF Freese lightweight and classic systems supplied across the EU.
Send your zones, ratings, clearance heights and weight budget — we respond with a system per zone and numbers you can defend in front of the owner and the Class surveyor.
