Factory-direct steel gratings & stair treads, shipped worldwide
Metal Channel Drain for Driveway
Handles storm water and truck wheels alike. Steel drainage built for real sites.
Itemized quote within 24 hours · Free drawing review included
Channels and grates from one factory
Bodies, gratings and frames made to your drawings
Certified & tested
Reports on request, MTC with every order
Samples in 5–7 days
Production in 15–25 working days
FOB Tianjin
Shipped worldwide, EXW / CIF negotiable
Wheel-load matching
One Load Class Sizes the Channel and the Grating Together
A metal channel drain for driveway duty is a two-part structure: a channel body that holds its shape in the ground, and a grating that carries the wheel. On this page we size them as a pair from the traffic that crosses the run — heavier walls and heavier bars as the class climbs, with heel-safe edges where people cross. For the grate alone see our driveway drain grate page; for run layouts, outlets and kerbside placement see metal driveway channel drain planning. Classes below are referenced to EN 124:
| Load class (referenced to EN 124) | What crosses the run | Channel body | Grating over it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A15 | Foot traffic only, cycle lanes, garden edges | Light wall channel, set in a paved surround | 20×3 to 25×3 mm bars, 11 / 11 mm close mesh — heel-safe |
| B125 | Private driveways, car parks, residential aprons | Standard wall channel with banded top edges | 30×3 to 32×5 mm bars, 30 mm centers |
| C250 | Residential streets, kerbside runs, delivery access | Reinforced wall channel, framed or concrete-haunched | 40×4 to 50×5 mm bars, 30 / 40 mm centers |
| D400 | Truck crossings, yards, public roads, forecourts | Heavy wall channel in a full concrete surround | 50×5 to 100×8 mm bars, 30 / 40 mm centers, banded ends |
Class figures are referenced to EN 124; the wall and bar recommendations sit inside the 20×3 – 100×8 mm range we build every day. Full load tables for your exact span and axle weight are provided with your quote.
Not sure which class your crossing needs? Send your drawings — we will spec it inside the 24-hour quote.
How the run is built
Heavy Walls, Stepped-Up Bars, Heel-Safe Crossings
1 · Channel wall to match the class
The channel body is a U-profile in steel, not polymer: as the load class climbs from B125 to D400, the wall and top edge go heavier so the surrounding pavement loads the channel, not the grating alone. A full concrete surround finishes the D400 crossing.
2 · Grating stepped up toward 100×8 mm
Where vehicles cross, bearing bars move toward the heavy end of our range — 50×5 up to 100×8 mm — at 30 / 40 mm centers, with banded ends so the panel cannot rock loose under repeated wheel passes. Bars run across the opening so each wheel lands on steel, not on an open span.
3 · Heel-safe edges where people cross
At doors, walkways and kerb ramps the run changes geometry, not material: 11 / 11 mm close-mesh panels or banded heel-proof edges keep heels, paws and bike wheels on the surface. One metal driveway drain run can mix heavy-bar and close-mesh panels along its length.
Why specify this run
Why Specifiers Choose a Steel Driveway Channel Drain
Heavy duty under truck wheels
A driveway drain is the one drain on site that vehicles cross on purpose. Name the crossing traffic and the channel wall, grating bars and banding are built for it — no guessing at the light end of the range.
High-flow storm water channel
Open-mesh grating over a full-depth channel sheds sheeting storm water before it crosses the pavement. Grit and leaves wash through or sit where a rake reaches them — no clogged slots to dig out.
Made to spec, any length
Channels, grates and frames from one factory, made to your drawings — panel by panel along the run, with free drawing review inside the 24-hour quote.
Applications
Where a Driveway Channel Run Works
The same metal driveway trench drain logic scales from a house threshold to a truck yard — pick the class, and the wall and bars follow.
Residential driveway thresholds
B125 runs across garage aprons and entrances, with heel-safe panels at the front-door crossing.
Car parks & commercial aprons
Long metal driveway drain runs collecting sheet flow across bays, banded tops taking daily car traffic.
Kerbside crossovers
C250 channels at vehicle crossings and driveway entrances, framed into the kerb line.
Truck yards & forecourts
D400 crossings with heavy-wall channels and grating toward the 100×8 mm end, set in concrete.
Specifications
Driveway Channel Drain Specifications
| Parameter | Range |
|---|---|
| Grating bearing bars | 20×3 mm to 100×8 mm, plain or serrated |
| Bar spacing | 30 / 40 / 60 mm centers; 11 / 11 mm close mesh at crossings |
| Channel body | Steel U-profile, wall and top edge sized to load class |
| Panel width | Up to 1.25 m |
| Run length | Panels up to 6 m, joined to any run length |
| Materials | Q235B carbon steel · SS304 / SS316 stainless |
| Surface | Black or hot-dip galvanized (ASTM A123 / ISO 1461) |
| Edges | Banded ends standard; heel-safe close-mesh inserts optional |
Materials & test documents
Every heat of Q235B, SS304 or SS316 enters production with its mill test certificate verified at goods-in — the first of our five QC stages. Panels leave with documentation, not promises:
- Mill test certificate to EN 10204 Type 3.1
- Factory inspection report with every shipment
- Declaration of Conformity prepared per order destination
Channel drain fundamentals explained → · Load tables & calculators →
Standards & compliance
Produced to Recognized Standards — Documents on Request
EN 124 load classes
Runs are sized to your named class, referenced to EN 124 — class figures guide the wall and bar selection; we do not claim certification to it.
ASTM A123 / ISO 1461 HDG
Galvanized coating thickness checked by sampling on every galvanized batch before channels and grates are released.
CE & SGS tested
Certified & tested, reports on request — we show documents you can verify, not a certificate wall.
Custom made
Your Run, Cut and Banded to Your Drawings
Send your layout
Run lengths, channel widths, crossing traffic and quantities — or just photos and a sketch. Drawing review is free.
Quote within 24 hours
Itemized, FOB Tianjin as standard — EXW or CIF on request. Small trial orders welcome.
Samples in 5–7 days, production in 15–25
Working days after drawing confirmation, hot-dip galvanizing included. Installation drawings and fixing layout ship with the order.
Factory-direct quote
Get a Factory Quote
Send your drainage layout for a factory quote — channel widths, crossing traffic and run lengths are all we need to size the wall and the grating. We reply within one business day.
- Five-stage QC, from MTC verification at goods-in to final inspection
- DoC, MTC EN 10204 3.1 and inspection report with every order
- Factory audits welcome — see the lines before you commit
Prefer to talk? WhatsApp us or sales@dtsteelladder.com
Request your quote
Five fields — we do the rest.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What load class should a driveway channel drain be?
For private driveways crossed only by cars, a B125 run is the usual choice; where delivery trucks or service vehicles cross, step up to C250 or D400 and the channel wall and grating bars go heavier with it. Classes are referenced to EN 124 — name the traffic on your site and we size the whole run in the 24-hour quote.
Can pedestrians cross the same channel run as vehicles?
Yes — we build heel-safe crossings: 11 / 11 mm close-mesh panels or banded edges where the run meets a walkway or door, so heels and paws cannot drop through while the rest of the run keeps its open-mesh flow.
How is a driveway channel drain shipped and priced?
Shipped worldwide from Tianjin Port — FOB Tianjin as standard, EXW or CIF negotiable. Channels, grates and frames are quoted itemized per project; we do not publish a fixed price list.
Related pages
Related Drainage Grating Pages
Metal Driveway Channel Drain
Installation planning — runs, outlets and kerbside placement.
View page →Driveway Drain Grate
The grate itself — bearing bars, mesh and heel-safe edges.
View page →Metal Channel Drain
Channel drain fundamentals and grating options.
View page →Galvanized Channel Drain
Hot-dip galvanized channels for outdoor and civil duty.
View page →Galvanized Drainage Channel
Channel + grating + accessories specified as one system.
View page →Stainless Steel Driveway Drain
When chloride exposure justifies stainless for a driveway.
View page →