The slatted floor is the part of a barn you can hardly change once it is in. Animals walk on it all day, manure drops through the slots, the slurry channel sits underneath, and in some barns a tractor drives over it too. That is why the choice deserves careful thought at the planning stage. Using the range of the German manufacturer Betonwerk Schwarz as an example, this article explains the main differences between designs and the figures to look at when choosing concrete slatted floors for cattle.
Standard and concrete quality
The slats in this range are made to DIN EN 12737 (the German edition of the European standard EN 12737), which covers precast concrete floor slats for animal housing. Besides the standard, it is worth asking about the concrete class. They are made of C50/60 concrete, with a surface refined with quartz sand. Hard, dense concrete matters because slurry and urine attack the surface chemically, while hooves and scrapers wear it mechanically. Weaker concrete becomes rough over time and the slot edges crumble, which is unpleasant for hooves and makes cleaning harder.
Slot width: 3.0 or 3.5 cm
For adult cattle, the most common slot widths are 3.5 cm and 3.0 cm. A wider slot lets more manure through and cleans itself better, while a narrower one gives the hoof more bearing surface and is more comfortable to walk on, especially for younger and lighter animals. Calves get even narrower slots, about 2.5 cm.
The right width for your barn depends on the animal category, the housing system, the amount of bedding and the animal welfare rules in force, which you should always check before ordering. The ratio between slot and slat also matters: on the Plus100, for example, the slat is 10.8 cm wide and the slot 3.5 cm.
Designs: Plus100, Schräge, Zwilling, Drilling and Euro slat
The elements differ not only in slot width but mainly in element width and in how many slats are combined in one piece.
- Plus100 is a 100 cm wide element with a 3.5 cm slot, in lengths from 2.00 to 4.00 m. Every length has the same 18 cm height at the support, which simplifies construction because the supporting walls do not have to be adjusted to each length. The minimum bearing width on the support is 13 cm.
- Schräge (the oblique slat) has all its slots set at an angle. It is intended mainly for loose housing, cleans itself well, and the design is protected by a European patent. It comes as a four-slat element in lengths up to 3.00 m and as a three-slat element from 3.10 to 4.00 m.
- Zwilling (twin slat) is a narrow element with two slats, 36 cm wide with a 3.5 cm slot or 30 cm wide with a 3.0 cm slot. Narrow elements are easier to handle and useful where the floor has to fit the channel precisely.
- Drilling (triple slat) has three slats on a 50 cm wide element, with a 3.5 cm slot in lengths from 1.00 to 4.00 m or with a 3.0 cm slot in lengths from 3.00 to 4.00 m.
- The Euro slat is 55 cm wide with a 3.5 cm slot, and the large-area element is 68 cm wide with a 3.0 cm slot. The latter is not designed to be driven on.
For all designs, element height increases with span. Longer slats are taller and heavier, which you need to allow for when planning the channel, the supports and the crane for laying.
Profiled surface against slipping
A smooth concrete surface quickly becomes slippery in a barn with manure, so slats are available with a textured surface. On profiled slats, V-shaped grooves are formed during production by high-frequency vibration. They are about 5 mm wide and about 3 mm deep, and the extra compaction also increases the strength of the surface.
Compared with grooves cut afterwards, the V-profile has some practical advantages: no sharp edges, the aggregate grains in the concrete stay intact, the grooves are easier to clean, and the zigzag pattern improves grip in every walking direction. Whatever the design, the manufacturer recommends checking the slot edges again after delivery and grinding them further if needed, since edges are where hooves are most often injured.
Load capacity, driving and laying
If you plan to drive on the slats, for example with a mixer wagon or a loader, say so when you ask for a quote. For a surcharge, most designs are available for an actual axle load of 2 or 3 tonnes, and the Plus100 also for 4 tonnes. The conditions are a track width over 1.75 m, an axle spacing over 2.00 m and a wheel contact area of 25 x 25 cm. Without this reinforcement, slats are designed for animals, not machines.
Concrete supports for slatted floors are also available in any length. The catalog table lists them in heights of 18, 22 and 28 cm, paired with lengths of up to 3.20 m, 3.50 m and 4.00 m respectively. When planning the channel under the slats, do not forget slurry mixing: a well-placed opening for a submersible mixer saves a lot of work later. How slatted floors fit into the barn as a whole is covered in the article planning a cattle barn step by step.
Need advice?
Slatted floors work out best when slot width, element lengths and loads are agreed before the channel is built. Kancler Sistem Pro supplies concrete slatted floors for cattle and, for more walking comfort, rubber mats for slatted floors.
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