How to Boost Productivity with Custom Dock Boards

Maximize Productivity with Copperloy Dock Boards

Your loading dock needs to be efficient as well as safe. Docks can be a dangerous place, especially when forklifts are in use on uneven grades. The risk of injury increases dramatically.

Dock boards, as well as yard ramps, bridge the gap between elevations to help stabilize forklifts and keep your employees safe. With a dock board or a yard ramp, you’ll enjoy a more productive, more efficient, and safer work environment.

Copperloy produces a huge array of dock boards and plates with different capacities, features, and specifications. Did you know that a dock board can be a ramp as well? Even if there isn’t a height difference at the dock, dock boards are still ramps and vital to safe material handling. We offer dock boards as well as plates in both aluminum and steel, with multiple curb options.

Steel Dock Boards with Welded Steel Curbs

Our steel dock boards with welded curbs are capable of enduring even the toughest work environments. In fact, this our most durable dock board option, featuring a steel tread plate date and high-strength, welded steel curbs. These boards come in 15,000 or 20,000-pound capacities with 60, 72, and 84-inch widths as well as other options for height and length differential.

The standard features of our steel dock boards include 5.5-inch curbs, fold-down lifting loops, 18-inch locking legs, and an 11-inch lip. A 14-inch lip is also available along with many other size and capacity options.

Fully welded all steel curbs.
Heavy steel treadplate deck for high durability and extended service life.
Most durable for the greatest value.
Engineered for the toughest duty cycles.
Fold-down lift loops are standard.
Lift chains upon request.

Aluminum Dock Boards with Welded Aluminum Curbs

These dock boards are all aluminum with welded aluminum curbs and come in a wide variety of models. Choose from 10,000, 12,000, and 15,000-pound capacities, 9-inch and 13-inch locking legs, 11 or 14-inch lips, and 4-inch aluminum curbs. Widths vary from 54 to 72 inches and lengths from 30 to 84 inches depending on the capacity. So, you can find a tough, lightweight dock board for any situation with pricing that suits your budget.

Fully welded aluminum curbs for the highest strength.
Tough aluminum tread-plate for a lightweight, corrosion-free surface.
Mid to rough duty cycles.
Lightweight design for improved maneuverability.

Aluminum Dock Board with Bolt-on Steel Curbs

We also offer aluminum dock boards with bolt-on steel curbs, so they combine the lightweight features with durable construction to create the ideal affordable dock board option. Standard weight capacities for this model are 10,000 and 15,000 pounds with both capacities available in widths of 54 to 72 inches and lengths from 36 to 72 inches. These also feature an 11-inch lip, optional 14-inch lip, 4-inch curbs, 9 and 13-inch locking legs, and lift chain options.

Structural steel curbs bolted on 6″ centers.
Tough aluminum tread-plate deck for a lightweight, high-traction, corrosion-free surface.
Low-cost alternative.

Custom Dock Solutions

Have a unique loading dock need? Even if your warehouse design is unique, our engineering team can help with a custom solution. There’s no challenge too difficult, and no specification or circumstance too unique—we can develop the perfect solution, tailor-made for your real-world application in three easy steps.

1. Initial Call – When we get your initial call, we’ll gather the details for your specific application, including any necessary measurements, such as dock height, weight of your equipment, width requirements, and any restrictions.

2. Engineering Department – Our team of talented engineers reviews your specifications and a meeting with the production manager provides you with the time it will take to fabricate your custom solution.

3. Final Design and Pricing – Next, we reach out to local material providers to obtain current pricing. A design is drawn for approval, and cost determined. We send the quote to you for review.

Our engineering team has supplied a number of custom solutions, including a two-piece ramp design for a company in Macedonia, Ohio, which manufactures industrial wire and cable. Copperloy was able to design the ramp to handle the large weight capacities of trucks, plus the cable or wire being hauled. The 50-foot-long ramp also allows for trailers with low clearance to drive into their building. Find out more about this custom manufactured dock-to-ground ramp.

Our custom solutions aren’t specific to industrial or warehouse settings. We also designed and built a ramp 99 inches wide for use on a farm in Bowling Green, Ohio. This customer needed a wider-width ramp to load material onto a drop deck trailer.

While our standard yard ramps are available in 70 or 84-inch widths, our engineering team was able to determine a way to provide the necessary specifications for the client. Read more about the shipping challenges we overcame for this particular yard ramp solution.

Have a unique material handling, yard ramps or dock ramp need? Copperloy is here to help with your custom design solution.