Cable Tray Ladder Type
SKU: FL-IN-002
Ladder-type cable tray for industrial facilities. Galvanized steel, multiple widths.
| Material | Hot-dip galvanized steel (Q235) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing Process | Roll forming + punching + galvanizing |
| Surface Finish | Hot-dip galvanized (≥85μm) |
| Tolerance | ±1mm |
| Width | 100-1000mm |
| Side rail height | 60-150mm |
| Length | 2m/3m standard |
| Rung spacing | 150-300mm |
| MOQ | 500 meters |
| Lead Time | Quoted after drawing review and process confirmation |
| Sample Time | Quoted after drawing review and process confirmation |
| Sample Fee | USD 80 |
| Price Range | USD 8-35/meter |
| Applications | Industrial plants, data centers, power stations |
| Compliance | IEC 61537, NEMA VE 1 |
| Export Markets | USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Germany |
How This Cable Tray Ladder Type Is Fabricated and Checked
Cable tray is a long, roll-formed product supplied in lengths and joined on site. Two things decide whether an installation behaves: the consistency of the section over the length, and the spacing of the rungs, which is what actually carries the cables.
| Stage | What happens | What is verified before the job moves on |
|---|---|---|
| Roll forming the side rails | Coil roll formed continuously into the side rail section | Section dimensions on the first metres of each run, because roll forming gives a consistent profile over the length rather than a set of individual bends |
| Punching | Rung positions and any coupling holes punched along the rails | Rung pitch and its consistency along the length. A pitch that drifts means the rungs will not set square at the far end of a long length |
| Rung cutting and fixing | Rungs cut to length and fixed to the rails by the designed method | That every rung is fixed at both ends, which is what turns a pair of rails into a load-carrying tray rather than two loose sections |
| Coupling provision | Coupling plates or splice provision made at the ends | Coupling hole positions at both ends, because the joint between two lengths is where the load path continues and where an installation usually loses its line |
| Drain and vent provision | Holes formed so the galvanising bath can enter and drain from the closed rail section | Hole positions. A closed rail that holds the bath corrodes from inside, and on a tray that is often outdoors that is where it fails first |
| Hot-dip galvanising | Tray lengths dipped, drained and cooled | Zinc thickness against the specified figure, and the drain condition |
| Straightness check | Lengths checked for straightness and twist along the run | Straightness along the whole length rather than at the ends, because a tray that is straight at both ends and bowed in the middle shows as a run that will not line up |
| Packing | Lengths bundled and supported along their length | That the bundle is supported rather than resting on its ends, because a long tray bends under its own weight in a bad bundle |
Changes Cable Tray Ladder Type Can Absorb Without New Tooling
Width, side rail height and rung spacing are the specification; the rest follows from them.
| What can be changed | What it affects | What it does not affect |
|---|---|---|
| Width and side rail height | The section, the cable capacity and the packing | The rung spacing |
| Rung spacing | How much load the tray carries, and how closely the cables are supported | The width |
| Length: standard 2 m and 3 m, or cut to order | How many joints the installation has and how the tray is handled | The section |
| Coupling arrangement | Whether lengths are spliced straight or at a change of direction | The tray |
| Finish | Life indoors, outdoors or in a corrosive plant environment | Nothing structural |
| Fittings: bends, tees, reducers | Whether they are supplied with the straight lengths or sourced separately | The tray section |
Short Answers on Cable Tray Ladder Type
Why does rung spacing matter so much?
Because the rungs are what the cables actually rest on, so the spacing sets both the load the tray carries and the support the cables get between them. It is also a specified value in the relevant cable tray standards rather than a matter of preference, which is why it is quoted as a dimension range rather than left to be decided on site.
How are the lengths joined?
With coupling plates and the designed splice, bolted through the pre-punched holes at the ends of each length. Getting the line right at the joint is what an installation succeeds or fails on, so the coupling holes are punched to a consistent position and the splice is part of the tray design rather than an afterthought.
What does galvanising do to a long formed section?
It adds zinc on every surface and puts the section through a hot bath, so a long thin rail can move while it is at temperature. That is why the tray is checked for straightness after dipping rather than only before, and why very long runs are usually supplied as joined lengths rather than single pieces.
Section consistency and rung spacing are what a tray installation depends on. Send the cable load, the route and the environment through the RFQ form and the tray and its fittings are specified to them. Related: roll forming and bending, surface finishing and export packaging.
Rung Spacing Is a Cable Decision, Not a Catalogue Decision
A ladder tray is sold by width and by rung spacing, and the rung spacing is the one that decides whether the installation works. Cable has to be supported often enough that it does not sag between rungs, and the diameter and weight of the cable set that spacing – a run of heavy power cable needs closer rungs than a run of data cable of the same overall size. Specifying rungs too far apart is the most common way a tray route ends up looking untidy within a year.
- Roll-formed side rails get their stiffness from the profile, not from the gauge. That is why a ladder tray can span further than a flat section of the same thickness.
- Punched mounting holes are what fix the tray to its supports and what connect fittings. Hole pattern is the interchangeable dimension here, and it has to match the fittings you intend to use.
- Hot-dip galvanizing happens after punching and forming, so the holes and the cut ends are coated. Every extra hole drilled on site is bare steel again.
Fittings Are Where a Tray Route Gets Expensive
The straight lengths are the cheap part of a cable tray route. The elbows, tees, reducers and risers are what cost money and what cause delays, because they are the parts that have to match the tray exactly and the parts that are usually ordered late. A tray system bought from one supplier and fittings bought from another will not fit, and the difference is usually in the hole pattern rather than in the nominal width.
The practical answer is to plan the route before ordering rather than during installation: count the fittings, note the angles, and order them with the straight lengths. If your route has a lot of direction changes, send the layout and we will quote the fittings with the tray – they are made on the same tooling, so a non-standard angle is a programming change rather than a new tool. Lead time is quoted after drawing review and process confirmation.
Payment Terms
How a project is paid for is agreed before production starts, and the structure that applies to your order is stated on the quotation and on the order confirmation, so there is no ambiguity later.
- 30% advance payment with the order and the 70% balance before shipment — our standard structure.
- 70% advance payment with the order and the 30% balance before shipment — used for some projects.
- 100% payment in advance before production starts — used for some projects.
If your finance team works to a fixed structure, say so in the first enquiry and we will confirm what applies to your order before you commit. Request a quotation.
Questions buyers ask before sending drawings
The questions that come up most often before a project starts, answered the way we answer them by email.
What do you need from me to quote Cable Tray Ladder Type?
2D drawings as PDF, DWG or DXF, or 3D files as STEP, IGES or SolidWorks, together with material grade, sheet thickness, surface finish, quantity and destination country. If the drawing is not finished yet, send a photo, a sketch or the existing part instead — we review what can be measured from it and reply with the questions that still need answering.
How long does a quotation take?
Enquiries are answered within one business day. Simple laser-cut and bent parts are quoted within 24 hours. Welded frames, assembled units and multi-part structures are quoted after the drawing review and process confirmation, and the date is confirmed in our reply.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
Prototypes are made from a single piece and small batches of 10–50 pieces are routine. Prototype, first batch and repeat volume are quoted together so the numbers stay consistent as the project scales.
Can you work from a sample or a photo if I have no drawing?
Yes. Send the part itself, clear photographs with a rule or caliper in frame, or a dimensioned sketch. We measure what can be measured, list what is still undefined, and confirm it with you before production.
Need a Similar Part?
Most enquiries that start on a page like this are not an order for Cable Tray Ladder Type — they are a search for a factory that can make something like it. Send us your drawing, 3D model or sample and we will review the manufacturing process and the quotation requirements, then come back with a process plan, a price and a lead time.
We work from 2D drawings, STEP / DWG / DXF / PDF files, or a physical sample if that is all you have.
No complete drawings yet? Describe the part, send photos or a sketch, or send a sample — we can start from there. Discuss your project.
Trade Terms and Delivery
We quote under the standard Incoterms your logistics team already works with, and build the packing and documentation around the one you choose.
- EXW — you collect from our Ningbo facility and run export clearance through your own forwarder.
- FOB Ningbo — we deliver to the vessel at Ningbo port and handle export clearance.
- CIF — we cover carriage and insurance to your named destination port.
- DDP — we handle carriage, insurance, import clearance and duties through to your door.
Send your destination country, target delivery date and preferred trade term together with the drawing. Request a quotation.
Quotation Time
We quote from your drawings. How long that takes depends on what the part asks for:
- Simple parts — quoted within 24 hours. Laser-cut blanks and bent components, supplied with complete 2D or 3D drawings. Mon–Fri, GMT+8.
- Complex assemblies — quoted after the drawing review. Payment kiosks, multi-part welded frames, enclosures with purchased hardware, or anything needing a coating or assembly trial. We confirm a quotation date once the scope is clear.
Production lead time is quoted separately, after drawing review and process confirmation. Send your drawings.
What stands behind this quotation
- Manufacturing since 20162,500 m² Ningbo plant — 3 laser cutting machines (including newer TRUMPF), 4 CNC press brakes and 10 welding stations.
- Shipped to more than 30 export marketsEnclosures, cabinets and formed parts supplied to OEM buyers across Europe, North America and Asia.
- 123 documented product casesMedical device housings, HVAC and heat pump enclosures, agricultural and livestock equipment, industrial hydraulics, material handling trolleys and EV charging cabinets.
- Factory evidence you can checkTUV Rheinland audit reference MIC-ASI243729 and Bureau Veritas reference MIC-ASR263630 available for buyer review under NDA.
Before you send drawings: an NDA is signed on request · first-article inspection is carried out before a batch continues · pricing is staged from prototype quantity to repeat volume · pre-shipment photos and packing records are prepared when the project needs them.