Thermal Floors
O’Reilly Concrete Hollowcore Thermal Floor slabs are pre-stressed concrete elements with continuous longitudinal voids formed using polystyrene void formers. Innovative casting system in the manufacture of pre-stressed flooring units gives many advantages compared to traditional hollow core units:
- better sound resistance
- improved thermal efficiency
- flexibility in design
- structural efficiency
POLYSTYRENE VOID FORMERS
The standard width of the slab unit is 1200 mm. Slabs are manufactured up to exact site dimensions with pre-formed service openings where required. the range of depths and achievable spans cover all types of residential houses and the most of commercial, public and industrial buildings.
Benefits & Details
Because our cores are made using Kore™ polystyrene formers, our units are also a great acoustic barrier between floors where sound pollution is a concern, such as in residential and office buildings.
- Speed of Erection – O’Reilly hollowcore floors can be installed up to 500 square metres per day, saving time on site and reducing overall program of works
- Reduced Weight – O’Reilly hollowcore floors have polystyrene infill reducing overall weight of floors; this means reduced loads transferred to the foundations and smaller foundation size is required
- No Open Voids – O’Reilly hollowcore floors have solid ends; this eliminates the risk of water or other contamination in cores
- No Additional Work on site is required to close open cores
- No drilling and cutting – all service openings can be easily formed in hollowcore floor slabs at production stage; slabs are manufactured up to exact site dimensions
- the use of high strength concrete and pre-stressed steel offers better span to depth ratio and strengths far greater than the traditional floor systems
- improved shear resistance gives additional safety at construction phase and in use
- part of slab can be manufactured as solid to allow for point loads
- additional top reinforcement can be cast in slabs for cantilevered action
- effective shear key designed up to BS EN 1168:2005 ensures composite action between Hollowcore slabs and transverse load distribution
- Hollowcore planks can be used to form a diaphragm to resist horizontal forces
- Hollowcore planks can accommodate all specific tying details for progressive collapse requirements
CE-Mark-Label-for-Hollowcore-HC-100
CE-Mark-Label-for-Hollowcore-HC-120
CE-Mark-Label-for-Hollowcore-HC-200
CE-Mark-Label-for-Hollowcore-HC-150
CE-Mark-Label-for-Hollowcore-HC-250
CE-Mark-Label-for-Hollowcore-HC-300

Self weight of precast unit (without structural screed): | 2.59 kN/m2 |
Concrete strength at service (28 days): | 50 N/mm2 |
Concrete strength at transfer: | 30 N/mm2 |
Prestressing strands: | 7 wire 9.3 mm strand |
Prestressing: | 70% fpu |
Maximum number of strands: | 14 |
Cover to strand: | 25 mm |
Fire resistance (BS8110: Part 1:1997; Table 4.9): | 1 hour |
Minimum required effective bearing width (BS8110: Part 1:1997; Clause 5.2): | |
On concrete: | 55 mm |
On structural steel: | 40 mm |
On masonry: | 65 mm: |

Self weight of precast unit (without structural screed): | 2.59 kN/m2 |
Concrete strength at service (28 days): | 50 N/mm2 |
Concrete strength at transfer: | 30 N/mm2 |
Prestressing strands: | 7 wire 9.3 mm strand |
Prestressing: | 70% fpu |
Maximum number of strands: | 14 |
Cover to strand: | 25 mm |
Fire resistance (BS8110: Part 1:1997; Table 4.9): | 1 hour |
Minimum required effective bearing width (BS8110: Part 1:1997; Clause 5.2): | |
On concrete: | 55 mm |
On structural steel: | 40 mm |
On masonry: | 65 mm: |

Self weight of precast unit (without structural screed): | 3.59 kN/m2 |
Concrete strength at service (28 days): | 50 N/mm2 |
Concrete strength at transfer: | 30 N/mm2 |
Prestressing strands: | 7 wire 9.3 mm strand fpu = 1700 N/mm2 |
Prestressing: | 70% fpu |
Maximum number of strands: | 14 |
Cover to strand: | 25 mm |
Fire resistance (BS8110: Part 1:1997; Table 4.9): | 1 hour |
Minimum required effective bearing width (BS8110: Part 1:1997; Clause 5.2): | |
On concrete: | 55 mm |
On structural steel: | 40 mm |
On masonry: | 65 mm |

Self weight of precast unit (without structural screed): | 4.09 kN/m2 |
Concrete strength at service (28 days): | 50 N/mm2 |
Concrete strength at transfer: | 30 N/mm2 |
Prestressing strands: | 7 wire 9.3 mm strand fpu = 1700 N/mm2 |
Prestressing: | 70% fpu |
Maximum number of strands: | 14 |
Cover to strand: | 25 mm |
Fire resistance (BS8110: Part 1:1997; Table 4.9): | 1 hour |
Minimum required effective bearing width (BS8110 Part 1:1997; Clause 5.2): | |
On concrete: | 55 mm |
On structural steel: | 40 mm |
On masonry: | 65 mm |
BETTER THERMAL PROPERTIES
O’Reilly pre-stressed Hollowcore floor units have better thermal properties than slabs with open hollow voids due to completely closed cores filled with polystyrene. The air movement in traditional hollowcore slabs reduces their thermal performance. The thermal performance of standard O’Reilly Hollowcore floor slabs is 25% better in average com- paring to the same slabs with open voids.
THERMAL MASS EFFECT
Thermal mass is a property that enables precast concrete floors to absorb, store, and later release significant amounts of heat. Buildings constructed of concrete and masonry have a unique energy-saving advantage because of their inherent thermal mass.
Below is a comparison of U-value between our standard Hollowcore slabs and the same slabs with open voids; lover U-value means better thermal insulation:
Slab Depth | U-value | U-value |
for O’Reilly standard Hollowcore slab | for the same slab with open voids | |
150 mm Hollowcore | 1.719 | 2.449 |
200 mm Hollowcore | 1.481 | 2.003 |
250 mm Hollowcore | 1.317 | 1.722 |
300 mm Hollowcore | 1.192 | 1.522 |
The thermal performance of standard O’Reilly Hollowcore floor slabs is 25% better in average comparing to the same slabs with open voids