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"Over the years we have seen entire villages destroyed by harsh tropical storms, but every Waffle-Crete building we constructed is still standing."
-- Jerry Kramer, CEO Pacific International
Build more sustainably with Waffle-Crete
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Affordable Disaster-Resistant Construction
Molds and Sizes
Waffle-Crete molds are available in standard sizes and can be fabricated in a wide range of custom sizes as well.
Click on the buttons below for key details on the different types of Waffle-Crete molds.
Waffle-Crete Mold Basics
Corner cut out of a Waffle-Crete mold & cover
Foam
insulation
Top view of typical mold setup
Below is an example of a standard 8 ft x 12 ft floor mold and above is a matching insulated curing cover. Both are made from rugged, UV resistant ABS plastic and rigid extruded aluminum frames.
Swift Lift used to erect panel
Steel mesh laid on top of domes with mesh chairs
Recess former used to recess the end of bolt in rib
Rebar laid in all the ribs with rebar chairs
Hole former used to make bolt hole in rib
Corner bolt used to loosen rails for stripping panel
Standard 8' (2.44m) Wall Molds
Standard Panel Lengths for
Standard Wall Mold Sizes
Standard wall molds produce panels that are 7'-11 5/8" (2.43m) tall and either 6" (15.2cm) or 8" (20.3cm) thick.
Mold Feet Meters
W-12
W-14
W-16
W-18
W-20
W-24
11'-11 5/8"
13'-11 5/8"
15'-11 5/8"
17'-11 5/8"
19'-11 5/8"
23'-11 5/8"
3.65m
4.26m
4.87m
5.48m
6.09m
7.31m
Materials Used in a Standard Wall Panel
6" (15.2cm) Panel 8" (20.3cm) Panel
Panel from a W-16 X 8
wall mold as shown
Material lbs/sq ft kg/sq m lbs/sq ft kg/sq m
Concrete
Steel (1-story)
Steel (>1 story)
37.5
1.3
1.6
183
6.35
7.81
46.5
1.2
1.5
227
5.86
7.32
(Steel weights include rebar and mesh.)
Harmonized 8.5' (2.59m) Wall Molds
Harmonized Wall Mold Sizes
Harmonized wall molds produce panels that are 8'-5 5/8" (2.58m) tall and either 6" (15.2cm) or 8" (20.3cm) thick.
WH-12
WH-14
WH-16
WH-18
WH-20
WH-24
Harmonized Wall Panel Notes
Panel from a WH -16 X 8.5
Door Window
8' (2.44m) Wide Roof and Floor Molds
Panel Lengths for
Standard Mold Sizes
Roof and floor panels can use the same mold, producing panels that are 7'-11 5/8" (2.43m) wide and 8" (20.3cm) thick.
F-12
F-16
F-20
F-24
Materials Used in a Floor/Roof Panel
<16' Spans >16' Spans
Panel from an F-16 X 8 floor/roof mold as shown
Steel
2.1
10.25
Roof/Floor Panel Notes
Waffle-Crete Accessory Molds
In addition to roof, floor and wall molds, Waffle-Crete also offers accessory molds like the ones shown here.
Eave Trim
Waffle-Crete Eave Trim Molds are used to cast panels that not only serve as decorative building trim but that also cover waffle voids that may be exposed on the edges of cut Waffle-Crete roof panels.
Grade Beams
Stairs
Waffle-Crete Stair Molds include an
adjustable blockout to cast concrete
stairs of variable width up to 8 ft (2.44m).
Stair molds are available in 12 ft (3.66m) and
20 ft (6.1m) lengths with 6-7/16" (164mm)
risers.
Waffle-Crete Grade Beam Molds offer a fast and easy way to establish a first floor foundation. The Grade Beam panel is keyed to fit Waffle-Crete floor panel ribs.
Watch a Series of Waffle-Crete Jobsite Videos
Stephen Andrews, Sr. Structural Engineer with Professional Engineering Consultants, explains how Waffle-Crete panels retain the design strength of solid panels.
Download Explanation
Waffle-Crete Panel Specifications
Refer to this page for some basic Waffle-Crete panel specifications. You can also download the Waffle-Crete Design Information booklet for more detailed technical specifications and information.
The two cross-sections to the left represent the 8 ft X 16 ft ( 2.4m X 4.9m) wall panel shown below.
Longitudinal Cross-Section of a 16 ft (4.9m) Wall Panel
23 13/16" 24" 24" 24" 24" 24" 24" 23 13/16"
60.5cm 61cm 61cm 61cm 61cm 61cm 61cm 60.5cm
2"
5.1cm
This drawing shows a widthwise cross section of standard (or harmonized) wall panel. The overall panel thickness can be either 6" or 8" (152.4mm or 203.2mm).
4"
101.6mm
5"
127mm
3"
76.2mm
Harmonized Wall Panel Showing Common Panel Features
Transverse Cross-Section of a Standard 8 ft (2.4m) Wall Panel
Bolt holes for panel connections
This floor panel is the same size as the wall panel above, but the waffles run lengthwise to provide more structural strength along long spans.
Swift Lifts for erecting panel
The rib width in this cross-section is the same as in the transverse cross-section shown above.
16 7/16"
41.75cm
4'-4 1/4"
132.72cm
2'-8 15/16"
83.66cm
3'-11 13/16"
1.2m
Door opening formed by
door blockout
Window opening formed by
window blockout
The actual dimensions of an 8 ft X 16 ft wall or floor panel are:
7'-11 5/8" X 15'-11 5/8"
2.43m X 4.87m
Harmonized wall panels have one more horizontal rib than standard wall panels. They are also 6" (15.2cm) taller.
The other features shown here are available in all Waffle-Crete panels.
Cut edge formed by a bulkhead blockout
Optional notches for running electrical
Waffle-Crete Exterior Panel Finishes
This page offers but a small number of the virtually unlimited ways to finish the exterior of a Waffle-Crete building. There are also many different ways to add a finish during casting (e.g. raked or rolled), after casting (e.g. exposed aggregate or sandblasting), or after the building is erected (e.g. stucco or thin brick). Contact us if you don't see the finish here you are looking for.
Exposed Waffles (Low cost or no cost options)
Applied During Casting (Minimal cost options)
Higher Cost Finishes
Raked
Rolled
Roller
Stencil
Exposed Aggregate
Stucco
Waffle-Crete Interior Panel Treatments
Interior Finishing
Interior Preparation
The combination of painted voids and solid walls in the office above not only minimizes finishing cost but also adds interest to the decor. Both surfaces work equally well for hanging pictures.
The electrical raceways on the ceiling and wall are an easy and inexpensive option to hide wiring.
The voids in a waffle panel can be covered with sheetrock, cement board, lath & plaster or left exposed as in the photos on the far right.
When casting panels, Nifty Nailers can be used in place of standard rebar chairs (shown in insert) to provide a nailing surface for furring strips.
Optional notches in the ribs make it easy to run wiring through walls.
The voids in waffle panels work well for installing fiberglass insulation.
In extremely cold climates, foamboard can be added as shown above. And unlike fiberglass installed in the voids, foamboard provides a complete thermal break.
The Waffle-Crete system can also be used to cast sandwich panels where a layer of foam insulation is sandwiched by an extra concrete layer.
The photos on the right are from a low cost house in a temperate region. Even without insulation the house stays cool because the concrete's thermal mass absorbs heat during the day and then dissipates it at night.
The Waffle-Crete system eliminates form marks and most "bug" holes, which minimizes surface preparation and leaves a more attractive finish after painting.
Waffle-Crete Panel Test Reports
Adobe Reader is required to view downloaded reports.
Floor panel load test (by Bucher & Willis, Kansas City, MO)
Complied with ACI318-71 building code
Panel shear test (by Hugo & Partners, S. Africa)
See report for results
Seismic testing (by Res. Institute for Human Settlement, Jakarta, Indonesia)
Approved for Seismic Zone 3
Structural strength testing (by Testing Engineers, San Diego, CA)
Panel strength in excess of design and local seismic loads
Sound transmission loss testing (by Coffeen Fricke, Lenexa, KS)
Met ISO 140-3 standard (STC rating of 47)
Fire endurance testing (by Consulting Engineers Group, Glenview, IL)
Met CAN4-S101 and ASTM E119 standards (2 hour interior rating)
Heat loss testing (by Butler Mfg and Research, Grandview, MO)
Testing to U.S. structural building standards (by ICBO Evaluation Service)
Complied with 1997 Uniform Building Code &2000 Int’l Residential Code
Welded plate shear testing (by Mohsen Saleh, Structural Engineer)
Design value of 5.00 kips with safety factor of 2.0 from failure load
A Waffle-Crete panel supporting a semi
Seismic testing in Indonesian lab
Choose from a series of jobsite videos that will show you just how easy it is to use the Waffle-Crete system.
© 2011 Waffle-Crete International, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
