Spectator safety is our main concern at GT Grandstands™. All of our standard designs meet or exceed all national building codes for bleacher construction. Below are a few questions to consider as well as a brief summary of the main safety concerns you should consider regarding your bleacher purchase. Please check with your local building official for additional requirements specific to your area.

FAQ

What is the warranty on your standard products?
GT Grandstands warrants to the Owner that its standard bleacher product shall be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use for a period of five (5) year provided they are installed per GT Grandstands installation instructions and that component parts supplied by GT Grandstands are used.  GT Grandstands’ obligation under this warranty shall be limited to repair and exchange of any such item, which may prove defective under normal use (vandalism and premeditated damage excluded) during such period.  Warranty period begins at final acceptance by owner. 

How many people can a bleacher seat?
The industry standard for a seat is 18”.  To find the gross seating capacity of a bleacher take the length of the unit divided by 18” and then multiply by the number of rows in the unit. 

What’s the difference between gross and net seating capacity?
Gross seating is as stated above.  Net seating is the gross seating,  minus the seating lost due to aisles and handicap space requirements.  Net seating is directly affected by building code compliance.

If I purchase a standard bleacher unit from GT, do I have to install the product or does it come pre-assembled?
Standard bleacher units are shipped “knocked down” and do require installation by the purchaser.
Installation can be completed with typical hand tools such as socket wrench and screw gun.

Why does mill finish aluminum discolor/stain?

• All raw metals oxidize when exposed to the atmosphere. Raw steel forms a coating which is reddish in appearance and is typically called rust. Raw aluminum forms a dull grayish coating and it tends to blend in with the general appearance of any mill finished aluminum structure.
•  When exposed to the outside environment a mill finished plank will generally “oxide” to a uniform gray appearance. If a finished plank is used as a foot board the coating exposed to foot traffic will wear off over time.
• The finish of the plank will not be uniform as the plank will not experience the same level of foot traffic uniformly across the plank.
• The oxidation of a mill finished aluminum plank has no negative impact on the strength of the extrusion.
• Mill finish aluminum will stain when moisture is trapped against it. This moisture entrapment can occur at several stages of material delivery to a jobsite. The stages include packaging, shipping and storage at the site. These stains can occur at any time and depending on the environmental conditions can develop very rapidly. The stains can be erratic and vary in color from light bronze to black to chalky white. The stains will generally blend in over time and in many cases disappear almost completely when exposed to the sun’s radiation.
• All aluminum bleacher manufacturers experience the same challenge with regard to mill finished aluminum and have, in the past, attempted to clean the foot boards after the bleacher has been erected. This has proved to be unproductive as the cleaning process always makes the deck of the bleacher look worse than prior to the cleaning since the “cleaned” product is splotchy in appearance. For that reason the industry typically recommends the owner allow nature to take its course let the sun “bleach” the plank to a uniform gray appearance.

Are guardrails required on my bleachers?
If the unit you are purchasing has a seat height anywhere in the unit of 30” or greater, typically guardrailing is required for that unit at those points.

How quickly can I expect to get a quote on bleachers?
On our standard product you can expect to receive your quote within 24 hours.  On grandstand and non-standard bleacher quotes these may take as much as 1 week to deliver based upon the complexity of the project.

What materials do you use in your bleachers and grandstands?
On our angle frame product we use either aluminum angle or galvanized steel angle.  On our grandstand product the structure is galvanized steel.  All decking and seats are extruded aluminum.

Is paint better than hot dipped galvanized finish?

• Although the paint industry has made great improvements in paint systems HDG is still superior to paint for corrosion protection providing decades not just for years. Here’s why:
• NOT JUST A COATING: HDG is not just a coating like paint. HDG metallurgically bonds zinc to the steel.
• MORE THAN BARRIER PROTECTION: in addition to the metallurgical bond HDG provides two other types of protection - Cathodic Protection and the Zinc Patina. Paint does not provide these extra protections.
• PAINT REQUIRES REPAIR WHEN SCRATCHED DOWN TO BARE STEEL: Despite improvements in paint in recent years the most serious drawback of paint systems is that if the coating is damaged and bare steel is exposed it will immediately begin to corrode. As the rust increases, it grows under the remaining paint coating separating it from the steel and causing the paint to flake, then peel off. As the paint peels more steel is exposed and the corrosion grows in all directions under the paint causing more and more paint to flake and peel off. The paint system fails. Repair to paint can be expensive, difficult to make, hard to remove the rust from the surface and harder still to verify that the surface was prepped and painted properly for the new paint to stick.

Do I need to pour concrete for my bleacher system?

• Concrete pads for bleachers serve two purposes: 1. Anchoring of the system for wind load compliance and 2. for cleanliness of the area under the bleacher.
• Anchoring of a bleacher system does not necessarily have to include a concrete slab.   Earth anchors can be used in lieu of a slab
• How can I get color in my bleacher system?
  
• GT Grandstands recommends powder coating the vertical risers which are the most visible when looking at the bleacher from the front.
• GT does not recommend powder coating seats because of the wear created by the spectators walking on the seats.  Spectators typically scratch or vandalize powder coated seats.  

Safety Considerations

Openings between seats and foot planks:

Guardrailing:

Aisles:

All bleacher units regardless of the number of rows or length must have vertical aisles with handrails and contrasting nosings unless all of the following conditions are meet:

• Seats are without back rests.
• Rise per row must not exceed 6".
• Tread depth must not exceed 28".
• Number of rows must not exceed 16.
• The first row seat height is not more than 12".
• Seat boards have a flat continuous surface.
• Seat boards must have a minimum width of 11".
• Egress from front row is unobstructed.