Richard Lees Decking

What Richard Lees Decking does

Richard Lees Decking Limited (RLD) is a UK-based specialist manufacturer and installer of structural steel flooring products, established circa 1958 and headquartered in Bury, Greater Manchester. The company supplies composite metal decking profiles used as permanent shuttering and tensile reinforcement for suspended in-situ concrete slabs, alongside complementary shear studs, footfall vibration damping systems, and edge formwork. Its core product range includes four primary profiles — Holorib (the UK's most widely specified floor decking profile and a brand that has become a generic industry term), Ribdeck E60, Ribdeck S60, and Ribdeck 80 — plus Superib for mainland Western Europe. Ribdeck 80 differentiates technically through its 4.5m unpropped span capability (reducing structural steel requirements by up to 20%) and up to 2-hour fire resistance, while the proprietary Deckspan design software ties the product suite to engineering specification workflows.

The company's revenue model rests on three streams: one-time product sales of steel decking and ancillary items, professional installation services delivered by directly employed operatives, and recurring technical support and design services (CAD detailing, fire and structural calculations) bundled with product supply. RLD operates an enterprise field-sales go-to-market targeting structural engineers, steel fabricators, contractors, and architectural firms, with a horizontal-vertical hybrid segmentation approach. Notable landmark projects include 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin), the Willis Building at 51 Lime Street, 20 Fenchurch Street (Walkie Talkie), The Curve Theatre, Birmingham Hospital, Emirates Stadium, and Canary Wharf, with the company claiming direct supply to major projects in over 30 countries. The business holds ROSPA Gold/Silver Health & Safety awards, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001 certifications, and is privately held with no institutional ownership, funding rounds, or M&A activity disclosed.

Name

Richard Lees Decking

Legal name

Richard Lees Decking Limited

Website

https://richardlees.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Richard Lees Decking is a UK-based specialist manufacturer of composite steel decking and structural flooring products, supplying structural engineers, steel fabricators, and contractors across 30+ countries with proprietary brands including Holorib and Ribdeck, plus installation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Steel Decking

NAICS

Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing (332312), Plate Work and Fabricated Structural Product Manufacturing (33231)

SIC

Fabricated Structural Metal Products (3440)

akta.pro primary industry

Steel Joists, Joist Girders & Decking (IMADACAC)

Keywords

• Structural steel decking
• Composite floor systems
• Metal floor decking
• Construction materials supply
• Steel building products

Headquarters

HQ city

Bury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Steel Decking Products: Sale of composite steel decking profiles including Holorib, Ribdeck E60, Ribdeck S60, Ribdeck 80, and Superib. Products are produced to highest standards for quality, workmanship and health and safety.
2. Installation Services: Specialist installation service for shear studs, on-site through-deck welding, straight-to-steel welding, rebar placement, concreting, and vibration damping. Most experienced installation service in the UK using highly trained directly employed operatives.
3. Technical Support and Design Services: Full technical support to structural engineers, steel fabricators and contractors. Design assistance at every stage, fire and structural calculations, CAD detailing, and analysis software for Resotec.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Richard Lees Decking manufactures and supplies structural steel decking profiles (such as Holorib, Ribdeck E60/S60/80, and Superib) used as permanent formwork and reinforcement in composite concrete floor construction. The company complements its manufactured profiles with design software (Deckspan), shear studs, void formers (Resotec), off-site cutting services, and technical support for engineers, fabricators, and contractors in the UK construction industry.

Product overview

Richard Lees Decking is a specialist supplier of structural flooring products offering four main steel decking profiles: Holorib (the UK's most widely specified profile), Ribdeck E60, Ribdeck S60, and Ribdeck 80. The company also supplies Superib for mainland Europe. Core products are used as permanent shuttering and tensile reinforcement for suspended concrete slabs. Supporting offerings include shear studs, Resotec vibration damping system, Deckspan design software, edge formwork, specialist trims, closures, shear cleats, and installation services for shear studs, rebar placement, concreting, and vibration damping. The company operates primarily in the UK construction market with projects in over 30 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Holorib: Re-entrant profile steel decking used as permanent shuttering and tensile reinforcement for suspended in-situ concrete slabs. UK’s most widely specified floor decking profile.
• Ribdeck
• Superib
• Deckspan
• Resotec

Products and services

• Holorib Steel Decking

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 20% reduction in steelwork through use of Ribdeck 80
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hadley Group: Hadley produces cold-formed steel profiles and composite floor decking for UK and European construction, directly competing with RLD on steel decking projects and structural frame components.
• BEMO Systems (Kingspan) / BEFU: BEMO/BEFU supplies standing seam and composite metal decking systems for commercial construction across Europe, overlapping with RLD on long-span composite floor applications.
• Kingspan Multideck: Kingspan's Multideck composite steel decking is a directly competing product specified on UK and European commercial projects, targeting the same structural engineers and contractors.
• ASC Steel Deck: ASC Steel Deck manufactures composite floor and roof decking profiles (e.g., Versa-Dek) for the North American market, directly comparable to RLD's Holorib and Ribdeck product engineering.
• Cordeck: Cordeck produces composite steel floor and roof decking and is a comparable North American manufacturer to RLD in product category and target customer (structural engineers and steel fabricators).
• Tata Steel (ComFlor): Tata Steel's ComFlor range is the most direct global competitor to Holorib and Ribdeck, offering re-entrant and trapezoidal composite steel floor decking for suspended concrete slabs in commercial buildings.
• Canam Steel Deck: Canam manufactures steel deck profiles and structural steel components for commercial and industrial buildings, overlapping with RLD's composite metal decking product line and similar customer base.
• Voestalpine Steel Decking: Voestalpine offers composite floor decking profiles (e.g., Cofrastra, Holorib equivalents) across European markets, competing head-to-head with RLD's Superib brand in mainland Europe.

Broad incumbents

• Nucor Vulcraft: Nucor's Vulcraft division is North America's largest producer of steel joists, joist girders and steel deck, comparable in product scope to RLD's decking range and a useful benchmark on scale.
• ArcelorMittal Construction: A division of the world's largest steelmaker offering a broad portfolio of construction steel products including floor decking, cladding and structural sections — overlapping with RLD on decking but with far broader scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/richard-lees

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Richard Lees Decking