ScaFixGuide
Scaffold sheeting and netting: what changes when you clad a scaffold
Debris netting and sheeting keep dust, rain and falling material in and protect the public. They also catch the wind, which is why every system's instructions change the ties once the cladding goes on.
By Ole Emil Frikstad Urstad · How the numbers are computed ·
Does sheeting or netting change a scaffold's ties?
Yes. Cladding works like a sail, so the scaffold needs more ties, closer together. In Jamax's manual the tie spacing drops from 4 m unclad to 2 m with netting or sheeting, and each tie on a sheeted scaffold up to 10 m carries 5.05 kN instead of 2 kN (Jamax, p. 42). Never clad without the designer's tie pattern.
Before you rely on this guide
This guide summarises published rules to help you plan and is not legal advice. It has not been reviewed by a qualified scaffold designer or engineer. ScaFix is a planning aid, not structural approval: the manufacturer's instructions, the scaffold design and a competent person's inspection decide what is built and used on site. How these guides are written, sourced and corrected: editorial and review policy.
What is the difference between netting and sheeting?
Debris netting is an open mesh that lets much of the wind through; sheeting, often called monoflex, is a closed membrane that lets almost none through. Both keep material from falling onto people below, but the closed sheet catches far more wind, so makers set a stricter tie pattern for it than for netting, and many approvals stop at netting.
| Cladding | What it does | Effect on the scaffold |
|---|---|---|
| Debris netting | Catches dust and small debris, shades the work, lets air through | Higher wind load than unclad; ties usually closer together |
| Sheeting (monoflex, tarpaulin) | Closes the face against rain, dust and noise | The highest wind load; ties at every frame line and closer vertically; often outside the approval |
| Shrink wrap or temporary enclosure | Encloses the whole scaffold, sometimes with a roof | Designed as a structure in its own right |
NASC's TG27:25 covers the planning, design, installation and management of all three, including their effect on wind loading and ties.
How much more do the ties have to carry?
Several times more per metre of height. Jamax publishes the load per tie at full load and maximum wind, to NS-EN 12810-1. Dividing each load by the vertical spacing shows that sheeting puts about 5.1 times the force of the unclad scaffold on the ties, and netting about 2.5 times, for a scaffold up to 10 m.
| Jamax, scaffold up to 10 m | Unclad | Netting | Sheeting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical tie spacing | 4 m | 2 m | 2 m |
| Load per tie, at right angles to the wall | 2 kN | 2.53 kN | 5.05 kN |
| Per metre of height (derived) | 0.5 kN | 1.27 kN | 2.53 kN |
The last row is our division, not Jamax's figure. It is why a sheeted scaffold needs both more ties and anchors that hold more: the wall fixing must take the higher load, and NASC's FAQs say cladding "can have a sail-like effect, increasing the forces acting on a scaffold and its ties".
How do the approvals change the tie pattern?
German approvals spell it out per cladding. The Plettac SL 70 approval Z-8.1-29, § B.5, allows three grids: 8 m staggered, with each frame line tied every 8 m and its neighbours offset by 4 m; 4 m continuous at every frame line; and 2 m at every node. Netting and sheeting take the closer grids, as the table shows.
| System (approval) | Unclad | With netting | With sheeting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plettac SL 70 (DIBt Z-8.1-29) | rows every 4 m, every second frame line | rows every 4 m, every frame line | rows every 2 m, every frame line |
| ALTRAD Baumann ProfiTech S 73 plus (DIBt Z-8.1-912) | rows every 4 m, every second frame line | rows every 4 m, every frame line | rows every 2 m, every frame line |
| KERO RHU 070 (DIBt Z-8.1-940) | rows every 4 m, every second frame line | rows every 4 m, every frame line | rows every 2 m, every frame line |
| Hünnebeck BOSTA 70 (DIBt Z-8.1-54.2) | rows every 4 m, every second frame line | rows every 4 m, every frame line | rows every 2 m, every frame line |
| Layher Allround STAR 70 (DIBt Z-8.1-919) | rows every 4 m, every second frame line | rows every 4 m, every frame line | rows every 2 m, every frame line |
| Ringer Doppelgeländer (DIBt Z-8.1-858) | rows every 4 m, every second frame line | rows every 4 m, every frame line | rows every 2 m, every frame line |
The table is generated from ScaFix's tie engine, which holds each approval's rule with its source; the 8 m staggered grid appears as a 4 m row at every second frame line. The same approval adds two conditions: its netting proof holds only for nets whose combined force coefficient stays at or below 0.6 at right angles to the facade, and its wind loads assume a standing time of at most two years.
Not every system covers both. In ScaFix's catalogue, 36 of 123 system variants carry a sheeting rule that sends the planner to a structural calculation, because the maker's documents leave sheeting outside the approved configurations, and 34 do the same for netting. The ties guide shows the patterns for HAKI, Layher and Jamax in detail.
How strong a wind can a clad scaffold take?
Each maker sets its limits. Jamax gives two: the scaffold is designed for a velocity pressure of up to 1,120 N/m², and where a site calculation shows more, the vertical tie spacing must drop from 4 m to 2 m. Work on the scaffold must stop when gusts of 17.9 m/s, about 200 N/m², are forecast (Jamax, p. 41).
Jamax adds that such gusts can occur with a forecast mean wind of 10 m/s in open country and 14 m/s in towns. HSE asks for an inspection after high winds or any event liable to affect the scaffold, and the wider storm checklist is in scaffolding in wind and winter.
Who decides whether a scaffold can be clad?
The scaffold's designer, before the cladding goes on. HSE says never to sheet or net a scaffold without telling those involved in its design and erection, who must make sure it is designed for it. On the product label, the letter B in an EN 12810-1 designation means the system was designed with cladding and A without (Baunetz Wissen).
In practice the order is fixed:
- Decide the cladding when the scaffold is planned, not after handover.
- Get the tie pattern and the tie loads for that cladding from the instructions, the approval or a design.
- Test the anchors in the wall for the higher load.
- Fit the cladding as the scaffold rises, tie as specified, and record it at handover.
- Re-inspect after storms, and never add sheeting or advertising banners later without the designer's say.
What does this mean for planning and pricing?
Plan the cladding with the scaffold. More ties mean more anchor drilling, more tie tubes or tie screws and more couplers, and a sheeted face often needs the stronger pattern on every lift. The parts list and the price change with it. ScaFix's parts list by wall size shows the ties counted for an unclad wall.
Planning information, not structural approval. The tie pattern and loads for a clad scaffold come from the manufacturer's instructions, the approval or a design, and a competent person inspects the scaffold before use and after high winds.
Frequently asked questions
Does debris netting need more scaffold ties?
Usually. In the German frame approvals above, netting moves the 4 m tie rows from every second frame line to every frame line; Jamax halves the vertical spacing to 2 m.
Can you put sheeting on any scaffold?
No. 36 of the 123 system variants in ScaFix's catalogue need a structural calculation for sheeting, because their approvals do not cover it. Ask the scaffold's designer first.
What does B mean on a scaffold designation?
In an EN 12810-1 designation such as «EN 12810 – 4 D – SW09/250 – H1 – B – LS», B means the system was designed with cladding; A means without.
When must work on a scaffold stop in high wind?
Jamax sets the limit at gusts of 17.9 m/s, a velocity pressure of 200 N/m², which can occur with forecast winds of 10 m/s in open country. Other makers set their own limits.
Should sheeting come down before a storm?
Only the designer or erector can decide, because the tie pattern was calculated for that cladding. Inspect the scaffold after the storm in any case.
Sources
Primary sources used for this article, with the date each was read.
- Alutec: Brukerveiledning JAMAX stillassystemer, 4. utgave rev. 2 (28.08.2025), § 14.1–14.2 pp. 41–42 (pdf) (read 25 October 2026)
- HSE: Scaffolding (sheeting and debris netting, inspection after high winds) (read 25 October 2026)
- NASC: FAQs (cladding has a sail-like effect and must be factored into the design) (read 25 October 2026)
- NASC: TG27:25 Cladding of Scaffolding (planning, design, installation and management of cladding) (read 25 October 2026)
- DIBt: allgemeine bauaufsichtliche Zulassung Z-8.1-29, Plettac SL 70 (5 June 2020), Anlage B § B.1 and § B.5 Verankerung (pdf) (read 25 October 2026)
- Baunetz Wissen: Gerüstbezeichnung nach DIN (A = ohne, B = mit Bekleidung) (read 25 October 2026)