When most people look at newly constructed asphalt pavements, they tend to see smooth, dark surfaces that show little variation in appearance. However, if you look below the surface, the structure of the different pavements can vary significantly. Engineers design pavements to serve specific purposes in the most efficient and economical manner. This saves their clients time and money, but it also conserves natural and manufactured resources. Therefore, it is important for you to understand the difference between industrial and commercial paving so that you can choose the right contractor.
What Is Industrial Paving?
When you think about an industrial facility, your first image may be a massive manufacturing plant that produces vehicles, large appliances, or other complex goods. However, the category also includes warehouses and storage facilities, petroleum refineries, and light industrial facilities that manufacture clothing, toiletries, and other small items. Industrial paving simply refers to the pavements constructed on the land controlled by the facility. Examples of industrial paving projects include parking lots for heavyweight trucks, walkways for pedestrians to move between buildings, and parking lots for passenger vehicles used by employees or visitors.
What Is Commercial Paving?
Chicago commercial paving projects typically involve for-profit businesses that are open to the public. Restaurants, theaters, shopping centers, recreational venues, office parks, stand-alone superstores and retailers, hotels and motels, casinos, resorts, and apartment complexes are a few examples. Commercial asphalt paving contractors typically do not include government-owned and operated buildings, healthcare facilities, and schools in this category, but that is far from universal. A commercial paving company may install, repair, or replace parking lots, walkways, access drives, and other pavements to allow pedestrians and drivers to navigate the property efficiently and safely.
What Are the Key Differences Between Industrial Paving and Commercial Paving?
There are numerous similarities in the construction techniques used for industrial and commercial projects, so many commercial paving companies construct both types of pavements. However, there are a few important differences to remember.
1. Clients expect a commercial paving contractor to provide them with a pavement that is visually pleasing. Allowances are typically made to incorporate aesthetic elements, including landscaping islands in or around parking lots.
2. Industrial paving clients are more concerned about the pavement’s functionality than its appearance. They want contractors to design pavements that can stand up to heavy loads, high traffic, and moderate abuse without needing frequent repairs. Therefore, industrial pavements are usually more structurally robust than commercial pavements. For example, an asphalt industrial pavement will normally have a thicker aggregate base as well as a greater depth of asphalt.
3. Although this is not always the case, commercial asphalt paving projects do not typically involve as many square feet of pavement as industrial projects. An industrial facility can be spread across several hundred acres, and all parts of the facility need to be connected by various types of pavements. Due in part to the acreage needed and zoning laws, industrial facilities are frequently located just beyond a town’s official boundaries. On the other hand, commercial paving projects almost always involve properties that are located within the city limits.
Regardless of whether you need an industrial or commercial paving company, Black Hawk Paving has the experience and resources to handle even highly complex projects. We have been in business since 1975, and we have earned an impressive reputation for service, craftsmanship, and integrity. We serve many national clients, including distribution centers, trucking facilities, and industrial manufacturers, as well as local clients and municipalities. Our services include the construction of concrete truck docks and ramps, asphalt paving and repair, site grading and excavation, hot crack sealing and routing, asphalt sealcoating, concrete curbing, asphalt milling and grinding, car stops, parking lot striping, sewer repairs, and traffic signage. You can submit our online request form if you would like to receive a free, no-obligation quote. You can also call us at 708-479-0400, or you can email us at Info@BlackHawkPaving.com.
