Area is a starting point, not a plan
When a client specifies a dance floor they normally give a dimension or an area, and the first task is to convert that into a panel count that can actually be laid. The complication is that panel modules are not square metres in disguise — they are discrete units with a fixed footprint, a fixed weight, and a fixed number of edges that have to be finished off with edging and corners. A 36 m² floor is 24 panels of 1x1m modules, 26 panels of 4x4' modules with a cutting allowance, or 47 panels of 3x3' modules. Those three numbers carry very different implications for freight, labour and trolley count.
Module areas
The starting point for any layout is the area of one panel. These are the published module footprints, converted to square metres:
| Module | Published size | Area | Panel weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x4' | 122 x 122 cm | 1.4884 m² | 19.5 kg |
| 3x3' | 91 x 91 cm | 0.8281 m² | 11.8 kg |
| 1x1m | 100 x 100 cm | 1.0000 m² | 13.5 kg |
| Parquet | 80 x 80 cm | 0.6400 m² | 10.0 kg |
| LED 2x2ft | 60 x 60 cm | 0.3600 m² | 7.0 kg |
| LED 2x4ft | 60 x 120 cm | 0.7200 m² | 14.0 kg |
| Infinity 500 | 500 x 500 mm | 0.2500 m² | 9.0 kg |
| Infinity 600 | 600 x 600 mm | 0.3600 m² | 13.5 kg |
| Pixel 500 | 500 x 500 mm | 0.2500 m² | 8.0 kg |
| Pixel 600 | 600 x 600 mm | 0.3600 m² | 12.0 kg |
Panel count for a given floor area
The nominal count is the floor area divided by the module area. A cutting allowance is then added, because a rectangular floor is rarely an exact multiple of any module and the offcut panels are still needed for the walkway and for corners.
| Module | Area | Nominal panels for 36 m² | With 10% allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x4' | 1.4884 m² | 24.19 | 26 |
| 3x3' | 0.8281 m² | 43.47 | 47 |
| 1x1m | 1.0000 m² | 36.00 | 39 |
| Parquet | 0.6400 m² | 56.25 | 61 |
The nominal figure for the 1x1m module comes out exact at 36.00, which looks like an advantage until the layout is actually drawn: a 6 x 6 m floor in 1x1m panels has no offcut at all, so every edge panel is a full panel and the perimeter still needs a separate edging run. The 10% allowance is not waste — in a real layout it is the walkway, the corners and the panels that get cut down to fit around obstructions.
Grid layout and the perimeter run
Because the panels are square and the joining system is modular, the layout is a grid. For a rectangular floor the interior is a straightforward multiplication and the perimeter is where the real work sits. For a 6 x 6 m floor the perimeter is 24 m, and the edging pieces are sized to match the module:
| Edging piece | Length | Pieces for 24 m |
|---|---|---|
| 4x4' straight edging | 122 cm | 20 |
| 3x3' straight edging | 91 cm | 27 |
| 1m straight edging | 100 cm | 25 |
Four corners are needed for a rectangular floor. If the floor has a walkway — the raised approach used at weddings, running from the guest seating onto the dance floor — each walk-through side takes a further two walkway corners, which are a different part from the standard corner because they carry the change in level.
This produces a result worth stating explicitly: the smaller the module, the more edging there is to fit. A 36 m² floor in 3x3' panels needs 27 straight edging pieces against 20 for the same floor in 4x4' panels, and each of those pieces has to be placed and levelled by hand. Edge fitting is where the setup time actually goes.
Freight weight
Panel count and panel weight together give the freight weight that has to travel to the venue and be moved from the loading point to the floor position. For the same 36 m² floor with the allowance applied:
| Module | Panels | Panel weight | Total freight weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x4' standard | 26 | 19.5 kg | 507.0 kg |
| 3x3' standard | 47 | 11.8 kg | 554.6 kg |
| 1x1m standard | 39 | 13.5 kg | 526.5 kg |
The totals are close — within about 50 kg of each other — which is consistent with the dead load figures, since area is fixed and the modules weigh roughly the same per square metre. The practical difference is in handling, not in total mass. 26 panels move as 26 large objects; 47 panels move as 47 smaller ones that need more trips but can be handled by fewer people at once.
Packaging and unit counts
The packing data published for the standard modules determines how many trolleys or cases are needed. For 4x4' modules:
| Unit | Panels per unit | Units for 26 panels | Full weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat trolley | 25 panels and edges | 2 | 605 kg |
| Vertical trolley | 20 panels and edges | 2 | 605 kg |
| Flight case | 10 panels and edges | 3 | 285 kg |
A single flat trolley is not quite enough for a 36 m² floor in 4x4' modules once the allowance is included, and a flight case fleet means three units rather than two. Since a trolley that has to be emptied is a trolley that has to be manoeuvred again, the unit count has a real effect on labour that does not show up in the panel count.
The full weight figures also give a useful check on vehicle planning: a flight case holding 10 4x4' panels weighs 285 kg loaded, which is a single unit that needs two people and a lift gate, not four.
Setup time
The published guidance for the modular wooden and parquet floors is that two people can lay the system without tools in about ten minutes, with the tool-free interlocking design and the light aluminium framing cited as the reason. That figure applies to a straight rectangular layout in the module's native geometry.
Two variables extend it, and both are visible at the planning stage rather than on site. The first is the perimeter: as the edging table above shows, more, smaller edging pieces mean proportionally more edge work. The second is the level of the floor relative to the surrounding venue — a raised floor needs a subfloor or riser system built and levelled first, which is a separate operation with its own crew and its own tolerance problems.
A planning checklist
Fix the module first, not the panel count. Module choice determines area, count, edging, freight and labour simultaneously.
Confirm whether the quoted area is the dancing area only, or includes the walkway and any staging footprint built on the same subfloor.
Add the allowance at the planning stage. Panels for offcuts and corners are not optional extras.
Count the perimeter separately from the field. It is the part that sets setup time.
Check the subfloor condition against the module. A floor that needs no subfloor on a hard surface needs one over grass or a soft deck, and that changes both the load case and the labour.
Convert freight weight into unit counts using the published packing data before booking transport.
