Guides / Ceiling systems
A linear metal ceiling is a suspended ceiling of long aluminium profiles running in one direction, held by a carrier and closed at the perimeter. Four choices define the system: the profile family and width, the joint type, the carrier and hanger spacing, and the finish. Everything else — how open it looks, how it sounds, how it performs in a fire test, what it costs — follows from those four. This page sets them out in the order a specifier meets them, with the open-area arithmetic and a checklist you can send to any supplier.
A linear ceiling system is specified by profile, joint, carrier and finish, not by a product name. “Linear ceiling” covers flat strips with a closed joint, flat strips with an open gap, and vertical blades; the three behave differently acoustically and are priced differently. Decide the joint type and the open area first, then the profile, then the finish, and the supplier question becomes answerable.
If you already have a drawing, the fastest route is to send the plan, the ceiling height and the area and ask for a system proposal with the carrier spacing and the accessory list stated. That is what the Send Drawings route is for.
The word describes the direction of the pattern, not a single product. In practice a specification lands on one of three:
The comparison with cell and baffle systems, including where each one belongs, is set out in linear vs baffle vs cell ceilings. What matters at specification stage is that the three are not interchangeable: a blade ceiling quoted against a strip ceiling is a different quantity of metal, a different carrier and a different acoustic result.
For parallel flat strips the calculation is geometry, not a table lookup:
open area % = gap ÷ (strip width + gap) × 100
Four worked examples show why the same percentage can be built from very different profiles:
| Strip width | Joint gap | Open area | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 mm | 10 mm | 9.1% | Fine lines, dense ceiling |
| 150 mm | 15 mm | 9.1% | Same openness, wider strips |
| 200 mm | 15 mm | 7.0% | Calmer, fewer lines |
| 100 mm | 30 mm | 23.1% | Strong pattern, open to the plenum |
| 300 mm | 20 mm | 6.3% | Broad planks, almost closed |
Two consequences follow. First, open area and visual openness are different things: a 100/10 and a 150/15 system are both 9.1% open and look quite different. Second, once the gap passes roughly 20 mm the ceiling stops reading as a surface and starts reading as a screen, which is usually the point at which the lighting layout and the plenum access strategy have to be drawn together with the ceiling.
For blades the arithmetic changes, because the gap is measured between fins and the fin thickness itself is small: at 100 mm centres with a 0.5 mm fin, the open area is 99.5 divided by 100, or 99.5%. Blade ceilings are effectively fully open, which is why they are chosen for visual reasons and for absorption from both faces rather than for enclosure.
Three standards come up in almost every linear ceiling specification in Europe and the Middle East, and each answers a different question.
On an exterior soffit the list extends to wind action under EN 1991-1-4 and to corrosion protection under EN ISO 12944, which is where the C3, C4 and C5 exposure categories come from. A coastal project is a different specification from an inland one at the same height, and the coating system should be written with the category in mind.
The carrier, also called a keel, is the part that carries the strips; the hangers carry the carrier from the slab. Spacing is a design decision that comes from the load case, not a fixed number that applies everywhere: a 1.0 to 1.2 m carrier spacing is common for interiors, exterior soffits usually need closer centres because of wind suction, and long blade runs need intermediate support to control movement at the ends. Ask the supplier for the spacing that their test data supports for your span, and write the answer into the specification.
Two details cause most site problems. The first is the perimeter: a linear ceiling needs a trim or a shadow gap profile at every edge, and it is usually quoted per linear metre rather than inside the per-square-metre rate. The second is the last bay, which rarely divides evenly into the module, so the closing strip is custom cut. Both should appear as line items rather than assumptions.
Copy this into an enquiry and most of the ambiguity disappears before the first quote arrives.
| Item | What to state |
|---|---|
| Profile | Family and width, for example a 150 mm flat strip or a 30 × 100 mm blade |
| Material | Aluminium thickness, alloy and temper (3003 H24 is common for ceilings; confirm what the supplier rolls) |
| Joint | Closed, or open with a stated gap in mm |
| Open area | Percentage, calculated from the gap and the width |
| Carrier | Type and centres, plus hanger centres and the fixing to the slab |
| Perimeter | Trim or shadow-gap profile, measured in linear metres |
| Finish | Powder coat or PVDF, colour reference, film thickness in microns |
| Acoustic | Perforation pattern, absorber type and thickness, and the NRC or CAC target |
| Fire | Euroclass required, and the assembly it applies to |
| Environment | Interior, humid interior, or exterior with the corrosion category |
| Quantities | Area, perimeter length, number of levels, and the destination port |
With those rows filled in, a rate becomes a rate for a defined system. Without them, two suppliers can quote the same words and deliver different ceilings, which is the single most common reason a linear ceiling comparison fails. The strip ceiling pricing guide covers the cost side in the same terms, and the linear, baffle and cell comparison covers the visual choice.
For a project enquiry, send the ceiling plan, the area by level, the height, the environment category and any acoustic or fire requirement. A system proposal with carrier spacing, accessory list and finish follows from those five inputs. Send the drawings and the response comes back against a defined specification rather than a headline rate.