Spec Literacy
Floor loading, ceiling height & 3-phase power — what the numbers actually mean
Industrial brochures are full of figures — 10 kPa, 6.8 metres, 4.5 m, 60A, 2 tonnes — but few explain what they mean for daily operations. This independent explainer decodes the five specs that matter most, using The NeX, Kota Damansara as a set of worked examples.
The five numbers, in one glance
Floor loading (kPa): how much weight a slab can carry
Floor loading is the single most misunderstood industrial spec — and the most expensive to get wrong. It is expressed in kilopascals (kPa), a measure of pressure, which converts neatly to weight: 1 kPa ≈ 100 kg per square metre. So when The NeX, Kota Damansara quotes a lower-floor loading of 10 kPa, that is roughly 1,000 kg per square metre — a tonne on every square metre of ground floor. The upper floors are rated at 3 kPa (about 300 kg/m²), which is normal and reflects their lighter intended use.
Why it matters: machinery, racking and dense stock concentrate weight. A pallet of tiles, a stack of paper reels, a CNC machine or a loaded heavy-duty rack can easily exceed the capacity of an ordinary office or retail slab. The 10 kPa ground floor at The NeX comfortably supports forklift traffic, heavy equipment and high racking. The lesson for buyers is simple: put heavy, dense loads on the lower floor, and keep the upper floor (3 kPa) for lighter assembly, packing, offices and goods that spread their weight. Always check whether a figure is a uniformly distributed load (the usual quote) versus a point load under a single machine foot, which is a different calculation.
Rule of thumb: 1 kPa ≈ 100 kg/m². The NeX lower floor at 10 kPa carries ~1,000 kg/m²; the upper floor at 3 kPa carries ~300 kg/m².
Ceiling & eaves height: why cubic space beats floor area
Ceiling height — sometimes quoted as clear height or eaves height — determines your cubic capacity, not just your floor plan. The NeX provides a double-volume ceiling of up to 6.8 metres (about 22 feet) on the ground level, with Level 8 still around 6.2 metres, and 3.0–3.5 metres on upper floors. The distinction worth knowing: clear height is the usable distance from finished floor to the lowest obstruction (a beam, a duct, a sprinkler), while eaves height is measured to the roof edge. For racking and equipment, clear height is the number that governs what you can actually fit.
Practically, every extra metre of height is a metre you can stack, rack or build into. At near 7 metres you can install a mezzanine and still keep forklift clearance underneath — effectively adding usable area without enlarging the footprint. High racking, tall machinery, gantries and overhead services all depend on this dimension. A low ceiling cannot be fixed after purchase, so for any storage- or volume-led operation, clear height is a primary specification, not a secondary one.
Roller-shutter size: the size of your front door for goods
A roller shutter is the doorway through which everything you sell passes. Its height and width dictate which vehicles can load directly and how large an item can move in or out. The NeX quotes roller shutters up to 4.5 metres high and 5.5 metres wide on its main unit types, with some types around 4.0 metres wide. A 4.5 m clearance is generous: a box lorry, a high-cube container delivery or a tall piece of equipment passes through rather than being unloaded at the kerb and double-handled inside.
When reading a shutter spec, separate height from width — both constrain you. Height limits the tallest vehicle or load that can enter; width limits how wide a pallet, machine or vehicle can pass. Pair the shutter with the loading arrangement: The NeX adds a private loading terrace and drive-through internal access on selected units, three ground loading bays rated 10 tonnes / 9 metres, and an external driveway built for roughly 10-tonne vehicles. A large shutter is only useful if a vehicle can actually reach it, so read the shutter and the access route together.
Read height and width separately. The NeX shutters reach 4.5 m high × 5.5 m wide — enough for a box lorry to drive straight in on the main types.
3-phase power (amps): what runs your machinery
Most homes and small shops use single-phase electricity. Industrial equipment — motors, compressors, CNC machines, commercial kitchens, lifts, large HVAC — needs three-phase power, which delivers a smoother, stronger supply able to start and run heavy motor loads. The NeX is wired for three-phase throughout, supplied at 60 amps on the A, B and C type families and 100 amps on the larger D and E types.
Think of it this way: three-phase tells you the type of supply, while amperage tells you how much you can draw at once. Each machine has a current draw; add up everything that might run simultaneously and you have your peak demand. A light, people-led operation — packing, display, a few workstations — sits comfortably within 60A. A workshop with compressors and machine tools, a cold-storage user, or an F&B central kitchen with ovens and refrigeration should start at 100A. Under-specifying power is a classic and costly error: upgrading supply after fit-out means applications, waiting and expense. Match the amperage to your equipment list before you choose a unit type, not after.
Cargo-lift capacity: moving goods between floors
In a multi-storey industrial building, the cargo (goods) lift is the spine of your vertical logistics. Two figures define it: weight capacity and door / car dimensions. The NeX provides two 2-tonne cargo lifts with a door opening of 1,800 × 2,300 mm, alongside seven passenger and fire lifts so people and goods are not competing for the same car. The 2-tonne rating tells you the heaviest single load — a laden pallet, a piece of equipment — the lift will carry; the door dimensions tell you what physically fits through the opening.
Both numbers bind. A lift may be rated to 2 tonnes, but if your pallet or machine is wider or taller than the 1,800 × 2,300 mm door, it will not enter — so check dimensions against your largest regular load, not just the weight. For floor-to-floor vehicle movement, The NeX also provides an 8-metre-wide ramp at a 1:10 gradient, letting smaller delivery vehicles drive between levels rather than queue for a lift. Taken together — floor loading, clear height, shutter size, three-phase amperage and cargo-lift capacity — these five specifications describe how an industrial unit actually performs. This is an independent advisory page, not the developer's official site; for unit-specific figures, confirm the details against your own operating requirements with an agent.
Explore The NeX KD
Overview
The full project overview — concept, highlights and the at-a-glance numbers.
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Specifications
Ceiling heights, floor loading, roller shutters, lifts and power — the full spec sheet.
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Unit Types
All unit types A–E, built-up sizes and the complete 242-unit mix.
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Request the price list & floor plans
Independent guides to Kota Damansara's industrial market, the industrial-hub opportunity, and The NeX in depth.