How to Identify Prefabricated House Panels

There are several ways to determine whether a house uses prefabricated panels:

First, observe the construction year. Generally, houses built before 1998 mostly use prefabricated panel structures, while commercial housing built after 2003 mostly uses cast-in-place panels. In the early days, due to limitations in construction technology and materials, prefabricated panels were widely used because of their convenient construction and lower cost. With the advancement of construction technology, cast-in-place concrete structures have gradually become mainstream. Due to their good integrity and strong seismic performance, most newly built houses in recent years have adopted this structure.

Second, observe the floor panel structure. Prefabricated panels usually appear as regular blocks, with obvious gaps between the panels. There may be parallel cracks on the ceiling that look like they were measured with a ruler. In contrast, cast-in-place panels are flat without splicing marks. Even if cracks appear, they are irregular. This is because prefabricated panels are made in a factory in advance and then transported to the site for splicing and installation, while cast-in-place panels are formed by directly pouring concrete on site.

Third, tap the floor panel to listen to the sound. Gently tap the floor panel with a hard object. If the sound is clear and the echo is long, it may be a prefabricated panel; if the sound is dull, it may be a cast-in-place panel. Prefabricated panels make a 'ding ding' sound when tapped, and the vibration only spreads in one direction; while the sound of cast-in-place panels is relatively low and mellow, and the vibration spreads in all directions.

In addition, checking the house's design drawings is also an effective method. If you have the design drawings of the house, you can directly check the type of floor panel structure to determine whether the house uses prefabricated panels. The design drawings usually clearly indicate the materials and structural forms of the floor panels.

You can also look at the wall structure. Generally, house structures without beams and columns are mostly prefabricated panels, while those with beams and columns are cast-in-place structures. This is because cast-in-place structures require beams and columns to support and transfer loads, while prefabricated panels bear weight through splicing and support points.

Finally, check for marks on the floor panel. You can observe whether there are circular holes with a diameter of 8 centimeters on the floor panel, which is one of the signs of prefabricated panels. These holes are left during the manufacturing process of prefabricated panels to reduce weight and facilitate hoisting.