A telescopic prop is a steel support made of two tubes sliding inside one another, adjustable in length. Under formwork, it carries the load until the concrete has set.
Where it is used
The most common use is under slab formwork. The formwork goes up, props are set to the required height and placed, concrete is poured; once the concrete can carry its own load, the props come out.
Beyond that, you see them in:
- Point support under beam formwork
- Temporary shoring (strengthening, renovation, after damage)
- Tight spaces where a shoring tower does not fit
Why "telescopic"
A fixed-length support means a separate product for every floor height. The inner tube slides inside the outer one: a pin through holes gives the coarse setting, a threaded collar the fine one. One product covers a wide height range.
The fine adjustment matters: it is what holds the formwork level. Working with the pin alone will not seat the formwork to the millimetre.
Standard: TS EN 1065
Props are produced to TS EN 1065. The standard classifies how much load a prop carries at which extension, because capacity falls as the prop extends. The same prop will not carry at full extension what it carries closed.
This is the most common mistake on site: memorising one number as "this prop carries so many kilos" and applying it at every height.
What we produce
- Standard: TS EN 1065
- Material: steel, hot-dip galvanised
- Length: adjustable (telescopic)
- Head: U-head or four-way head
Hot-dip galvanising is chosen with the site in mind: props stand in the rain and are stacked in the yard. On a painted prop, rust starts wherever the paint is scratched; a galvanised coating keeps protecting even when scratched.
Four things to check when choosing
- What is the floor height? The adjustment range should cover it comfortably, not sit at its limit.
- What is the load? Prop spacing follows slab thickness and concrete volume. The tighter the spacing, the less each prop carries.
- Which head? U-head where a beam is carried, four-way head under decking.
- How many times will it be used? Galvanising costs more up front and less after three or four projects.
Prop or shoring tower
Where loads are high or the height is significant, a shoring tower replaces individual props. A tower is essentially props braced together: far more stable laterally, and it carries more.
Roughly: at normal floor height with an ordinary slab, props are enough. High ceilings, thick slabs or heavy beams call for towers.
Send us your formwork layout and we will work out prop spacing and quantity.