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ACO Trench Drain System Builder

1 Select ACO System
2 Select Model / Width
Select a system above to see models.
3 Runs
Each run is calculated independently with its own end caps and outlet. Max 5 runs.
4 Select Grate
Load Class
Material
Compliance
No grates match your filters.
Select a system first to see compatible grates.
⚠️ Incompatible materials: You've selected a grate with a edge rail channel. Galvanized and stainless steel edge rails are not compatible — mixing them can cause galvanic corrosion and premature failure. Please select a grate that matches your channel's edge rail material.
5 Accessories
Install Device
Installation Devices
1 device per channel — for setting and aligning channels during pour (optional)
End Cap
End Cap(s)
Qty based on outlet configuration
Outlet
Outlet Unit
1 unit — type based on outlet selection above

Your Parts List

⚡ Updates Live
Select options to build your list →
Item Qty Unit
Configure your system on the left to see your parts list.
⚠️ Incompatible materials: Your selected grate material does not match the channel edge rail. Galvanized and stainless steel edge rails are not compatible — mixing them causes galvanic corrosion. Please match your grate material to the channel edge rail before adding to cart.
Prices confirmed at checkout. Quantities are calculated estimates — always add 10% for cuts and waste.
Buyer's Guide · Trench Drains & Surface Water

ACO Trench Drains: How to Spec a Complete System

A trench drain captures sheet flow across a line — a driveway, a loading dock, a plaza — and carries it to an outlet. ACO Drain is the modular, polymer-concrete standard for doing it cleanly.

Pick a channel family, a width, a grate to match your traffic, and the end caps and outlets to finish the run. Here's how the pieces fit.

ACO KlassikDrain modular trench drain channels

Every ACO system starts with one decision: which channel family fits your site. There are three, and they map to the first step of the builder on this page.

General Purpose
Galvanized or stainless edge rails
Grates up to Load Class E
Built-in slope up to 130 ft
Parking lots, plazas, walkways, light industrial
Heavy Duty
Ductile iron edge rails
EN 1433 Class F (~200,000 lb proof)
V-invert with built-in 0.5% slope
Roadways, docks, industrial yards, airports
Low Profile / Shallow
Neutral-depth (flat) invert
Polymer, steel, or iron edges
Bottom-knockout vertical outlets
Decks, plazas, balconies, retrofits

How a Trench Drain Works

Trench drain intercepting surface runoff before a patio
A linear inlet catches sheet flow across a whole edge, not one point.

A trench drain is a long, narrow channel set flush with the surface. Water enters through the grate along its entire length, runs down the channel, and exits to a pipe or outfall — so you capture runoff across a line instead of hoping it finds a single spot drain. ACO channels can be installed with a built-in continuous slope up to 130 ft (40 m), which accelerates flow and cuts ponding. The bodies are polymer concrete — a dense, non-porous composite (around 14,000 psi) that shrugs off freeze-thaw cycles, de-icing salts, and chemicals, which is why it outlasts formed concrete and plywood forms in wet, dirty environments.

Load Class: Match the Grate to the Traffic

Slotted trench drain grate integrated into pavers
Grate choice sets both the load rating and the look.

The grate — not just the channel — determines how much load the drain can take. ACO rates grates to the EN 1433 scale, which climbs from Class A (pedestrian and bike areas) through Class C (cars, light service vehicles) up to Class E–F for severe duty like industrial yards, loading docks, and airport aprons, where Class F handles proof loads around 200,000 lb. Match the class to your heaviest expected wheel load. Grates come in mesh, slotted, perforated, and ductile iron, with compliance options like heel-safe (≤ 0.25"), ADA, bicycle-safe, and anti-slip — the builder lets you filter by all of these so you only see grates that fit your channel.

Don't Mix Metals

Galvanized and stainless steel edge rails and grates are not compatible — pairing them causes galvanic corrosion and premature failure. Always match your grate material to the channel's edge rail. The system builder enforces this for you and will flag an incompatible combination before you add it to the cart.

Building a Complete System

ACO PowerDrain S100K channel with ductile iron edge rails
A run is channels plus a grate, end caps, and an outlet.

A working drain is more than channel. Each run needs channels for length (sections are about 39.37" / 1 m — count them to cover the distance), a grate, two end caps, and an outlet, plus optional pieces like an inline catch basin or installation devices for setting the channels during the pour. Set your fall toward the outlet — aim for roughly 0.5–1% for self-cleansing flow; KlassikDrain offers pre-sloped and neutral channels, PowerDrain has a built-in 0.5% slope, and SlabDrain uses a flat invert so you grade the surrounding surface toward the channel and drop vertically through a bottom knockout. Match channel width to flow (4" suits most jobs; step up to 8" or 12" for high volume), and add about 10% for cuts and waste. Note that ACO orders carry a $750 minimum.

Quick Spec Checklist

  • 1. Pick the family: general paving → KlassikDrain; heavy/industrial traffic → PowerDrain; shallow or depth-limited slab → SlabDrain
  • 2. Size the width to flow — 4" for most jobs, 8"–12" for high volume
  • 3. Match the grate load class to your heaviest traffic (pedestrian up to Class E–F)
  • 4. Match grate material to the channel edge rail — never mix galvanized and stainless
  • 5. Lay out runs with end caps and an outlet each, set ~0.5–1% slope, and add ~10% for cuts and waste

Examples to start from: ACO K100 KlassikDrain (4" general-purpose), ACO S100K PowerDrain (4" heavy-duty, Class F), and ACO SlabDrain (shallow, neutral-depth). Fiberglass FlowDrain and the paver-slot Brickslot are also available for special cases, all with free shipping.

Ready to build your parts list? Use the Trench Drain System Builder above — choose a system, width, runs, grate, and accessories, and it assembles a live list of channels, grates, end caps, and outlets you can add to the cart in one click.