Aluminum and Steel Trusses for Stages and Theatres
The grids and structures above and behind a performance space are typically aluminum or steel trusses used to hang suspended elements. Stage and theatre trusses can support lighting fixtures, audio equipment, LED screens, scenery, backgrounds and curtains.
Aluminum trusses are lightweight but durable, making them ideal for touring productions and temporary stages. Steel setups offer high load capacity, making them ideal for heavy suspended equipment. They’re also most cost-effective if you have a permanent installation.
Tiffin Scenic Studios engineers and manufactures custom and standard aluminum and steel trussing to suit your specifications. Our previous experience includes working with contemporary and historic theatres and stages across the United States. We’re well-equipped to outfit your performance space with unique trusses to optimize your budget.
How Are Aluminum and Steel Trusses Used?
They’re structural elements that provide the backbone of a theatre production’s visual elements. You can use steel and aluminum theatre trusses for the following applications:
- Lighting support
- Temporary structures
- Free-standing truss towers
- Overhead rigging
- Sound and speaker support
- Scenic backdrops
- Fly and hoist systems
You can combine aluminum and steel trusses in a single rigging system to create a sturdy foundation with portable elements. It’s crucial to only use theatre trusses that are properly rated for a specific load to reduce the risk of error and injury.
Comparing Aluminum and Steel Truss Systems
Choosing between aluminum and steel stage trusses depends on your application, portability needs, budget and installation requirements.
Here are some of the key differences to consider:
Steel stage trusses: Because steel is heavier, it’s more suitable for supporting greater load capacities. That gives you the option of incorporating a variety of lighting, visual and sound equipment without overloading your system. When properly treated, steel is durable and long-lasting, which allows you to optimize your investment. This material is typically less expensive per pound, but it’s important to consider overall weight for shipping and installation expenses. It offers a more industrial look and can be integrated into permanent setups.
Aluminum stage trusses: Their lightweight nature makes aluminum easy to handle, move and install. It has a moderate load capacity, so it can still handle multiple scenic elements. Aluminum’s corrosion-resistant properties make it a better option for outdoor stages and theatres and indoor settings with humidity. The anodized finish produces a polished look that’s appealing for more open stages with exposed rigging. You can also reconfigure aluminum trusses easily to suit your unique space.
Our Products
Tiffin Scenic offers a variety of aluminum and steel products. Our team can help you determine which option is best for your application or if you need a combination of both materials.
Our products include:
Lighting trusses: The Tiffin CHEETAh truss is durable, efficient and compact and requires no additional storage cart.
Video trusses: The Tiffin V-Loc truss is designed for LED walls and moves freely on a track.
Triangular trusses: Our triangular trusses include 12-, 18- and 20.5-inch bolt plates and a 12-inch steel fork end.
Box trusses: We offer utility, medium-duty, heavy-duty and tower bolt plates that vary from 8 to 30 inches. We also have steel fork ends.
Circular trusses: These trusses have radial symmetry and allow for static support, dynamic movements and complex rotations in performance spaces.
Ladder trusses: A ladder truss is often used to create studio grids and expand application scope. Our ladder trusses include 12-inch bolt plates and fork ends.
Truss Accessories
Truss accessories allow you to customize our products to meet your functionality and safety needs. They allow for enhanced versatility regardless of the size of your stage or theatre. Accessories can improve setup efficiency and promote durability with heavy loads.
Tiffin Scenic Studios offers the following truss accessories:
Corner blocks: We provide 2- to 6-way, 12-inch corner blocks available for any truss style. Powder coating and anodizing are available upon request.
Hinges and hinge blocks: We offer custom, bookend and center pivot hinges with powder-coating and anodizing available upon request.
Rotating indexable fork ends: The rotating functionality of the fork ends at the tip of each aluminum truss creates a hinge point for any direction.
Truss wedges: Fixed and adjustable truss wedges provide a stable rigging base for aluminum trusses.
Ground support systems: We have an array of towers that support up to 1,700 pounds of equipment up to 21 feet for entrance halls and concerts. Goal posts support various entertainment equipment, like backdrops and automated lighting fixtures.
Custom Truss Solutions for Theatre and Stage
Tiffin Scenic Studios offers hands-on design services to help you visualize and optimize your aluminum and steel theatre trusses. Our team has more than 100 years of experience, giving us unique insight into a variety of configurations and setups. We can make specific recommendations between aluminum and steel products based on your structural requirements, environmental factors and budget. Your input guides our production and installation process, so we value close customer relationships to produce the best solutions. Request a quote for manual rigging today.
FAQs
How do I choose between a box and a triangle truss?
Box trusses are typically better suited for applications with heavier loads that require sturdy support, while triangle trusses are lighter and more portable. Box trusses can handle heavy-duty jobs, while a triangular design is intended for light- to medium-weight applications.
What accessories are required for a complete stage truss system?
A theatre or stage truss system typically requires rigging clamps, crank stands, chain hoists, motor controller (for automated systems), base plates, safety cables and truss clamps.
Do steel theatre truss systems require special installation?
Yes. Proper installation is crucial to preventing distortion, loose components and rigging failure.
Can aluminum trusses be used outdoors?
Yes. Their corrosion resistance makes them ideal for outdoor stages and theatres.
How much weight can a stage truss support?
It depends on the truss design and load-bearing features.