Open Cell Ceiling: Lay-On Tiles and Continuous Aluminum Grids

Open cell ceilings, sometimes called cell or grid ceilings, are made from thin aluminum U-section blades interlocked into a lattice of square openings. Seen from below at normal viewing angles, the blades merge into a light, textured plane; looking straight up, the void and its services remain visible. This makes the system a middle ground between a closed tile ceiling and an exposed soffit.

Jawdah Industrial Co. Ltd. manufactures two configurations from the same aluminum material: Aluminum Open Cell Lay-On Ceiling Tiles, which drop into a T-24 or T-15 grid, and Aluminum Open Cell Continuous Ceilings, which form an uninterrupted cell surface. This page explains the difference and how to choose the cell size.

The cells act like a visual filter. Their depth, set by the blade drop, and their width, set by the cell size, control how much of the void can be seen from a given angle. Small, deep cells look almost closed from across the room; large, shallow cells read as a light open grid. Because the ceiling is not a sealed surface, air, light and sprinkler discharge pass through it, which is why the void treatment and the services layout matter as much as the cells themselves.

Designers use open cell ceilings where a large volume needs a ceiling plane for scale and lighting, while the space above must stay ventilated and serviceable, as in malls, supermarkets, halls, airports and exhibition centres.

Lay-on tiles are factory-made 600x600 mm open cell panels that sit on an exposed T-24 or T-15 grid, so the ceiling is modular and each panel can be lifted out. They are the right choice when access is frequent or when open cell zones sit next to ordinary tile zones on the same grid. The full product details are on the aluminum open cell lay-on tiles page.

Continuous open cell ceilings form a single cell surface across the area, with no module joints between panels. Jawdah lists them with the same alloys, thicknesses, colours, finish, cell sizes and U-sizes, together with the appropriate suspension accessories; the Jawdah data does not detail a separate panel size or carrier for the continuous version, so those are confirmed per project.

Each cell is bounded by aluminum U-section blades. The U-size is written as drop x width: a 40x10 mm blade is 40 mm deep, a 50x10 mm blade is 50 mm deep, both 10 mm wide. The cell size is the clear square between blades: 50x50, 75x75 or 100x100 mm.

The ratio between drop and cell size sets the cut-off angle, the angle beyond which the void is hidden from view. A 50 mm drop on a 50x50 mm cell hides the void at much steeper viewing angles than a 40 mm drop on a 100x100 mm cell. Choose the combination by how far away and at what angle people will look at the ceiling.

Both open cell configurations are produced in aluminum alloy 3005 or 3105 with a pre-painted polyester coating, which keeps the blades light and corrosion resistant. The stated values below apply to lay-on and continuous ceilings alike; fire, humidity and reflectance values refer to the raw material.

Jawdah lists open cell ceilings for malls, supermarkets, halls, shops, offices, airports and exhibition centres. The lay-on version is also named for showrooms, shopping centres, public buildings, commercial facilities and interior fit-out projects.

The common thread is a large or busy space where the ceiling has to give scale and order but the plant above must stay accessible and ventilated. Retail and transport projects also use open cell ceilings to create zones within one hall, changing cell size or colour between areas.

The Class 0 reference, the humidity resistance according to ASTM D 2247 and the light reflectance more than 0.75 according to ASTM E 1477-98 are all raw-material statements for the aluminum. They do not describe the fire behaviour or lighting performance of an installed open ceiling, which also depends on what is above it. Note too that an open ceiling changes how sprinklers, smoke detection and air distribution work; these are design questions for the project's engineers, not product ratings.

For high ceilings seen from far away, larger cells keep the grid legible and avoid a busy moiré effect. For lower ceilings, where people look up at steep angles, smaller cells or the deeper 50x10 mm blade hide more of the void. Paint the void and exposed services a dark colour when a light ceiling colour is used, so the grid stands out and the services recede.

Plan lighting in the cell rhythm: fittings placed above the grid wash through the cells, while fittings in the plane must align with cell lines. Thickness from 0.3 up to 0.6 mm is listed; heavier blades give a crisper edge and more stiffness in larger cells.

• High hall, distant view: 100x100 mm cells.
• Mid-height retail: 75x75 mm cells.
• Low ceiling or close view: 50x50 mm cells with 50x10 mm blades.
• Mixed zones on one grid: lay-on tiles.

The main risk with open cell ceilings is forgetting that the void stays partly visible. Exposed cable trays, unpainted ducts and labels all read through the grid. Other common errors are listed below.

• Choosing continuous ceilings where frequent tile-by-tile access is needed.
• Ignoring the viewing angle when selecting cell size and drop.
• Assuming an open cell ceiling has a stated acoustic value; none is given.
• Treating raw-material references as a rating of the installed ceiling.
• Leaving the panel size and carrier for continuous ceilings unconfirmed.

Choose open cell when you need a two-directional, uniform grid that keeps the void open. If you prefer strong lines in one direction, the metal baffle ceiling is the closer match. If the ceiling must be closed but still linear, look at strip ceilings, and for a closed modular ceiling go to metal ceiling tiles.

Jawdah manufactures the open cell panels together with the T-grid and suspension accessories, and offers both lay-on and continuous configurations from one material specification. The Aluminum Open-Cell Ceiling Technical Data Sheet and the Metal Ceiling System Catalogue can be requested from the Jawdah team; installation manual and tests are available in hard copy.

• Jawdah manufactures aluminum open cell ceilings as lay-on tiles and as continuous ceilings.
• Three cell sizes are listed for Jawdah open cell ceilings: 50x50, 75x75 and 100x100 mm.
• Jawdah open cell U-sizes are 40x10 mm and 50x10 mm (drop x width).
• Jawdah open cell ceilings are made in aluminum alloy 3005 or 3105, 0.3 to 0.6 mm thick.
• Jawdah open cell lay-on tiles are 600x600 mm and fit T-24 and T-15 grids.
• Jawdah open cell ceilings are white as standard with up to 110 colours on request.
• Jawdah open cell raw material states light reflectance more than 0.75 according to ASTM E 1477-98.

• Configuration: lay-on tiles or continuous ceiling
• Cell size: 50x50, 75x75 or 100x100 mm
• U-size: 40x10 or 50x10 mm
• Blade thickness: 0.3 to 0.6 mm
• Colour: white or special colour with quantity
• Grid type for lay-on: T-24 or T-15
• Ceiling area and room height
• Void finish and services layout
• Project location and delivery site

• Aluminum Open Cell Lay-On Ceiling Tiles
• Metal Ceilings
• Metal Baffle Ceiling
• Strip & Mesh Ceilings
• T-Grid Systems
• Suspension Systems & Accessories