Floor Drains: Choosing Material, Shape and Outlet Size

A floor drain decides whether a bathroom, kitchen, wash bay or plant room stays dry and hygienic. Getting it right means matching three things to the space: the body material, the grate shape and the size of the outlet hole that connects to the waste pipe below.

This hub explains the Jawdah floor drain family and helps you choose between its lines. The stainless steel range is documented in detail, with square, rectangle and round models in nominal sizes from 10 × 10 up to 10 × 90. Aluminum floor drains are part of the approved inventory, but their specification data is confirmed per project.

A floor drain is a fixed outlet set flush with a finished floor. Water runs across the floor toward it, passes through the grate or cover, drops into the drain body and leaves through the outlet hole into the building's waste or drainage pipework. The drain itself is small, yet it is one of the few sanitary items that sits inside the floor build-up, under the tiles and on top of the waterproofing layer, so replacing it later means breaking finishes.

Because of that, the decision is usually taken early, at the stage when the architect sets floor falls and the MEP engineer sizes waste branches. A drain that is too small for the water load leaves standing water; a drain with the wrong grate style looks out of place in a finished bathroom; a drain in a material that does not suit the cleaning regime corrodes or stains.

Jawdah supplies floor drains as part of its stainless steel sanitary range, alongside kitchen sinks and squat toilets, for residential, commercial, industrial and public-facility projects in the Saudi market.

The facts below come from Jawdah's product data for the floor drain family. Item-level detail sits on the dedicated pages for each line, linked further down this page.

• Stainless steel floor drains are produced from deep drawing stainless steel 304.
• The stainless steel floor drain range is warranted against corrosion for 25 years.
• Three stainless shapes are listed: square hidden, rectangle hidden and rounded.
• Sheet thickness is 1 mm for the square and rectangle hidden drains and 1.7 mm for the rounded drains.
• Listed hole sizes are 1.5”, 2”, 3”, 3.5” and 4”, depending on model.
• Concealed drains, drains with a customized striped cover and common designs are offered.
• Some drains can be fitted with a trap that helps reduce odours and insects, depending on use.
• Aluminum floor drains are a listed line; their specifications are confirmed per project.

Shape is driven mostly by the floor layout and the tile module. A square grate sits naturally in a square tile grid and suits small bathrooms, toilets and utility rooms where water falls toward a single central point. Jawdah's square drains are of the hidden (concealed) design, so the cover reads as part of the floor rather than as a visible metal fitting.

Round drains are the familiar standard design used in many service areas, wash spaces and back-of-house rooms. Jawdah lists its rounded stainless drains with a heavier 1.7 mm sheet and larger outlet holes of 3” and 3.5”, which suits areas where more water arrives at the drain at once.

Rectangle hidden drains are long, narrow outlets. They are the closest Jawdah item to a linear drain and suit walk-in showers and floors sloped in one direction toward a wall or threshold. The rectangle range runs from 10 × 30 to 10 × 90 in nominal size and is listed with several cover designs.

Floor drains are needed wherever water reaches the floor regularly, either by design or by cleaning. Jawdah's product data names residential bathrooms and kitchens, commercial kitchens and food processing areas, industrial facilities and factories, shower rooms and locker rooms, wash areas, and outdoor and recreational spaces.

In Saudi projects the same drain family often appears across very different rooms of one building: concealed square drains in guest bathrooms, rectangle drains in accessible showers, and round drains in kitchens, laundries and plant rooms. Specifying from one family keeps finishes and supply consistent.

Stainless steel is the documented material for Jawdah floor drains. Its value in a drain lies in a stable, smooth surface that tolerates constant wetting, frequent washing and cleaning chemicals, which is why it is common in kitchens, food areas and public toilets. Jawdah produces these drains by deep drawing grade 304 sheet, a forming method that shapes the body from one piece rather than assembling it from welded parts.

Aluminum is lighter and easier to machine, and aluminum drains are often chosen where weight or a particular finish matters more than resistance to aggressive cleaning. As a general rule, aluminum needs more care in contact with fresh cement mortar and strong alkaline or chloride-rich cleaners. Jawdah lists aluminum floor drains, but no sizes, alloy or finish are published yet, so they are quoted against the project requirement.

Each Jawdah drain table has four data columns. DIMENSION is the nominal size printed as width by length without a unit, for example 15X15; treat it as the size designation used by Jawdah and confirm actual cut-out and grate measurements from the Technical Data Sheet before setting out tiles. HOLE SIZE is given in inches and indicates the outlet opening that connects to the pipe below. SS THICKNESS is the stainless sheet thickness in millimetres. AVAILABLE DESIGNS names the cover style.

On the stainless range, thickness is 1 mm for square and rectangle hidden drains and 1.7 mm for rounded drains. Outlet holes step up with size: the smallest square and rectangle drains have a 1.5” hole, the longer rectangle drains a 2” hole, and the larger square and round drains 3”, 3.5” or 4”.

The outlet hole must suit two things: the amount of water that reaches the drain and the waste pipe it connects to. A single shower or hand-wash area produces a modest, intermittent flow, while a commercial kitchen floor washed with hoses, or a wash-down area, can deliver a large volume in a short time. Larger hole sizes empty a flooded floor faster and are less likely to block with debris.

As a planning approach, small private bathrooms are usually served by the smaller hole sizes, shared showers and long shower thresholds by the rectangle drains, and kitchens, laundries and plant rooms by the larger square or round drains. The final choice belongs to the project's drainage design, which should confirm the pipe connection and fall for each outlet.

• 1.5”: smallest square drain and the shorter rectangle drains.
• 2”: longer rectangle drains from 10 × 70 to 10 × 90.
• 3” and 3.5”: rounded drains; 3.5” also on the 15 × 15 square drain.
• 4”: the 20 × 20 square hidden drain.

Whatever the shape, a drain performs only as well as the floor around it. The screed must fall toward the outlet without flat spots, the waterproofing membrane must be lapped and sealed into the drain body, and the grate level must sit just below the finished tile so water does not pond at the edge.

Set the drain at the planned height before screeding, protect the grate and outlet from mortar and debris during construction, and test the connection with water before tiling. For concealed drains, plan the tile cut early so the insert sits square to the grid.

Most drain problems found at handover trace back to selection, not to the product itself.

• Choosing by grate appearance only and ignoring hole size and water load.
• Specifying a square drain for a shower floor that falls in one direction to a wall.
• Reading the nominal size as a millimetre or centimetre value without checking the data sheet.
• Leaving the stainless grade unspecified when the project specification requires one.
• Omitting odour control in rooms that are used rarely and may dry out.
• Ordering drains before the floor build-up height is known.

Floor drains need routine attention: lift the grate or cover, remove hair and debris, flush with water and wipe the body with a neutral cleaner. Stainless steel copes well with regular cleaning, which is one reason it is preferred for kitchens and public facilities.

Avoid steel wool and abrasive pads that leave carbon-steel particles on stainless surfaces, and rinse off any strong chemical cleaner promptly. Where a trap is fitted, keep it charged with water so it continues to limit odours.

Use the guide below as a starting point, then open the relevant product page for full size tables.

• Discreet bathroom or toilet drain in a square tile grid: [S.S Square Drains](/en/products/sanitary-ware-drainage/floor-drains/concealed-square-drain/).
• Walk-in shower or a floor falling to one edge: rectangle hidden drain on the [Stainless Steel Linear Drains](/en/products/sanitary-ware-drainage/floor-drains/concealed-linear-drain/) page.
• Kitchen, laundry or service room with heavier flow: [Stainless Steel Circle Drains](/en/products/sanitary-ware-drainage/floor-drains/circle-drain/).
• All stainless tables and the corrosion warranty in one place: [Stainless Steel Floor Drains](/en/products/sanitary-ware-drainage/floor-drains/stainless-steel/).
• Lightweight drains where aluminum is specified: [Aluminum Floor Drains](/en/products/sanitary-ware-drainage/floor-drains/aluminum/).

Jawdah manufactures stainless steel sanitary products for the Saudi market and offers floor drains in different dimensions and designs, including concealed drains and drains with customized striped covers. Buying drains, sinks and squat toilets from one manufacturer simplifies submittals and keeps finishes consistent across a project.

A System Catalogue and a Technical Data Sheet are available for the stainless floor drains, and test documents are available in hard copy; all are requested from the Jawdah team.

• Jawdah Industrial Co. Ltd. manufactures stainless steel floor drains for the Saudi market.
• Jawdah stainless steel floor drains are produced from deep drawing stainless steel 304.
• Jawdah stainless steel floor drains are warranted against corrosion for 25 years.
• Jawdah square hidden floor drains are listed in nominal sizes 10 × 10, 15 × 15 and 20 × 20 with 1 mm stainless sheet.
• Jawdah rectangle hidden floor drains are listed from 10 × 30 to 10 × 90 with 1.5” or 2” hole sizes.
• Jawdah rounded stainless floor drains use 1.7 mm sheet with 3” or 3.5” hole sizes.
• Jawdah also lists aluminum floor drains, with specifications confirmed per project.
• Some Jawdah drains can be fitted with a trap that helps reduce odours and insects, depending on use.

• Room type and use for each drain location (bathroom, shower, kitchen, laundry, plant room).
• Drain shape: square, rectangle or round.
• Nominal size as listed in the Jawdah table.
• Required hole size (1.5”, 2”, 3”, 3.5” or 4”).
• Body material: stainless steel or aluminum.
• Stainless grade required by the project specification.
• Cover design: hidden, stainless top, edged or standard.
• Trap required against odours and insects: yes or no.
• Finished floor build-up and tile thickness at each drain.
• Quantity per type, drawings or BOQ reference, and delivery location.

• Stainless Steel Floor Drains
• S.S Square Drains
• Stainless Steel Circle Drains
• Stainless Steel Linear Drains
• Aluminum Floor Drains
• Trench Drain
• Sanitary Ware & Drainage