Shower Channels and Linear Grates Buying Guide
A shower channel is a long, narrow drain that runs along one edge of a shower floor or across a bathroom floor, instead of sitting at one point in the middle. It is also sold as a linear drain, a channel waste, a strip drain, a trench drain or a linear shower grate, and all of those names describe the same idea. The floor falls in one direction toward the channel, and the channel carries the water to a single outlet. This page holds 316 stainless steel channels and long grates in lengths from 300mm to 1215mm, with tile insert and visible grate versions. For tile insert point drains and square grates, start at floor wastes.
Linear drain or point drain
A point drain, which is the square or round waste in the middle of the floor, needs the floor to slope toward it from every direction, like a shallow dish. A linear drain needs one fall. That makes a channel quicker to install than a dished shower floor, and it can go across the doorway, against the back wall, under a vanity or along one side of the room. Builders typically need less floor build-up and have more options for the plumbing and waterproofing layout.
Tile size follows from the fall. A channel allows large-format tiles such as 600 x 600, 600 x 300 and 900 x 900 to be laid without cuts to form the fall, where a dished floor suits smaller tiles because large ones would need diagonal cuts to avoid steps or lipping. Mosaics work differently: a 100 x 100mm mosaic or a heritage tessellated floor sits well around a centred square drain, while 600 x 600 and 600 x 1200mm tiles suit a channel because they can run unbroken. The placement rule is simple: a drain in the centre generally calls for a square grate, and a waste pipe near a wall suits a linear strip.
What a shower channel does well
A channel collects water across a wider area, which reduces pooling in open or wet room showers. Placed at the entrance, it gives a barrier-free entry. A single slope also allows more tile layout options and fewer grout lines compared with a square drain. Tiles can run continuously through the shower without cutting around a drain, and the shower can look larger as a result.
Thresholds need a separate check. Where a channel sits at a doorway, AS 1428.1-2009 applies, and its limits for a doorway threshold are a continuous path of travel, a maximum rise of 35mm, a maximum length of 280mm, a maximum gradient of 1 in 8, and placement within 20mm of the door leaf. A channel inside the shower is a separate matter, and the layout decides which applies.
The disadvantages, stated plainly
Installation has to be accurate. The fall must be correct across the whole floor, and the waterproofing has to connect at the drain. Mistakes can let water pool again, and a decorative grate cannot correct an incorrect substrate or membrane detail. A channel usually needs a bonding flange to which the membrane is sealed or clamped, and poor bonds are a common cause of shower leaks.
Cleaning takes more care. A flush-with-floor channel is harder to reach, it collects hair across its length, and a long grate is heavier to lift. Confirm that the grate lifts out cleanly without bumping the screen. Some grates come with a removable hair strainer that rinses under the tap, and others need scrubbing with a toothbrush. Debris is carried toward the outlet but still needs regular clearing.
A retrofit is a bigger job than it looks. Replacing a point drain with a channel may mean moving pipework, changing the floor depth, rebuilding the falls and replacing the waterproofing, so the change belongs in a full bathroom renovation. A round or square drain usually fits the existing drain position with little change.
Linear drain or square drain for your shower
A channel suits a wet room or an open shower with no screen, where it can sit at the entry as a water stop. It suits large tiles. A compact enclosed shower with an existing central pipe usually suits a point drain, because the pipe is already where the low point goes and no re-screeding is needed. A mosaic floor also does better with a point drain centred in the pattern.
Where the pipe comes out of the floor and how much depth there is for the channel body settle the choice before any product does. Fix both before buying, along with the shower footprint and the fall direction. We recommend channels for wet rooms and walk-in showers, but not for a 900 x 900mm shower with a hinged corner screen door, because the extra preparation is hard to justify in a small enclosure.
Falls, waterproofing and the rules
Where a floor waste is installed, the National Construction Code requires the floor to fall to it under Clause 10.2.12. The range builders work to is a continuous fall between 1 in 80 and 1 in 50. The membrane may sit above or below the tile bed, and an unenclosed shower needs a waterstop at least 1500mm horizontally from the shower rose. Waterproofing runs across the whole shower floor and up the walls at least 150mm above the floor.
The waste height has to suit the tile and the bed thickness, and the membrane has to make its connection at the drain. In a channel, that connection is the flange. The channel position, waterstop, screen and surrounding floor levels still have to contain and direct the water, even where the design is step-free. AS 3740:2021, the standard for waterproofing domestic wet areas, governs the membrane type, the upstand heights and the bonding around drains, and for a channel the upstand runs the full length of the channel and up the adjacent wall. A licensed plumber confirms the outlet, trap and pipework, and a licensed waterproofer handles the membrane and flange detail. The builder and tiler coordinate the screed, the tile format and the finished levels.
Tile insert grate or visible grate
A channel comes with either a visible grate or a tile insert. The tile insert is a removable finish that sits inside a compatible drain. It still needs clear inlets, suitable falls and an accessible channel, and the tile in the tray should not be sealed in place permanently. The insert fits snugly so it does not move by accident, and it lifts out for cleaning. The visible grate is the simpler option when a contrasting metal line is wanted. Check the tile thickness the insert takes before ordering, because the depth is fixed by the product.
Why 316 stainless steel
Every product on this page is 316 stainless steel. The grade differs from 304 by about 2 to 3% molybdenum, which strongly improves resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion where chlorides are present. Grade 304 is enough for freshwater and architectural use with minimal chloride exposure, and 316 is the grade for seawater, brackish water and chloride-heavy service. Use 316 marine-grade stainless for coastal homes. A channel sits in standing water and cleaning chemicals, and an outdoor or pool-side channel meets chlorides more often than a bedroom ensuite does.
Lengths, widths and outlets
The ART Australia Bermuda channels come in lengths of 300mm, 600mm, 900mm, 1000mm and 1200mm, at 100mm wide for the visible grate and with an 80mm outlet. The tile insert version comes in the same lengths with an 80mm outlet. The Phoenix V channel drains come in 600mm, 750mm, 900mm and 1215mm at 75mm wide, with a 45mm outlet version or a 65mm outlet version, and the outlet position is variable. The Long As You Like It kit from ART Australia is built around a 1205mm channel and is cut to the length the shower needs.
What each product includes
Accessories differ by product, and the box contents are set out below.
The ART Australia Bermuda channels carry the Megaflex leak control flange, which gives height and tilt adjustment and a positive engagement with the waterproof membrane. Innovative legs keep the tray centred and stop it rattling. The Long As You Like It kit contains a long grate assembled, a 1205mm channel, a plastic outlet, two end covers, four end caps, a deburring tool, four stainless rivets and washers, and a hole saw. The Phoenix V channel drain box holds the channel drain only, so a flange, hole saw and fixings are separate. For a new house, the installer needs to allow for the height, width, depth and outlet position as early as the concrete pour stage.
Lifting the grate and keeping the channel clear
Identify the grate type before forcing it. A slotted or bar grate is gripped by its slats with small pliers and lifted gently, and if it will not move it may be threaded, pinned or screwed down. A tile insert lifts out of its tray, usually by levering the edge with flathead screwdrivers or by hand, though some drains come with a hook tool that is the best way to lift the grate, so keep it. Take care with the grout around a tile insert when it comes out. Under the grate, hair and soap scum collect, and that is the part to clear and rinse.
Clear the debris with gloves on, pour in hot water with an enzyme cleaner and rinse. Vinegar and abrasive cleaners can damage PVD coatings, so check the finish before using anything acidic. Do not lift bonded tiles, cut the slab, move the waste or disturb the membrane during a do-it-yourself inspection.
The ranges on this page
ART Australia, previously known as Bounty Brassware, supplies the Bermuda channel grates and tile insert channels and the Long As You Like It kits, all in 316 stainless steel. The wider range is at Bounty Brassware. Phoenix supplies the V channel drains in matte black with a heelguard grate, and its other drains are at Phoenix wastes and traps. For every other drain type, start at wastes, traps and grates. The shower itself, with its heads, rails and screens, is at showers.
