What is a split umbrella base, and why choose it over one heavy slab?

A split base is supplied as separate steel plates that are bolted together on site, and it exists for three reasons.

First, weight that cannot be lifted. Our modular base is built as 4 plates in the 55 kg and 80 kg versions and 8 plates in the 160 kg version, each plate 45 x 45 cm, so one person can carry the pieces to the terrace and assemble them there.

Second, tolerance on site. If a location turns out windier than the drawings suggested, extra plates can be added to move up a build instead of replacing the base.

Third, appearance. The plates are finished in grey or wood-grain brown, so a 160 kg base can read as part of a timber deck rather than a concrete block.

Steel thickness also scales with the build, at 12 mm, 18 mm and 24 mm across the configurations, so the heaviest version is not simply more plates, it is thicker plate as well.