Cat A vs Cat B Warehouse Office Fit-Out: What’s the Difference?

Cat A vs Cat B Warehouse Office Fit-Out: What’s the Difference?

Planning an office within a warehouse or industrial building? Cat A and Cat B describe different stages of an office fit-out. But the category alone doesn’t tell you exactly what’s included or whether the space will work for your operation.

Here’s what each fit-out can involve, and what to check before work starts.

Cat A vs Cat B office fit-out at a glance

Cat A office fit-out

Prepares a functional base for the next stage
Can include ceilings, flooring, lighting, power, HVAC, fire systems and plumbing
Planned around site conditions and the agreed specification

Cat B office fit-out

Shapes the space around your people and operation
Can include offices, partitions, meeting rooms, kitchens, welfare facilities, finishes and building services
Planned around your layout, working patterns and business requirements

The exact scope depends on the building and project. Confirm the specified work rather than relying on the category name alone.

What does a Cat A office fit-out include?

A Cat A fit-out prepares the space with core finishes and building services for the next stage of design and installation.

Depending on the building and agreed specification, this can include ceilings, flooring, lighting, power, heating and ventilation, fire systems and essential plumbing. These elements need to suit the site, the programme and the way the warehouse operates.

What does a Cat B office fit-out include?

A Cat B fit-out takes a Cat A space and adapts it around the people and processes using it. Work can include offices, partitions, meeting rooms, kitchens, welfare facilities, furniture, finishes and building services.

In a warehouse, this might mean creating training space, adding offices beneath a mezzanine or repurposing underused space for staff facilities. The layout should consider how people move between the office and operational areas.

Check the scope before work starts

Before agreeing a Cat A or Cat B office fit-out, check what’s already in place and what the project needs to provide.

Which finishes and building services are included?
What rooms, partitions, kitchen or welfare facilities are required?
How will power, data, lighting, heating and ventilation work with the proposed layout?
Which works sit within the landlord’s provision, and which are part of the occupier’s fit-out?
How will the programme and site access work around warehouse operations?

If a proposal uses the term Cat A+, ask for a clear list of inclusions. The label alone may not describe the full specification.

Plan the office around the warehouse

If you’re comparing buildings or weighing up reconfiguration against expansion, Oakway’s facility consultancy can help you assess whether each option will support your operation, staffing and growth plans. Depending on the brief, this can include site visits, capacity assessments, alternative layouts, building constraints, approval considerations, indicative costs and programme advice – so you can compare options before committing to detailed design or construction.

Expert insight

Eton Clarke | Head of Business Development | Oakway

What should managers consider when planning an office inside a warehouse?

“Before settling on a layout, I’d start with who’ll use the space and what they need it for. A dedicated office for managers may need a view of key activity and quick access to the warehouse floor. An operations or welfare area has different requirements, and staff numbers will affect the size and number of toilets, lockers and changing rooms.
“Then I’d check the building can support the design. Fire escape routes need to remain clear, and building-control requirements should be understood early. Power, ventilation, plumbing and drainage also need to be considered. If the services aren’t where the layout needs them, that can affect the design and the work involved.
“Getting the operational needs, facilities, services and access clear before the layout is agreed helps ensure the office works for the people using it and the warehouse around it.”

Planning office services alongside warehouse access, safety and site activity helps keep the full project coordinated.

What can a warehouse office fit-out achieve?

At First GB Logistics, Oakway created workshop and reception space at ground level, with offices and welfare facilities above. The arrangement brought office staff into the unit with little impact on storage capacity.

It’s one example of how office accommodation can be planned as part of the wider facility.

Plan your Cat A or Cat B office fit-out

Oakway coordinates warehouse office fit-outs from site survey and space planning through technical design, construction, installation and handover.

Talk to Oakway about your office fit-out requirements.

FAQs

What is the main difference between Cat A and Cat B?

Cat A prepares a functional base with core finishes and building services. Cat B adapts that space around the occupier’s requirements.

Does every Cat A or Cat B fit-out include the same work?

No. The scope depends on the building and project. Confirm the finishes, services and responsibilities before work starts.