In general, the total cost of the building is mainly influenced by the self-weight of structural members. In particular, the self-weight of the floor slab is a key parameter which restricts its span. The hollow core slab (HCS) is being developed as an alternate to the conventional solid slab and results in self-weight reduction up to 50%. However, the reduction in the cross-sectional area increases the flexural deflection, which can be overcome by prestress technology. In this study, the flexural behaviour of precast prestressed HCS made of Styrofoam, with 10 m span, was examined experimentally. Two specimens were tested, one with screed (topping) concrete and other without screed concrete. The influence of screed concrete on the flexural and creep behaviour was investigated. It is found that the screed concrete reduces the flexural and creep deflection significantly. The applicability of HCS system to industrial buildings was investigated by adopting a service load as per Indian standard, IS 875 (Part 2): 1987, and subsequently found that the HCS satisfies the code requirements related to strength and serviceability (deflection and crack). Additionally, it was observed that the voids significantly influences the shear capacity of precast prestressed HCS. © 2021, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.