One standard, several tests
AS 4586 is the Australian Standard for classifying the slip resistance of new pedestrian surfaces. It sets out several test methods, and each produces its own classification. Two appear on almost every commercial flooring data sheet: the wet pendulum test, which gives a P rating, and the oil-wet inclining platform test, which gives an R rating. Further methods cover barefoot wet areas and dry floors.
P ratings: the wet pendulum
The pendulum swings a rubber slider across a wetted surface and measures how much energy the surface takes out of the swing. Results are classed from P0 to P5, with P5 the most slip resistant. The pendulum can be run on a sample in a laboratory or on a floor after installation, which makes it the test used to check a floor in service.
R ratings: the oil-wet ramp
In the inclining platform test, an operator in standard safety boots walks back and forth on an oil-coated sample while the platform is tilted until they lose footing. The angle reached sets the class, from R9 to R13, with R13 the most slip resistant. It is a useful way to compare products, but it is a laboratory test only. It cannot be run on an installed floor.
Why P3 and R10 usually appear together
P and R ratings come from different tests. One does not convert to the other. The National Construction Code accepts them as alternatives, though. For a stair tread in dry conditions it calls for P3 or R10, and in wet conditions P4 or R11. That pairing is why data sheets often quote the two side by side. Where a sheet gives only one, ask which test produced it.
- Tread surface
- Dry conditionsP3 or R10
- Wet conditionsP4 or R11
- Nosing or landing edge strip
- Dry conditionsP3
- Wet conditionsP4
| Stair element (NCC) | Dry conditions | Wet conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Tread surface | P3 or R10 | P4 or R11 |
| Nosing or landing edge strip | P3 | P4 |
Ramps carry their own, higher requirements in the NCC, set by gradient. Check the current edition for the project.
Where the requirements come from
- —The National Construction Code sets mandatory minimum classifications for stair treads, nosings, landing edges and ramps.
- —Standards Australia handbook HB 198 is the guide to specifying and testing slip resistance. It recommends classes by location: entries, foyers, wet areas, ramps, external surfaces. It is guidance rather than law, but it is the reference certifiers, insurers and most specifiers work from.
For a level internal floor the NCC is usually silent and HB 198 does the work. What drives its recommendation is the likelihood of contamination. A dry internal office floor sits at the lower end of the scale. An entry that takes wet foot traffic in winter, a food court or a bathroom sits higher. External ramps and pool surrounds sit at the top.
What P3 (R10) covers, and what it does not
Every Maison Commercial range is classified P3 (R10) under AS 4586. That suits the internal floors resilient flooring is specified for: workplace floors and corridors, retail, hospitality front-of-house, education, and the common areas of residential, healthcare and aged-care buildings.
It is not the classification for areas HB 198 places higher: external surfaces, ramps, commercial kitchens, or barefoot wet areas such as change rooms and pool concourses. Those call for a dedicated safety floor or tile, not the floor that runs through the lobby.
Specifying it properly
- —Name the standard and the test, for example "AS 4586 wet pendulum, P3 minimum", rather than "slip resistant".
- —Ask for the test report, and check that the product named on it matches the product being supplied, surface finish included.
- —Remember that slip resistance changes over a floor's life. Cleaning chemistry, residue build-up and wear all move it, so the maintenance specification matters as much as the rating.
- —For higher-risk areas, require an in-situ pendulum test after installation.
Slip, fire and warranty data for every range is set out on the Technical and compliance page.