Slip Resistance of Ceramic and Porcelain Tiles

What is Slip Resistance?

Consumers, and indeed many builders and architects, do not realise that ceramic tiles which have had their slip resistance tested are awarded a grade, score or rating. In the absence of this knowledge, it is therefore presumed by many people that a floor tile is simply either anti-slip or not, when in reality this is not a binary situation. Different tiles have different degrees of resistance, and this will be reflected in their rating. From that perspective, there is no such thing as an “anti-slip” tile, as every tile will fall into one of the rating catego

The terms “anti – slip”, or “slip resistance”, can be quite subjective.

• There is, for starters, a difference between actual slipperiness, and perceived slipperiness. A consumer or member of the public will modify their behaviour, for example, walking up an incline, or downwards on a wet surface.
• If a floor is continuously wet, it could be argued that a dry test rating is rather meaningless.
• A floor that is almost always exposed to dirt, abrasive material or other contaminants will perform differently in real life to its rating (which was assigned when tested perfectly clean) would suggest.
• There are other variables that interact with each other to determine whether a surface is “safe” or not. The speed of an individual walking or running; whether footwear is likely to be involved; the material from which the sole of any footwear might be made; whether a person is likely to be applying lateral pressure whilst turning,