So, what exactly is slip resistance?
We’ve all seen the sign, Slippery when wet. We all know the feeling, confidently stepping on a surface and experiencing that brief adrenaline hit, for a brief second you look like a cartoon who just stepped on a banana peel – you can almost hear the sound effects.
“That was close”. You feel the relief – Stay safe out there!
The cause sometimes is obvious, there’s liquid on the surface that needs to be dried up, but sometimes it may not be as straightforward. Is it the shoes? Is it the surface itself? Is it a literal banana peel?
Let’s talk about that second possibility.
When it comes to slipperiness on surfaces, there is something called slip resistance. An easy way to understand this concept is:
How slippery a surface is when you walk on it, barefoot or with shoes.
If you walk on a wet floor and almost slipped, that floor didn’t have good slip resistance.
If you walk on a rough concrete sidewalk and your feet feel secure, that’s a surface with good slip resistance.
Why is this relevant to an Englewood homeowner?
When remodeling your tile floor, whether it is for a bathroom, shower, pool deck, kitchen floor or living room, you’re going to want to make sure that the tile you’re considering, besides being aesthetically pleasing to look at, will be something you can rely on for safety.
Come with me to the Mann classroom for a minute!
What is COF and DCOF?
There used to be an old standard that measured how slippery a surface could be when an object starts to move. This is called Static Coefficient of Friction (COF)
In 2012, the TCNA created the Dynamic Coefficient of Friction (DCOF), which provides a slightly different measurement. It shows how slippery a surface could be once an object is already in movement. The scale goes from 0.01 to 1.
The closer it is to 1, the more slip resistance the surface is. For porcelain tile, the DCOF minimum standard is 0.42.
Have you ever wondered how they even come up with these numbers? Like, do people volunteer? Does a low number mean that John or Jane Doe took one for the team and took a fall … for science? Thankfully the industry is very sophisticated and has access to some really impressive tools to determine these numbers. No humans were harmed to bring us this data!
ANSI 326.3 and Tools.
What is ANSI 326.3
The purpose of ANSI—the American National Standards Institute—is to make sure that products, services, and systems in the U.S. meet consistent, reliable, and safe standards.
ANSI 326.3 is the specific standard that addresses tile slip resistance.
Meet the Slip Doctors BOT 3000E Slip Tribometer: This is the industry standard device used for DCOF testing as specified in ANSI 326.3.Click here to see how it’s used!
How do we find the DCOF of a particular tile?
We are here to help you with that. If you’re looking at tile online, the manufacturer will provide some information about slip resistance. Sometimes they’ll tell us what the number is, sometimes we have to do a little digging to find it.
Check out this table that Chat GPT helped us put together. Categorizing different applications of tiles and the minimum recommended DCOF.
| Use Category | Minimum DCOF | Typical Applications |
| Interior, Dry (ID) | ? 0.42 (dry) | Areas kept dry under normal conditions, such as residential living rooms and hallways. |
| Interior, Wet (IW) | ? 0.42 (wet) | Spaces that may be walked upon when wet, like bathrooms, kitchens, and entryways. |
| Interior, Wet Plus (IW+) | Manufacturer-declared (commonly ? 0.50) | Areas with higher slip risk due to frequent wet conditions, such as commercial kitchens and showers. |
| Exterior, Wet (EW) | Manufacturer-declared (commonly ? 0.55) | Outdoor areas exposed to moisture, including patios, pool decks, and walkways. |
| Oils/Greases (O/G) | Manufacturer-declared (commonly ? 0.55) | Environments where oil, grease, or fats may be present, such as commercial kitchens and food processing areas. |
What is PTV?
Think of PTV as how much the surface slows down a “foot” as it slips—like simulating a heel hitting the floor.
- • Used in: United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and other regions
- • Standard: BS 7976, EN 16165, or AS 4586
- • Test equipment: Pendulum tester (a swinging arm with a rubber foot)
- • Test conditions: Can be done wet or dry, measures how much the arm slows down as it swings across the surface.
- Unit: A number, e.g. 36+ PTV (no decimals)
Wanna see how it’s done?
If you’re thinking of remodeling your own shower, this might interest you.
This year, we launched our very first online shower kit! If you’re looking for something trendy, reliable and want to save time with selections, check it out!
Conclusion.
Slip resistance is a matter of safety, and if you are buying tile, make sure your selections are compliant with our industry standards. If you need a little bit more guidance, follow our Mann Classroom series, or give us a call, we would be happy to help with your upcoming project.