The short answer
A slip rating is a classification of wet slip resistance. The wet pendulum test in AS 4663:2013 (existing floors) and AS 4586:2013 (new materials) produces a British Pendulum Number, also called a Slip Resistance Value. That number maps to a P rating:
- P5 is the most slip resistant when wet
- P0 is the least
There is no single "pass" rating for every floor. What matters is the location. HB 198:2014 recommends minimum slip ratings by area type, which is why an external ramp and a dry office corridor are judged against different targets. Convert a reading, or look up an area, with our slip rating checker.
How a slip test produces a slip rating
A calibrated pendulum with a rubber slider swings across the wetted floor. The friction it meets determines the reading. Several swings at a test location are averaged, and that mean BPN or SRV becomes the P classification under AS 4586 Table 2 (four S rubber slider):
- P5: above 54
- P4: 45 to 54
- P3: 35 to 44
- P2: 25 to 34
- P1: 12 to 24
- P0: below 12
A mean of 45 is P4. A mean of 54 is still P4; P5 starts above 54. If the numbers in a report still look like a foreign language, read how to read a slip test report.
Slip rating vs R rating
People often treat a tile's R11 or R12 as the slip rating of the installed floor. It is not. R ratings come from a laboratory oil-wet ramp test on a sample of new material. They cannot be measured on a floor that is already down. The slip rating that describes your building today is the P classification from an on-site slip test. The full comparison is in P ratings vs R ratings.
What slip rating does my floor need?
HB 198:2014 is the handbook most reports, insurers and courts refer to. Typical guidance, always check the handbook for the exact location type, includes:
- Internal entries that get wet: commonly P3
- External walkways, entrance ways and pool surrounds: commonly P4
- Commercial kitchens, loading docks and ramps into pool water: commonly P5
- External ramps steeper than 1 in 14: P5; shallower external ramps: P4
The National Construction Code also mandates classifications for stair treads, ramps and landings in new building work. For existing floors, WHS duties still require slip risk to be managed, and a current slip rating is the accepted way to show that. More in is slip testing mandatory in Australia? and our standards guide.
When a slip rating is too low
A result below the recommended classification is not a decorative problem. It is a notice that the surface does not provide the grip expected for that use. The next step is usually a slip treatment or non-slip coating matched to the substrate, then a retest so the new slip rating is on the file. Premrest scopes and applies that work after the slip test, including commonly specified systems such as Swiss Grip, Stellmann coatings and Dr Schutz slip treatment.
Get the slip rating for your actual floor
If you are holding a product datasheet, a pendulum number, or a request to "get it to P4", we can test the floor in place across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and tell you what the slip rating is today.