AS 4663: on-site slip testing of existing pedestrian surfaces
AS 4663:2013 is the Australian Standard for measuring the slip resistance of floors that are already installed. People still search AS/NZS 4663 — that was the earlier joint designation — but the current Australian document is AS 4663:2013. It is an on-site standard: wet pendulum classes P0 to P5 and dry floor friction D0 and D1, measured on the surface pedestrians actually use.
It is not the standard for classifying a new tile or coating in a laboratory. That is AS 4586. Slip Audit tests existing floors to AS 4663:2013 in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The full trio of documents — AS 4663, AS 4586 and HB 198:2014 — is on our slip resistance standards guide.
What AS 4663 is for — and what it is not
AS 4663 answers a building question: how does this installed surface perform today? The instrument comes to the site. Wear, sealer, polish, cleaning residue and the way the floor was laid are all part of the result, because they are part of the walking surface.
AS 4586 answers a product question: how should this new material be classified before it is installed? A datasheet P4 or R11 describes a factory sample. It does not describe the foyer three years later. Treating that datasheet as current evidence is the usual mix-up between specification and facility management.
The two standards, side by side
AS 4663:2013 — existing pedestrian surfaces, tested on site with the wet pendulum and dry floor friction methods. This is the standard Slip Audit tests to. Call 1300 207 915 or request a quote.
AS 4586:2013 — new materials, typically laboratory methods, used to specify finishes for new work and to classify products. Includes pendulum, dry friction and oil-wet ramp methods.
Results on existing floors are interpreted against HB 198:2014. The National Construction Code references AS 4586 classifications for certain new building elements such as stairs and ramps; it does not replace on-site testing of a floor already in service.
The two on-site methods in AS 4663
Wet pendulum, P0 to P5
The primary method for existing floors. A rubber slider on a swinging arm sweeps across the wetted surface. The friction it meets is recorded as a British Pendulum Number, which maps to a P classification. Higher is grippier when wet. P5 is greater than 54 BPN; P0 is less than 12. No single class is universally compliant — HB 198:2014 recommends a minimum for each location type. Method detail is on our wet pendulum test page.
Dry floor friction, D0 and D1
A motorised instrument drags a rubber slider across the dry surface and measures the coefficient of friction. A mean of 0.40 or more is D1; below that is D0. These classes describe dry-service performance and say nothing about wet behaviour. Use them for floors that stay reliably dry. Slip Audit conducts both methods in the same visit when a building has mixed conditions. The method comparison is in wet pendulum vs dry floor friction test.
What AS 4663 does not include
Oil-wet ramp R ratings (R9 to R13) are a laboratory method for new materials under AS 4586. They cannot be measured on an installed floor. If you already have a floor, the rating that describes it today is a P or D classification from an on-site test, not an R rating from a factory sample.
Who typically books an AS 4663 test
- Facility and building managers proving how floors perform now
- WHS and risk teams after an incident, or as scheduled due diligence
- Shopping centres, aged care, hospitality and industrial sites with mixed wet and dry areas
- Owners who specified a finish to AS 4586 and now need evidence of the installed floor
If the material is not yet laid, start with the AS 4586 specifier page. Once people are walking on it, switch to AS 4663.
Read the result against HB 198:2014, not in isolation
A P classification is a measurement, not a pass or fail on its own. HB 198:2014, the Standards Australia handbook, recommends minimum classifications for location types — an external ramp is expected to achieve far more grip than a dry internal corridor. The same P3 can be comfortable in one place and a problem in another.
Slip Audit tests to AS 4663:2013 in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, interprets each result against HB 198:2014 for that location, and Premrest rectifies surfaces that fall short. For the P table and handbook context in one place, use the standards page.
Questions facility managers ask about AS 4663
What is AS 4663?
AS 4663:2013 is the Australian Standard for measuring the slip resistance of existing pedestrian surfaces. It is an on-site standard: the floor is tested where it is installed, in the condition pedestrians actually walk on. People still search AS/NZS 4663 because that was the earlier joint designation; the current Australian document is AS 4663:2013. Slip Audit tests existing floors to this standard. See our plain-English standards guide for how it sits next to AS 4586 and HB 198.
What is the difference between AS 4663 and AS 4586?
AS 4663:2013 measures existing pedestrian surfaces that are already installed and in use. AS 4586:2013 classifies new surface materials, usually in a laboratory, before installation. The same P and D classification labels appear in both, but they answer different questions: how the installed floor performs today, versus what the material was when new. An oil-wet ramp R rating is an AS 4586 laboratory method and cannot be measured on an installed floor.
What test methods does AS 4663 include?
Two on-site methods. The wet pendulum test wets the floor and swings a rubber slider across it, producing a British Pendulum Number that maps to a P classification from P0 to P5. The dry floor friction test drags a rubber slider across a dry surface and reports a D0 or D1 classification from the mean coefficient of friction. Slip Audit conducts both methods. R ratings are not part of AS 4663. More on choosing a method: wet pendulum vs dry floor friction.
Who needs an AS 4663 slip test?
Anyone responsible for an existing pedestrian surface that people already walk on: facility and building managers, WHS officers, strata and shopping-centre operators, aged-care providers, and insurers seeking current evidence after an incident or as part of due diligence. If you are choosing a finish that has not been laid yet, start with AS 4586. Once the floor is in service, AS 4663 is the test method.
Does a datasheet AS 4586 classification replace an on-site AS 4663 test?
No. A product datasheet describes a new sample under laboratory methods in AS 4586. Wear, installation, sealer and cleaning change grip after the material is laid. The rating that describes today's floor is a P or D classification from an on-site test to AS 4663:2013, interpreted against HB 198:2014 for that location type.