Slip ratings, AS 4586

What the rule is and who it applies to

AS 4586-2013 classifies new pedestrian surfaces. The main test is the wet pendulum, which gives a P class from P0 to P5. There is also an oil-wet ramp test giving R9 to R13, and a wet barefoot ramp test giving A, B or C. Standards Australia's handbook HB 198 recommends which class suits which area.

For houses, the building code only mandates slip resistance on stair treads, ramps and landing edges, tested to AS 4586. For a ramp, that is P4 dry and P5 wet. For stair treads, P3 dry and P4 wet. Apartments and commercial buildings carry further rules.

The code sets no slip class for a house bathroom floor. Elje's own standard is P3 or better for any indoor floor that gets wet and P4 or better outside, because a wet bathroom floor is where people fall.

What the Australian shelf shows

We read the published specs of 1,612 tiles sold by two Australian tile retailers in October 2026. Only 584 publish a P rating at all. Of the 1,068 sold for floors, 527 publish one, so about half of the floor tiles on an Australian shelf come with no P rating you can check. Importing does not make this worse: ask for the report either way, and an Elje floor tile does not ship without one.

Which class, where

A guide, not code: for houses the building code only mandates slip resistance on stairs and ramps. Your certifier and the product report decide.

How to check it yourself

• Ask for the full test report to AS 4586-2013, not a line on a spec sheet.
• It should name the exact product, surface finish and size, the test method, the slider used for a pendulum test, and the test date.
• The lab must be NATA accredited, or accredited overseas by a body NATA recognises under the ILAC mutual recognition arrangement. You can search ILAC signatories online.
• Match the finish on the report to the finish you ordered. Matt, honed, structured and polished versions of one tile test differently.

What evidence Elje holds per item

• The AS 4586 report for the exact series and finish, with the lab's accreditation.
• The P class against the area the tile is going into on your plans.
• Shade and calibre codes from the cartons, and a re-test request if the factory changes the glaze or surface treatment.

The common traps with China-made product

• An R10 or R11 rating from a DIN 51130 test offered as if it were a P rating. It is a different test measuring a different thing, and the R value does not convert.
• A report from a lab with no accreditation, which a certifier cannot accept as test evidence.
• A report for the matt finish used to sell the polished one.
• An old report from before the factory changed the glaze.

Questions