TYPES OF TILES
Glazed tiles and glazed floor decorations with water absorption E < 0.5 % = Gres Porcellanato Smaltato – Group B Ia, with parameters conforming to EN 14411, Annex G. These tiles are designed for interior and exterior tiling in residential housing and public utility buildings. The tiles are characterized by low water absorption, high resistance to bending, high hardness and resistance to abrasion.
Abrasion resistance (PEI)
The abrasion resistance of glazed tiles is one of the decision-making parameters for the choice of an appropriate tile. Abrasion resistance marks the resistance of the tile surface to mechanical wear and tear. The higher the mechanical and pollution exposure of the floor and pedestrian traffic, the higher abrasion resistance is desired. Particularly hard dirt particles from streets or gardens gradually abrade the surface of tiles and irreversible changes in their appearance may occur. The standard EN ISO 10545-7 classifies abrasion resistance with classes/degrees from 0 to 5.
| PEI classification and recommended application | ||
|---|---|---|
| PEI 0 | Not recommended for floors at all | interior vertical tiling, non-trafficable areas |
| PEI 1 | Light duty floor with rare traffic without risk of scratching | interior vertical tiling, bedrooms, soft sole shoes |
| PEI 2 | Light duty floor with rare traffic and small pollution | interiors of flats not directly connected to the outside areas |
| PEI 3 | Medium duty floors with moderate pollution | interiors of family houses, hotel rooms etc. not directly conncted to the outside areas |
| PEI 4 | Heavy duty floors with busy traffic and higher pollution | interiors of offices, hotels, shops in shopping malls, entrance areas of family houses, balconies, terraces, less exposed exteriors |
| PEI 5 | Extra heavy duty floors with high exposition to abrasion | interriors and entrances of shops, restaurants, public buildings, staircases, exteriors |
The information about abrasion resistance is indicated next to the floor tile picture.
Slip resistance
For some areas, the safety consideration is even more critical than for others. There is a responsibility for stakeholders involved in specifying flooring products (manufacturers, architects, distributors, installers etc.) to ensure that the surfaces are fit for the purpose and do not pose a safety risk for the users.
There is no uniform testing method in the EU and there are different requirements defined for anti-slip tile surfaces for areas walked on when wearing shoes (DIN 51 130) or when barefoot (DIN 51 097). Both tests are done on an inclined plane.
| commercial and industrial areas – DIN 51 130 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| group | angle of inclination | friction grade | application |
| R 9 | > 6° – 10° | low | house entrances, hospitals etc. |
| R10 | > 10° – 19° | normal | stores, workshops, small kitchens |
| R 11 | > 19° – 27° | increased | kitchens, laundries, workshops with wet surface |
| R 12 | > 27° – 35° | high | large kitchens, dairies etc. |
| R 13 | > 35° | very high | fat refineries, butcheries etc. |
| barefoot areas – DIN 51 097 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| group | angle of inclination | friction grade | application |
| A | ≥ 12° | low | dressing rooms, pools with min 80 cm water |
| B | ≥ 18° | normal | saunas, pools |
| C | ≥ 24° | high | steps under the water, pool edges etc. |
Logistic data
| dimensions in cm | pieces /box | sqm /box | kg /box | boxes /pallet | sqm /pallet | net weight kg /pallet | gross weight kg/pallet* | |
| FT/WT | 150 × 600 × 10 | 14 | 1,26 | 28 | 40 | 50,40 | 1120 | 1150 |
| FT/WT | 300 × 600 × 10 | 6 | 1,08 | 22 | 40 | 43,20 | 880 | 910 |
| FT/WT | 200 × 800 × 11 | 6 | 0,96 | 24 | 48 | 46,08 | 1152 | 1182 |
| FT/WT | 400 × 800 × 11 | 3 | 0,96 | 24 | 27 | 25,92 | 648 | 678 |
| FT | 600 x 600 x 10 | 3 | 1,08 | 23 | 32 | 34,56 | 736 | 766 |
*incl. weight of a wooden pallet / ±5%
| FLOOR TILES | ||
| technical characteristics | standard | standard requirements EN 14411 annex G, B la |
| dimensions | EN ISO 10545-2 | 190< S < 410 cm2 / S > 410 cm2 |
| length and width | ±0,75 % / ±0,6 % | |
| thickness | ±5 % ~ ±10 % | |
| linearity | ±0,5 % ~ ±0,5 % | |
| rectangularity | ±0,6 % ~ ±0,6 % | |
| surface flatness | EN ISO 10545-2 | |
| in the middle of the flat | ±0,5 % ~ ±0,5 % | |
| in the middle of the edge | ±0,5 % ~ ±0,5 % ±0,5 % ~ ±0,5 % | |
| in the angles | ±0,5 % ~ ±0,5 % | |
| water absorption | EN ISO 10545-3 | individually max. 0,6 % |
| surface quality | EN ISO 10545-2 | min. 95 % of the tiles without visible defects |
| bending strength | EN ISO 10545-4 | |
| thickness | min. 35 MPa, individual min. 32 MPa | |
| breaking strength | EN ISO 10545-4 | |
| thickness ≥ 7,5 mm | min. 1300 N | |
| thermal shock resistance | EN ISO 10545-9 | not required |
| frost resistance | EN ISO 10545-12 | required |
| crazing resistance for glazed tiles | EN ISO 10545-11 | required |
| slip resistance-coefficient of friction | DIN 51130, DIN 51097 | manufacturer to state value and test method used |
| abrasion resistance | EN ISO 10545-7 | state classification |
| resistance to various chemicals used in household | EN ISO 10545-13 | min. GB |
| resistance to low concentrations of acids and alkalis | EN ISO 10545-13 | manufacturer to state classification |
| resistance to staining | EN ISO 10545-14 | not required |