Short answer: A slip rating such as P3 or R10 is a class under the Australian Standard AS 4586, which classifies new pedestrian surface materials. P and R are two different scales from two different tests, so the building code gives no conversion between them. In its Housing Provisions, the National Construction Code names classes for stair treads, ramps and landing edges, for example P3 or R10 for a dry stair tread and P4 or R11 for a wet one. Of the 60 tiles on this site, 36 record a class, every one of them on the P scale.
Slip ratings are often misread. A class is easy to quote and easy to overload with meaning: that a tile is "non-slip", that it is "for bathrooms", that P3 and R10 are the same thing. This page sets out what a class is, where Australian building rules actually name one, and exactly what the product records on this site hold, so you can take the right figure to the person who has to decide.
1. What a slip class is
AS 4586 is the Australian Standard titled "Slip resistance classification of new pedestrian surface materials". The edition listed in the Standards Australia store is AS 4586-2013, with Amendment No. 1 from 2017; on the day we read it, the store listed the standard as awaiting revision. As the title says, it classifies new materials: its contents cover testing in a laboratory and on newly laid surfaces, while floors already in use are measured under a separate standard for existing surfaces. On this site, a class is a reference figure from the supplier's documentation; we do not hold the test reports behind it.
The standard sets out several test methods. Its published contents include appendices built around a pendulum friction tester, a floor friction tester and two inclined-platform methods. The building code names the two it relies on as the Wet Pendulum Test and the Oil-Wet Inclining Platform Test. The standard itself is sold, not free, so this page quotes what the building code and the product records say rather than the standard's own tables.
2. The code's two scales
The National Construction Code's explanatory note on slip resistance puts it plainly: "There are two tests (the Wet Pendulum Test or the Oil-Wet Inclining Platform Test) and two conditions (dry or wet) to be considered." Its table then gives the tread and ramp requirements on both scales, as a P class, from the wet pendulum test, or an R class, from the oil-wet inclining platform test; the nosing and landing-edge strip row gives a P class only.
Two things follow. First, a P class and an R class are results from different tests, so there is no general rule that turns one into the other. Where the code lists "P3 or R10", it is saying that either result satisfies that particular application, not that the two are equal; the same R10 is paired with P4 for a dry ramp. Second, within each scale the number rises with the requirement: in the code's table, every wet condition calls for a higher class than the dry one beside it.
3. Where the building code names a class
For houses, the National Construction Code's Housing Provisions set slip-resistance classes for stair treads, ramps and the edges of landings that lead to a flight of stairs, in Table 11.2.4:
| Application | Dry surface conditions | Wet surface conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Ramp not steeper than 1:8 | P4 or R10 | P5 or R12 |
| Tread surface | P3 or R10 | P4 or R11 |
| Nosing or landing edge strip | P3 | P4 |
The code's explanatory information describes the two conditions. A dry surface "is one that is not normally wet or likely to be made wet other than by an accidental spill". A wet surface "is one that is normally wet or likely to be made wet, including areas exposed to the weather". Deciding which applies is a judgement about how the surface will be used over the life of the building, and it belongs to the people designing and certifying the work.
The same table appears in the 2022 and 2025 editions of the Housing Provisions. The clause that applies it to ramps changed in one respect: the 2025 edition excludes threshold ramps. Which edition applies depends on your state or territory and the date; which edition of the NCC applies in your state records the dates. Within Part 11.2, this table is where classes are named. Apartments, and other buildings in Classes 2 to 9, fall under Volume One of the code, which has its own table (Table D3D15). For any other surface, or any other building, ask your certifier what applies to your project.
4. What the 60 product records here hold
We read every product page on this site on 27 September 2026 and updated the counts on 1 October 2026 from supplier documentation. Thirty-six of the 60 record a slip class, all on the P scale, and every one of the 36 comes with a caution that the figure is a reference figure to confirm for the intended application. None records an R class.
| Group | Tiles | Class as recorded | Where on the page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete looks | Urban Pearl, Urban Mist, Urban Graphite, Quarry Stone, Quarry Sand, Quarry Ash | P3 | Slip rating row, with the caution |
| Stone looks | Ridge Grey, Ridge Slate, Ridge Charcoal | P5 | Slip rating row, with the caution |
| Stone looks | Atlas Pearl, Atlas Ivory, Atlas Frost | P3 | Slip-rating reference row, with the caution |
| Terrazzo looks | Haven White, Haven Fine White, Haven Grey, Haven In/Out, Haven Pebble In/Out | P3 | Slip rating row, with the caution |
| Travertine looks | Coastal Dune, Coastal Mist, Coastal Stone, Coastal Ivory, Coastal Alabaster | P3 | Slip rating row, with the caution |
| Marble looks | Pietra Latte, Pietra Storm, Pietra Sienna, Pietra Cream, Pietra Bianco, Pietra Neve, Pietra Luna, Pietra Perla, Pietra Vela, Pietra Vela Fluted | P2 | Slip rating row, with the caution |
| Marble looks | Pietra Dove, Pietra Smoke, Pietra Shadow, Pietra Alba | P3 | Slip rating row, with the caution |
All 36 record porcelain as their material and are in the porcelain tiles collection. The 33 in the Slip rating row add "Slip rating is a reference figure — confirm it for the intended application"; the three Atlas tiles give theirs in a Slip-rating reference row that reads "P3 — confirm for the intended application". That caution is part of the record. Quarry Sand and Quarry Ash, which gave two figures until 4 October 2026, now record one class, the same as Quarry Stone. The other 24 read "Not specified": the 12 mosaics, the 11 subway tiles and one ceramic wall tile. What to confirm before choosing gives the same count.
5. What "Not specified", or a finish word, does not tell you
- "Not specified" is not a class. Each product page explains that "Fields shown as 'Not specified' are not stated in the supplier's current documentation for this tile." It means no class is recorded, not that the tile has a low one or a high one.
- A finish word is not a class. Matt, honed, rough and gloss describe how a face looks and feels. They are not results under AS 4586, and on this site some matt tiles record a class and others do not.
- A recorded class is not approval. It is a reference figure from the supplier's documentation. Whether that figure meets what a particular surface needs is decided against the project.
6. What to take to your certifier or installer
- The tile's name, and the class exactly as the product page records it, including any second figure or caution.
- Which row it is in: the Slip rating row or the Slip-rating reference row.
- What the surface is: a stair tread, a ramp, a landing edge or another floor, and whether it will be dry or wet (the code counts areas exposed to the weather as wet).
- Your state or territory, so the edition of the code in force can be checked.
- Whether a test report for the tile is needed. If it is, ask for it before ordering; we do not hold test reports for the tiles on this site.
Wall tiles vs floor tiles goes through the other rows on a product page, and what they do and do not say about where a tile goes. How to choose floor tiles sets the class beside size, thickness and finish, room by room.
What does P3 mean on a tile?
That the product record gives P3 as the tile's class under AS 4586, as a reference figure to confirm for the intended application. In the building code's table for houses, P3 is the figure named for a dry stair tread, alongside R10, and for a dry nosing or landing edge strip.
What does R10 mean?
R10 is a class on the R scale, which comes from the oil-wet inclining platform test; P classes come from the wet pendulum test. In the code's table for houses, R10 is named for a dry stair tread and a dry ramp; the wet versions call for R11 and R12. None of the 60 tiles here records an R class.
Is P3 the same as R10?
No. They are classes on two different scales, from two different tests. The code accepts P3 or R10 for a dry stair tread, but it pairs the same R10 with P4 for a dry ramp. The listing is per application, not a conversion.
Is P3 enough for a bathroom, shower or balcony?
The product record cannot answer that. The code table quoted here covers stair treads, ramps and landing edges, and says nothing about a bathroom, shower or balcony floor as such. Take the recorded class and a description of the surface to your certifier or installer.
Which tiles here record P4?
None. Quarry Sand and Quarry Ash gave two figures until 4 October 2026; both now record the same single class as Quarry Stone.
Which tiles here record P2 or P5?
Ten Pietra marble-look tiles record P2 and the three Ridge stone-look tiles record P5, both updated on 1 October 2026 from supplier documentation. As with every class here, take the recorded value and a description of the surface to your certifier or installer. For the three Ridge tiles, slate tiles or slate look? sets the P5 beside what else their pages record: porcelain, a rough finish and two sizes.
7. Where these facts come from
The slip classes, rows, materials and product groups come from the 60 product pages on this site, read on 27 September 2026 and updated on 1 October 2026 from supplier documentation (the fourteen Pietra marble-look classes, and the Ridge tiles from P3 to P5). The Quarry Sand and Quarry Ash classes were updated on 4 October 2026, from two figures to one. Table 11.2.4 and the explanatory information on dry and wet surfaces and on the two tests come from the National Construction Code Housing Provisions, Part 11.2, in the 2022 and 2025 editions, read on 27 September 2026, and the scope and table of NCC 2025 Volume One, Part D3. The title, edition and test methods of AS 4586 come from its entry in the Standards Australia store. Nothing on this page is a specification for a project; the person certifying the work settles that.
References:
- Australian Building Codes Board, ABCB Housing Provisions Standard 2025, Part 11.2 Stairway and ramp construction
- Australian Building Codes Board, NCC 2022 Housing Provisions, Part 11.2 Stairway and ramp construction
- Standards Australia, AS 4586-2013 Slip resistance classification of new pedestrian surface materials
- Australian Building Codes Board, NCC 2025 Volume One, Part D3 Construction of exits
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