Specifier Briefing · Slip Performance

PTV on Cork Flooring, BS 7976 Pendulum Test Explained

For specifiers asking the slip question on cork: our cork plank ships R9 standard, with PTV 36+ available via an additional coating procedure applied on site at install. This is the brief on what PTV means, when you need it, and how to specify it on a TFG cork project.

The short version

What PTV actually measures

PTV stands for Pendulum Test Value, the unit reported by the BS 7976 pendulum slip test, which is the UK Health & Safety Executive's preferred field method for assessing floor slip risk. A pendulum arm with a rubber slider swings across the floor in dry and wet conditions, and the energy lost to friction is reported as a PTV figure between 0 and 100. Higher means more grip.

PTV band	HSE slip risk classification
0–24	High slip potential, not suitable for pedestrian floors
25–35	Moderate slip potential, treat with caution, may need additional measures
36+	Low slip potential, HSE-recognised safe threshold

PTV 36+ is the figure most UK risk assessors and BREEAM Hea 05 (slip risk) credit assessors ask for. It's also the figure your insurer will ask about if there is ever an incident on the floor.

Why cork starts at R9 (DIN 51130), not PTV by default

The standard cork wear layer is sealed with a UV-cured polyurethane finish optimised for indoor specification, durability, low VOC, low maintenance. That finish tests R9 on the German DIN 51130 shod ramp test (an EU standard widely accepted in UK schemes). For most UK office, residential, retail and hospitality floors, R9 is what the specification asks for and what we ship as standard.The pendulum test (BS 7976) is a different method, more aligned with the HSE slip-risk framework, and the figure it reports is sensitive to the surface texture of the finish. To get PTV 36+ on cork we supply an additional coating procedure that is applied on site after install, a textured topcoat layered onto the standard UV-cured seal that adds the micro-roughness the pendulum slider catches on.

When to specify PTV 36+ on a cork project

The PTV 36+ finish is the right specification when any of the following apply:

• Cork on stairs, treads, landings, or stair cores
• Cork in entrance lobbies, transition zones, or anywhere the floor may get wet from outside
• Cork in healthcare, education or commercial kitchens where slip risk is part of the H&S brief
• Cork in hospitality back-of-house areas (kitchens, service corridors, behind the bar)
• Any project where the specification or the BREEAM Hea 05 credit explicitly asks for PTV 36+

If the brief just says "cork plank, R9, commercial floor", the standard product is what you want. If the brief says "PTV 36+" or "HSE low-slip" or "BS 7976", you need the additional on-site coating, specified at order.

How to specify on a TFG cork order

What's in the evidence pack

• BS 7976 pendulum test certificate showing PTV 36+
• DIN 51130 R-rating certificate (the standard R9 figure also stays valid)
• Type III EPD (ISO 14025), carbon and lifecycle
• FSC® / PEFC chain-of-custody letter
• BREEAM Hea 05 alignment note
• Manufacturer datasheet for the additional coating

Real-project example

The Waterman, Farringdon Lane, building entrance. Classic Cork plank specified across the office floor, with PTV 36+ additional coating applied on site to the entrance lobby and transition zones where occupants come in from the street. The standard R9 finish stays on the open-plan office floor; the PTV 36+ on-site coating is restricted to the slip-risk areas the H&S brief identified. Both finishes ship from the same order, the on-site step is part of the install brief, and the BS 7976 certificate covers only the area where the additional coating was applied.