What Is DCOF Rating And How To Use It For Flooring Selection

In home building and remodeling, DCOF is used for both residential and commercial projects. DCOF, or the dynamic coefficient of friction. DCOF is a measure of the flooring tiles's ability to resist slipping. It is measured in units of coefficient of friction (often simply called "coefficient"). 

Understanding DCOF 

Understanding DCOF can help you choose the right flooring product for your project, as it's a way to measure how well a flooring product will grip on a particular surface. The higher the DCOF rating, the better your floors will hold up and not slip or slide when people walk across them. The lower the DCOF rating, the more likely it is that your floors will become slick and slippery as they get older and wear down over time from regular use.

How is DCOF quantified?

MSI and the tile industry recognize ANSI A326.3 - American National Standard Test Method for Measuring Dynamic Coefficient of Friction of Hard Surface Flooring Materials. MSI does not warrant that any of its products will meet any testing parameter other than that measured per ANSI A326.3. ANSI A326.3 defines the DCOF test method and states that they use several methods to test slip resistance. 

DCOF Specification for Wet Areas

Per ANSI A326.3, unless otherwise specified, hard surface flooring materials suitable for level interior spaces expected to be walked upon when wet with water shall have a wet DCOF of 0.42 or greater when tested using SBR sensor material and SLS solution as per this standard. However, hard surface flooring materials with a DCOF of 0.42 or greater are not necessarily suitable for all projects.

MSI Flooring DCOF Ratings

MSI provides ratings and the actual test results for our ceramic and porcelain tile flooring. MSI tile flooring products use the following ratings.

DCOF RECOMMENDED APPLICATIONS

In conclusion, DCOF is an industry standard that helps you to evaluate and compare the slip resistance of flooring products. The higher the DCOF value, the better it is for your project. Important - no modern tile is "slip proof." MSI recommends that customers have tiles tested by an independent laboratory to determine if the tile meets the customer's requirements. 

MSI Flooring and Pavers Featuring Slip-Resistant Zeroslip™ Technology

• Arterra Porcelain Pavers
• Brickstone Porcelain Tile Collection
• Dimensions Porcelain Tile Collection
• Durban Porcelain Tile Collection
• Focus Porcelain Tile Collection
• Oxide Porcelain Tile Collection
• Pietra Porcelain Tile Collection
• Savoy Porcelain Tile Collection
• Soreno Porcelain Indoor & Outdoor Tile Collection
• Tektile Porcelain Tile Collection
• Traktion Maven Indoor & Outdoor Tile Collection
• Veneto Porcelain Tile Collection