Detailed Anti-Slip Tape Info – Various Textures, Correct Spacing, and Slip Test Data

Which Texture/Tape is Best for Your Anti-Slip Tape Application?

Abrasive Safety Grip Anti-Slip Tape

Different textures of anti-slip tape

Standard Abrasive Anti-Slip Floor Tape – Ideal for general environments without mud. Little damage to bare skin in case of a fall. Grit size approximately 60, or 0.010” average particle. Available in many standard colors. Coarse Abrasive Anti-Slip Tape – Anti-slip tape good for many industrial environments but can be harsh to skin, so don’t use it where children or disabled and/or elderly adults are likely to fall for reasons other than a slip. Grit size approximately 36, or about 0.019” average particle. Available in black and yellow (unless custom ordered). Extra-Coarse Abrasive Anti-Slip Tape – Best choice where mud may be present. Very, very durable because of its large grit size. Also, useful where extra strong traction is needed, such as external ramps, sloping driveways, loading docks. Aggressive to bare skin in a fall, though. Grit size approximately 24, or 0.027” average particle. Available in black only unless custom ordered.

Use Edge Fix to seal the edges for all Safety-Grip anti-slip tape that is frequently exposed to water.

Grit size is less important than slip resistance, as measured by wet Pendulum Test Value (PTV), plus durability. Too heavy a coating on top of any abrasive destroys its effectiveness by drowning the sharp points that provide wet traction. Our technology and quality control, together with use of tough aluminum oxide particles (much more durable than silica sand) result in high slip resistance as well as excellent durability in our anti-slip tapes.

Non-Abrasive Anti-Slip Floor/Tub Grip Tapes

Coarse Non-Abrasive Anti-Slip Tape in gray
Coarse Resilient Non-Abrasive Aqua-Safe Anti-Slip Floor Tape
Non-Abrasive Non-Skid Tape
Standard Aqua-Safe Non-Abrasive Anti-Slip Floor Grip Tape

These non-abrasive anti-slip floor and tub tapes are perfect for areas where the tapes will be getting wet and people will be barefoot, such as showers, pool decks, boats and bathtubs. Our Standard Aqua-Safe non-abrasive anti-slip floor grip tape is good for food preparation areas where cleanliness is of the utmost importance, and this anti-skid tape is kinder to bare feet than our Safety Grip abrasive anti-slip tape. The slip resistance of Aqua-Safe is good, but Coarse non-abrasive anti-slip Aqua-Safe grip tape has phenomenal wet slip resistance! It’s perfect for boats, senior living bathtubs, pool decks, and other areas where an extra grippy surface is required. Standard Aqua-Safe is easy to clean, but it’s slip resistance is not amazing. Coarse Non-Abrasive Aqua-Safe, on the other hand, has excellent grip. We recommend our Coarse Non-Abrasive Aqua-Safe Non-Slip Grip Tape for almost every barefoot situation (and even a lot of non-barefoot situations) because it’s way more slip resistant than our standard Aqua-Safe Non-Skid Tape.


Spacing of Anti-Slip Floor Grip Tapes

Testing on human subjects shows that a heel slip of three inches is 50 percent likely to result in a fall. Distance between anti-slip tapes in the direction of travel should therefore be no more than 1 1/2 inches. Gaps between anti-slip floor tapes should be perpendicular to the direction of travel.

On stairs, we recommend that unless state or local regulations require otherwise, you have a a 2″ wide anti-slip tape contrasting color strip no more than one inch from the nose of each stair tread.

When considering the cost of non-skid tape, consider also the cost of a slip and fall accident. Hip fractures usually require a minimum of a two-week hospital stay plus surgical costs exceeding $65,000. Additional damages from falls may include income replacement or death benefit; pain and suffering, and loss of consort by family members; economic losses such as failure to complete contracts, close real estate deals, etc.; decreased quality of life (especially for the elderly); loss of anticipation of future activities, pleasure or comfort (“loss of hope”); and punitive damages.


Anti-Slip Tape Slip Resistance Test Data

SCOF = Static Coefficient of Friction determined using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Method C1028-07. Usual safety criterion for level floors was 0.60 or higher.

PTV = Pendulum Test Value according to Ceramic Tile Institute of America (CTIOA) pendulum DCOF test. Usual safety criterion for level floors = 36 and higher.

B101.3 = ANSI slip resistance standard test method for dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF) published in 2012 using the BOT-3000 tribometer and an SBR rubber slider (which simulates shoe bottoms). Usual safety criterion for level floors = 0.43 and higher. For testing Aqua-Safe grip tapes, we used a TRL rubber test slider which simulates bare feet.

Abrasive Floor Grip Tapes
Safety Grip Anti-Slip Floor Tape: PTV dry = 105, wet = 89
SCOF dry = 1.05, and wet = 0.90
B101.3 wet = 0.82

Extra Coarse Safety Grip Anti-Slip Tape: PTV dry = 111, wet = 97
B101.3 wet = >1.00

Non-Abrasive Floor And Tub Grip Tapes

Coarse Resilient Non-Abrasive Aqua-Safe Anti-Slip Grip Tape: PTV dry = 95, wet = 60
B101.3 wet = 0.57

Standard Aqua Safe Non-Abrasive Anti-Slip Floor Grip Tape: PTV dry = 106, wet = 31
SCOF dry = 0.77, wet = 0.77
B101.3 wet = 0.40

Anti-Slip Tape Material Safety Data Sheets and Application Instructions

Anti-Slip Tape Application Instructions

Safety Grip Abrasive Anti-Slip Tape SDS

Aqua-Safe Non-Abrasive Anti-Slip Tape SDS

Coarse Resilient Non-Abrasive Anti-Slip Tape SDS

Cushion Grip Anti-Slip Tape SDS

Edge Fix Anti-Slip Tape Edge Sealer SDS