Floors for indoor sports (basketball, volleyball, gym, etc.) need careful attention to their dry slip resistance. Players must have enough traction to start and stop quickly, yet not so much that they can’t pivot rapidly. Fortunately, there are well-defined and long-accepted standards for the slip resistance of these floors, using the pendulum skid testing instrument with a soft rubber slider (CEN rubber, known as “Slider 57” for its hardness expressed in International Rubber Hardness Degrees) to simulate athletic footwear. The slip resistance (DCOF) measurement is expressed as a Pendulum Test Value, or PTV.

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard F2772-11, “Standard Specification for Athletic Performance Properties of Indoor Sports Floor Systems,” Section 4.5, specifies that, “laboratory or field testing shall achieve an average value between 80 and 110. … For laboratory or field testing, individual tests shall vary no more than ±4 points from average value.” European standard EN14904, “Surfaces for sports areas,” is in agreement with this.

It’s well known that basketball courts are quite slippery when wet, and considerable care and effort are expended in toweling off sweat from players, especially after the frequent falls that are a normal part of play.

Safety Direct America can test for slip resistance of these floors, using a calibrated pendulum tester and slider material that is within its valid maximum date of use. Verification of slip resistance on basketball and volleyball floors can be an important step in preventing injuries.