BS EN 16165 Annex A — The Barefoot Ramp Test

How the barefoot ramp test works

A trained operator walks back and forth, barefoot, on a flooring sample fixed to an inclined platform. The platform is sprayed with a dilute soap solution as the contaminant. The platform angle is gradually raised until the operator can no longer maintain a normal walking gait without slipping. The acceptance angle determines the rating.

The method is pass/fail at each tested angle — the operator either slips or does not — rather than producing a continuous numerical value like the pendulum.

Class A, B, C ratings

Class	Acceptance angle	Typical use
A	≥ 12°	Dry barefoot areas — changing room benches, dry transition zones
B	≥ 18°	Wet barefoot areas — pool surrounds, communal showers
C	≥ 24°	Sloped wet areas — pool steps, beach club ramps, hydrotherapy approach

The classes are cumulative: a Class C surface also satisfies Class B and Class A. A Class B surface satisfies Class A but not Class C.

UK pool design specifications

Common UK specifications for swimming pool environments call for:

• Class B minimum on the pool surround itself
• Class C on pool steps, hydrotherapy ramps, and any sloped wet surfaces
• Class A acceptable in dry parts of the changing area (away from showers)
• Class B in changing-room main floors where wet feet are foreseeable

The HSE document HSG179 (Health and safety in swimming pools) is the principal UK guidance and references these classifications.

Annex A and Annex C combined

Annex A produces a product-level rating from sample testing on an inclined platform. Annex C (pendulum) produces an in-situ measurement on the actual installed floor. Both are needed for a full assessment of barefoot environments: Annex A confirms the product specification was met at procurement, Annex C confirms the installed surface still performs.

For new pool projects, Annex A data typically comes from the manufacturer's product datasheet (the manufacturer commissioned the ramp test on a sample). Annex C is added at handover and periodically thereafter.

What changed from DIN 51097

The technical method is broadly the same. BS EN 16165 Annex A uses the same inclined-platform principle, the same soap-solution contaminant, the same A/B/C ratings, and produces directly comparable results. The European standardisation harmonises the wording and references but does not change the test in any material respect.

Limitations of ramp data alone

Annex A gives information about a sample tested in a laboratory under controlled conditions. It does not capture: how the surface ages in service, how cleaning chemistry affects it, how grout-line wear changes the surround pattern, or how transitioning between materials creates risk at joints. For these factors, Annex C in-situ pendulum testing complements the product-level ramp data.