Restaurant Kitchen Slip Testing

R-ratings and what kitchens actually need

Commercial kitchen flooring is typically procured against an R-rating — the German classification produced by the shod ramp test, now formalised under BS EN 16165 Annex B (formerly DIN 51130). R-ratings describe the angle at which an operator can no longer maintain a normal walking gait on an oil-contaminated surface.

Rating	Acceptance angle	Typical kitchen use
R9	6–10°	Dry pass-through areas only; not suitable for food prep
R10	10–19°	Pot wash, light prep with limited oil exposure
R11	19–27°	Standard restaurant production kitchens
R12	27–35°	High-volume commercial kitchens with frequent oil/water
R13	35°+	Industrial food production, slaughterhouses

R10 is generally too low for production work. R11 is the standard specification; R12 should be specified anywhere with deep-fat frying, charcoal grilling or wok station activity.

Pendulum vs ramp data — which you need

Architects and main contractors usually specify R-ratings during procurement (because manufacturer datasheets quote R-ratings). But for in-service assessment of an installed kitchen floor, the pendulum is the better tool because it captures the actual installed surface as it is — degraded coating, accumulated grease, polishing wear — rather than the as-manufactured product datasheet. We routinely deliver both, particularly in dispute scenarios where original specification compliance and current performance both need to be proved.

Common kitchen findings

• R11/R12 floors that PTV-fail wet after several years of operation as the textured surface is worn smooth by trolley wheels and cleaning machinery
• Resin-coated floors where the original anti-slip aggregate has been over-coated during repair, smoothing the surface
• Front-of-house to kitchen transition zones where polished tile meets R-rated industrial flooring — the join itself is a fall point
• Wash-up zones with persistent water where the floor specification is correct but the drainage is failing

Cleaning regime as part of slip risk

In commercial kitchens, slip risk is as much a cleaning issue as a flooring issue. A correctly specified R11 floor with the wrong degreasing regime can perform like an R9 floor in service. Our reports identify where the floor specification is meeting its design intent and where the operating regime is undermining it — both matter to insurers and to defence in any claim.