AS 4586 made simple: what P1 to P5 and R9 to R13 mean, and which rating your alfresco and pool surround actually need.
Outdoor tiles are sold on looks and bought on grip. The number that tells you how slippery a tile will be when wet is its classification under AS 4586, and it is the one number people forget to ask for until after the tile is laid.
The two classification methods
AS 4586 classifies the slip resistance of new pedestrian surface materials using two different tests, and a tile can be rated by either:
- Wet Pendulum Test — reported as P0 to P5. This is the rating you will see quoted for most Australian floor tiles.
- Oil-Wet Inclining Platform Test — reported as R9 to R13. More common in commercial and industrial specifications.
What the P numbers mean
The pendulum test measures the friction of a wetted surface. Higher number, more grip:
- P0 — very low (below 12)
- P1 — very low (12 to under 25)
- P2 — low (25 to under 35)
- P3 — moderate (35 to under 45)
- P4 — good (45 to under 55)
- P5 — excellent (55 and above)
What to specify where
- Covered, dry internal floor — P1 or P2 is typically acceptable.
- Bathroom floor and laundry — P2 or better; P3 where water is routinely on the floor.
- Covered alfresco — P3. Rain blows in, and the surface gets wet.
- Uncovered alfresco and pool surround — P4 or P5. This is wet-foot, wet-surface, sun-and-shade territory, and it is where people get hurt.
- External ramps and sloping driveways — look at the R classification as well, and specify accordingly.
Where a surface is commercial — a café terrace, a strata common area — your designer or certifier will specify a minimum, and it will be higher than a residential figure. Follow it.
Four things the rating does not tell you
- It is a laboratory result on a new tile. Algae, sunscreen, leaf litter and BBQ grease all lower real-world grip. An unmaintained P4 behaves like a P2.
- Matt grips; polished does not. The same tile in a polished finish will have a materially lower classification than its matt twin. Check the finish you are actually buying.
- Drainage matters as much as texture. A P5 tile laid flat with nowhere for water to go will still pond.
- Grout and joint width change the feel. Wide joints give the foot more edges to catch.
Choosing for an Australian outdoor area
- Pick the finish first, then the colour. A textured matt or external-grip finish, then find a colour you like within that range.
- Ask for the AS 4586 classification in writing for the specific finish and size you are buying.
- Consider heat. Dark tiles on a west-facing paved area get genuinely hot underfoot in February.
- Plan the fall. External paving needs to drain away from the house, and waterproofing of any suspended slab above living space is a separate, critical scope.
- Check the thickness. External paving on a pedestal or driveway application needs a thicker tile than a 10mm wall tile.
If you are specifying for a pool surround, tell your supplier it is a pool surround. Chlorine, salt and constant wetting narrow the field, and the right product is worth insisting on.
See it in person: full slabs, large-format porcelain and engineered oak are on display at our Springvale showroom. Book a visit and bring your plans — we will measure your layout against the actual slab before you commit.