Aluminium Bullnose Stair Nosing 70.58x55mm 5mm Gauge

A heavy-gauge aluminium bullnose stair nosing for interior stairs that take real traffic — hotel and pub circulation, school and college flights, retail and office stairwells, apartment common parts. A 70.58mm tread plate recessed for a full-width anti-slip insert, and a deep 55mm rounded nose that wraps the front of the step and returns underneath. Supplied here in 1 metre and 2 metre bars.

Why fitters choose this profile

5mm gauge: a carrier, not a cover strip

The extrusion is aluminium alloy 6063 T6 at a 5.0mm gauge. On a stair edge that thickness is the difference between a nosing that stays flat under load and one that dishes between fixings after a couple of years. It is screw-fixed through the face of the tread plate, so it is mechanically held rather than trusting adhesive, and the deep bullnose returns under the step to close off the front arris instead of leaving it exposed.

The formed nose is what survives trolleys and luggage

Because the nose is rolled rather than square, impact loads spread around the curve instead of concentrating on an arris. Trolley wheels, suitcases and heel strike all glance off it. Where a floorcovering is simply turned over a bare step edge, that same traffic chips and lifts it within a season.

The insert carries the slip resistance — and the numbers are published

The recessed channel takes a full-width insert that sits proud of the metal, and that is what your foot actually lands on. The manufacturer publishes slip resistance values by insert family: castellated PVC SRV 76 wet / 85 dry; Olympic Grip 71 wet / 102 dry; smooth textured PVC 56 wet / 65 dry; aluminium insert 54 wet / 82 dry. These are the manufacturer's stated figures for the insert materials, not our own testing — but they are real numbers, and they are why the insert choice matters more than the finish choice on any flight near an entrance.

Contrast you can actually specify

Twenty-one of the castellated inserts are solid colours, so you can set the step edge against the floorcovering rather than blending it away. On a stair used by anyone with reduced vision, that contrast does more real work than most lines on a spec sheet.

Where it is used

Any interior flight finished in carpet, carpet tile or resilient sheet where the edge takes constant traffic: hotels, cafes, clubs and pubs, shops, schools, commercial offices and apartment buildings. The back edge is shaped to abut carpet and carpet tiles, and the profile can be rebated into timber steps so the tread plate finishes flush with the going.

Specifications

Choosing the right option

Three choices on this page, and the first two get confused constantly. Finish is the aluminium carrier — the metal you see around the insert and across the nose. Colour is the insert sitting in the channel. Length is the bar you receive: 1 metre suits most domestic goings, 2 metres is the economical buy if you are cutting several steps from one bar.

Mill aluminium is the untreated extrusion and the cheapest of the three; satin and polished are anodised and hold their appearance far better in a public stairwell where the metal gets touched and cleaned daily.

For the insert: castellated PVC is the default for interior stairs and carries the highest wet figure of the four families. Smooth textured PVC looks flatter and more discreet, but the wet figure drops from 76 to 56 — keep it away from entrance flights. The aluminium inserts give a full-metal look with no colour break, at the lowest wet figure of the four. Olympic Grip is the coarsest and the highest in the dry. If the stair is external or genuinely gets wet, this is the wrong profile: there is a GRP-insert build for those conditions and we will quote it on request.

Installation, use and care

Set out the flight and cut each bar to the going with a mitre saw and a non-ferrous blade. Drill and screw-fix the tread plate to the substrate with size 8 screws at regular centres; on timber steps the profile can be rebated so the plate finishes flush. Fit the nosing before the floorcovering is dressed up to the back edge, then trim the covering to abut the profile. After that it is maintenance-free — a neutral floor cleaner and a damp mop. Keep abrasive pads and solvent cleaners off anodised finishes; they dull them permanently.

Frequently asked questions

What lengths does this listing supply, and can I get an exact size?

1 metre and 2 metre bars, priced per bar. If you need a specific measurement, order the cut-to-size version of the same profile instead — any length from 900mm to 3200mm, with a ±5mm cutting tolerance.

What is the difference between the Finish option and the Colour option?

Finish is the aluminium carrier — mill, satin or polished. Colour is the insert that sits in the recessed channel. They are chosen independently, which is why some combinations read as two aluminium names: a polished carrier with an aluminium insert, for example.

Can I use this nosing outdoors or in a wet area?

No — this profile is specified for interior use. For external or genuinely wet locations there is a version in mill aluminium with a glass-fibre reinforced (GRP) anti-slip insert. Ask us and we will quote it.

How is it fixed, and can it sit flush in a timber step?

It is screw-fixed through the tread plate using size 8 screws. It can be rebated into timber steps so the plate finishes flush with the going, and the back edge is shaped to abut carpet and carpet tiles.

Which insert has the best slip resistance?

On the manufacturer's stated figures the wet ranking is castellated PVC 76, Olympic Grip 71, smooth textured PVC 56, aluminium 54. Olympic Grip records the highest dry figure at 102. No Approved Document K or M compliance statement is published for this line.

Ordering and delivery

Choose your finish, insert colour and bar length — the price shown is the price for that bar, with nothing added at checkout but delivery. UK mainland delivery is a single flat rate. For an exact measurement rather than a stock bar, use the cut-to-size version of this bullnose stair nosing. Matching ramp extensions, tread extensions and a nap detail for broadloom carpet are available — contact us and we will quote them alongside your nosings.

View our complete range of stair nosing profiles — aluminium, rubber and PVC options for every application.