Aluminium Stair Nosing 63x32mm Anti Slip Glow Edge, 11 Colours

This aluminium stair nosing gives steps in busy buildings a hard-wearing, clearly defined leading edge that stays visible when the lights go out. It is extruded from aluminium in a 5mm gauge and carries two bands on the tread face: a narrow textured photoluminescent strip along the front edge, and a wide coloured anti-slip PVC insert immediately behind it. Specify it for refurbishment work where the existing steps are sound but the arrises have worn round, and for stairs on an escape route where the edge needs to read in a power failure as well as in daylight.

This is a rake back profile: the riser leg is angled back rather than dropping square, so the nosing beds down onto a step whose front face is not perfectly vertical and finishes tight against it without leaving a shadow gap. Six cut lengths from 1m to 3.22m cover most standard stair widths, and eleven insert colours let you pick a tone that reads clearly against the adjoining floor finish.

Why it works

It stays visible in a power cut. The manufacturer identifies the luminous element as a europium-doped strontium aluminate compound, emitting green at a peak wavelength of 520nm. Published performance is an afterglow brightness of 455 mcd/m² measured ten minutes after excitation, a highly visible afterglow of more than 600 minutes, and a total afterglow duration of more than 3,000 minutes before it decays to 0.32 mcd/m². The system needs no electrical connection and charges from normal illumination — daylight, fluorescent or standard tungsten lighting. There is no wiring, no maintenance beyond ordinary cleaning, and nothing to fail.

Aluminium takes the impact. A step edge is hit by heels, trolley wheels and cleaning equipment thousands of times a week. Aluminium resists the denting and edge-crumbling that eventually make a bare concrete or timber nose a trip hazard, and it holds its shape without needing recoating. The carrier is extruded from 6063 alloy to BS EN 573-3:2003.

The insert does the gripping. The PVC insert sits proud of the metal across most of the tread face, so the foot lands on the higher-friction surface rather than on bare aluminium. For it the manufacturer publishes inclined platform testing to DIN 51130:2010 at 22.9°, category R11, and BS 7976-2:2002 pendulum values of PTV 66 dry and 54 wet — both clear of the 36 PTV mark the UK Slip Resistance Group associates with low slip potential. Because it is a separate component seated in a channel, the wearing part is the part that can be looked at and assessed over time rather than the whole profile.

Colour does the signalling. Step edges are missed when they cannot be distinguished from the tread behind them. Choosing an insert that contrasts with the adjoining floor finish is what makes the edge readable in normal light; the photoluminescent strip takes over when the light fails.

Where it is used

Office stairwells and shared entrances, schools and colleges, retail and leisure premises, healthcare buildings, libraries, museums and transport interchanges — and particularly protected stairways and escape routes, where the glow strip earns its place.

Specifications

Choosing the right option

Length. Measure the full width of the step and order the next length up, then cut to fit on site with a mitre saw and a non-ferrous blade. Running one continuous length across the step looks better and performs better than butting two pieces together, so it is worth paying for the longer bar where the width falls between two sizes.

Colour. Pick the insert against the floor finish, not against the wall or the handrail, and work from the published LRV figures in the table above rather than from a swatch on a screen. Visual contrast at a step edge is the gap between the insert LRV and the LRV of the covering around it: White at 79.9 and Yellow at 55.7 read strongly on dark carpet and dark vinyl; Black at 4.5, Brown at 9.1 and Cobalt Blue at 9.2 read strongly on pale stone, pale timber and light sheet flooring. The three greys, Beige and Canvas are the discreet options — choose them when the client wants the edge protected without a strong visual band, and accept that they contrast less. The photoluminescent strip is the same on all eleven.

Quantity. Order per step, not per flight, and add one spare length to a large order; site cuts and damaged ends are common on refurbishment work.

Installation, use and care

Fix to concrete, timber and most sound internal stair substrates. The profile can be bonded, screwed or taped down; choose the method and the fixings to suit the substrate, and screw-fix rather than bond where the stair carries heavy trolley or barrow traffic. Because the riser leg is raked, offer the nosing up to the step before fixing and check it beds down along its whole length. The step edge must be clean, dry, sound and flat before fixing — bedding a nosing over a crumbling arris will not hold. Keep the photoluminescent strip clean and unpainted, and do not cover it with carpet or matting: it can only charge from light that reaches it. Clean with normal detergent and a damp mop; avoid solvent-based cleaners on the insert.

Frequently asked questions

Does the glow strip need wiring or a battery?

No. The manufacturer states the system requires no electrical connection and charges from normal illumination — daylight, fluorescent or standard tungsten lighting — then marks the stair edges during a power outage. Keep the strip clean and uncovered so light can reach it.

How long does the glow actually last?

The manufacturer publishes an afterglow brightness of 455 mcd/m² ten minutes after charging, a highly visible afterglow of more than 600 minutes, and a total afterglow duration of more than 3,000 minutes before it decays to 0.32 mcd/m². A stairwell lit through a normal working day will still show its step edges deep into an overnight power failure.

Is the photoluminescent strip on every colour?

Yes. All eleven insert colours carry the same integral glow strip along the front of the tread. The colour choice changes the wide insert band behind it, not the strip.

What is a rake back nosing, and do I need one?

The riser leg is angled back instead of dropping square. It suits steps whose front face is not perfectly vertical, which covers most cast concrete and older timber stairs, and it closes the gap that a square profile would leave. On a truly vertical riser a square profile is the better match.

What slip resistance figures are published?

The manufacturer publishes DIN 51130:2010 inclined platform testing at 22.9°, category R11, and BS 7976-2:2002 pendulum values of PTV 66 dry and PTV 54 wet for the standard insert, plus a light reflectance value for each of the eleven insert colours. All of them are in the specification table above. No DDA classification is published for this particular profile.

Can it be cut down if my steps are not a standard width?

Yes. Order the next length up from your step width and cut to fit on site with a mitre saw and a non-ferrous blade. One continuous length per step is preferable to butting two pieces together.

Ordering and delivery

All eleven insert colours are available in all six lengths. Larger stairwell quantities and cut-length requirements can be quoted — contact us with the step width and the number of steps and we will confirm the most economical combination of bar lengths.