Aluminium Stair Nosing 60x32mm Heavy Duty Rakeback, 11 Colours

Not every staircase has a square riser. On a great many older concrete and timber flights the riser leans back under the tread, and a straight-backed nosing fitted to a stair like that will rock on its heel and never sit down properly. This is the profile for those stairs. It is a heavy duty aluminium stair nosing, 60mm across the tread and 32mm down the riser, extruded in a 5mm gauge, with the rear face angled back so it beds against a sloping riser instead of fighting it. A replaceable anti-slip PVC insert clips into the single channel in a choice of eleven colours, and it comes in six lengths from 1.0m up to the 3.22m stock bar.

Why it works

The angled back is the whole point

Check your stair before you order, because this is the one thing that decides which profile you need. Stand at the side of a step and look at where the riser meets the tread. If that joint is a right angle, you want the straight-backed version. If the riser slopes back, so the tread overhangs it, you want this one. Fit the wrong profile and it will sit proud at the back, flex every time it is stepped on, and work its fixings loose. Fit the right one and the whole underside of the nosing is supported.

5mm of metal is what keeps the fixings tight

Nosings rarely fail in the material; they fail at the fixing. A thin extrusion deflects each time weight lands on the overhang, and that small repeated movement is what walks screws loose until the nosing lifts and becomes the hazard it was fitted to prevent. At 5mm this section does not meaningfully deflect underfoot, so the fixings stay tight and the floorcovering stays trapped under the flange. The same gauge gives the depth to bring contract carpet or a thick vinyl up to the nosing without leaving a lip.

The insert is the part that wears, and it lifts out

The PVC insert takes all the abrasion because it is the part being walked on. It clips into the channel and can be replaced while the aluminium stays screwed to the tread, so a worn stairwell can be brought back to specification without lifting the floorcovering or re-drilling. The contrast colour is not a permanent decision either.

What the manufacturer publishes on slip resistance

Genesis states that the standard PVC insert achieves category R11 on the DIN 51130:2010 inclined platform test at a measured angle of 22.9 degrees, and pendulum values under BS 7976-2:2002 of PTV 66 dry and PTV 54 wet. The UK Slip Resistance Group classes a PTV of 36 or above as low slip potential. The insert is described as a REACH-compliant flexible PVC extrusion grade developed for non-scuff stair nosing use. These are the manufacturer's published figures for the insert, carried across here rather than tested by us.

Where it is used

Refurbishment work above all, because sloping risers are far more common on existing stairs than on new build. Schools and colleges with original concrete flights. Local authority and housing association blocks. Hospitals and health centres. Office and retail back-of-house stairs. Anywhere a survey has come back showing the risers are raked and the standard square profile will not sit.

Specification

Choosing the right option

Confirm the rake first. Hold a set square against the riser and the tread: if there is a visible gap at the bottom, the riser slopes and this is your profile. Then take the length. Measure the full width of the tread and order the next bar up, because a nosing can be cut down on site but not extended. The 2.46m, 2.77m and 3.22m bars are the manufacturer's stock lengths and cover most commercial flights in one piece; the 1.0m, 1.5m and 2.0m bars suit landings and short runs.

Choose the insert colour by contrast rather than preference. What matters is the difference in light reflectance value between the insert and the tread covering seen from the top of the flight, and the figures for all eleven inserts are in the table above. Yellow at 55.7 is the usual specification in education and healthcare. White at 79.9 reads against dark floors; Black at 4.5, Brown at 9.1 and Cobalt Blue at 9.2 read against pale ones. Dolphin Grey and Ice Grey are the quieter choices.

Installation, use and care

The manufacturer's method is: make sure the steps are dry, clean, level and free of debris; mark and drill the fixing positions, plugging where required; apply a suitable adhesive to the underside of the nosing; screw down with appropriately sized screws; then fit the insert, which covers the screw heads. On a raked riser, check the nosing beds down along its full length before you drill. Do not overtighten into soft substrates.

For cleaning, the manufacturer specifies a neutral detergent on the inserts, rinsed with clean water and dried before foot traffic returns. The aluminium channel can be brought back with steel wool or a cloth. Genesis states that solvent cleaners should under no circumstances be used on its aluminium products.

Frequently asked questions

How do I tell whether I need the rakeback or the straight version?

Look at the side of a step. If the riser meets the tread at a right angle you need the straight-backed profile; if the riser leans back under the tread, you need this one. If you are unsure, send us a photo taken square-on from the side of the flight and we will tell you which it is.

Is it suitable for outdoor steps?

The standard PVC insert is specified for internal use. For external steps and wet areas the manufacturer supplies a Tredsafe insert version made for wet and dry conditions — contact us if the stair is exposed to weather.

Can I replace the insert without taking the nosing off?

Yes. The insert clips in and lifts out while the aluminium stays screwed to the stair, so a worn stairwell can be refreshed without lifting carpet or re-drilling treads.

Does it meet DDA and BS 8300 requirements?

Contrast at the step edge is what those documents are concerned with, and it is achieved by choosing an insert colour with a suitable LRV difference from the tread covering — the figures are in the specification table. Note that the manufacturer badges certain other profiles in this range as DDA Compliant and does not apply that badge to this one, so if your specification calls for a DDA-marked profile, ask us before ordering.

Are fixings supplied?

Screws are not included. The right fixing depends on your substrate — timber, concrete or screed all want something different — so buy them to suit the stair, and pre-drill and plug masonry.

Ordering and delivery

All eleven insert colours and all six lengths are ordered from this page — choose colour and length above and the price updates for that combination. Orders are dispatched from UK stock. For a Bright Brass or Black channel finish, an anodised or powder-coated channel, an insert colour from the wider Genesis range, or a made-to-measure length, contact us and we will quote it.