Aluminium Stair Nosing 63.3x30mm Square Front, 1m & 2m Bars

Specify a square front nosing when the floor covering goes down after the nosing, not before it. The riser leg drops vertically at 90 degrees to the tread, so the vinyl, LVT, laminate, ceramic or stone is laid up to a clean line and the metal takes the wear at the arris. That is the ordinary case on new work and on a full strip-out. You get a 4mm aluminium tread plate, a 49.5mm anti-slip insert channel and a 30mm face down the riser, in three architectural finishes the manufacturer rates for medium to heavy foot traffic.

Why it works

Square front, square problem solved

A raked back exists to land on top of a finished floor without a lip. A square front does the opposite job: the covering butts to the nosing and the joint is made by the flooring, not the trim. That gives a straight, repeatable line on every going with nothing proud for a mop head or a trolley wheel to catch. The rear edge of the plate still tapers to about 1mm so the covering beds cleanly against it.

The insert is the safety component, and it is measurable

The metal is edge protection; what a foot lands on is the infill, and the manufacturer publishes a slip potential value for each of the four materials. Castellated PVC is the commercial workhorse at 76 wet / 85 dry. Olympic Grip, an aluminium oxide grit band, reads 71 wet / 102 dry and is the one for damp footwear. Smooth textured PVC sits at 56 / 65 and the anodised aluminium infills at 54 / 82.

Every infill comes with a published LRV

Contrast is the part of a nosing specification most often guessed at. Approved Document M treats visual contrast as adequate where the difference in light reflectance value between two surfaces is greater than 30 points, or 20 points above 200 lux. All 33 infills below carry the manufacturer's own LRV, from Black at 4.25 to White at 84.22, so you can do that subtraction against your floor before you order.

Where it is used

The manufacturer rates mill, satin and polished for medium to heavy foot traffic in interior situations and names hotels, pubs, clubs, cafes, shops, schools, commercial offices and apartment buildings. It suits stone and timber stairs and stairs finished in ceramics, laminate, LVT, vinyl and lino.

Specifications

Finishes on this listing

Every infill, with its published LRV and slip potential

Choosing the right option

Finish. Mill is the untreated extrusion and the cheapest; satin is the standard architectural finish and the safest default next to most ironmongery; polished is a bright face that shows fingerprints but lifts a feature stair. All three carry the same medium to heavy rating and cut to 3200mm.

Length. Order the bar that covers your going in one piece. A 2.0m bar cuts to two 900mm domestic treads with an offcut. For awkward goings ask us for cut-to-size, which the manufacturer does at no extra charge.

Drilling. Undrilled, drilled for concealing plugs, or drilled with a retro-fit infill. Drilling adds 5%, so we quote it against your order rather than loading it onto every price here.

Contrast. Work from the LRV table, not the swatch. A light insert on a dark floor works as well as the reverse; what matters is the size of the tonal gap.

Installation, use and care

The substrate must be sound, clean, dry and flat. Number your steps from the top down when you measure, and allow 50mm oversize on open strings for trimming on site. Cut with a fine-toothed blade and deburr the end. The manufacturer's guidance is screws and adhesive together, size 6 screws at roughly 250 to 300mm centres starting 50mm in from each end, with PVC inserts pressed in at room temperature. Clean with a damp cloth and neutral detergent; abrasive pads and solvents dull the finish. One honest limit: this is a 4mm interior profile, so for external, wet or genuinely high-traffic work ask us about the glass-fibre reinforced insert build of the same extrusion, which we also stock.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the square front or the raked back version?

This is the square front: the riser leg drops vertically at 90 degrees to the tread, which is what you want on a new lay where the floor covering is brought up to the back of the nosing. Going over an existing finished floor, the raked back version of the same extrusion lands without a lip and is the better choice.

Does it meet the Building Regulations for step nosing contrast?

Not on its own, and no nosing does. Approved Document K clause 1.7a asks for a contrasting band a minimum of 55mm wide on both tread and riser in buildings other than dwellings. This profile gives a 49.5mm insert and a 30mm metal face, so it sits inside the 30 to 55mm riser band of clause 1.10a for common areas in blocks of flats but is short of 1.7a. If 1.7a applies, specify a 55mm riser profile instead; we stock them.

How do I pick an infill that contrasts enough?

Approved Document M treats contrast as adequate where the difference in light reflectance value between the two surfaces is greater than 30 points, or 20 points above 200 lux. Every infill here carries its published LRV, so subtract your floor's figure before you order.

Can I have the bars pre-drilled?

Yes: undrilled, drilled for concealing plugs, or drilled with a retro-fit infill. The manufacturer charges 5% for drilling, which we quote against your order rather than sell as a variant.

Ordering and delivery

Every combination here is made to order from the manufacturer's stock lengths, so allow a few days rather than expecting a shelf item. Order a sample and hold it against your floor in the actual light before committing a whole flight: anodised finishes photograph nothing like they read on site.