Aluminium Bullnose Stair Nosing 66.5x30mm, 32 Anti-Slip Inserts

A bullnose is the step edge to specify when the people using the stair matter more than the look of a crisp arris. The 30mm front is a smooth rounded shell, so there is no sharp corner to catch a toe going up or bark a shin coming down, which is why this profile is the usual choice for schools, nurseries, care homes, sheltered housing and any domestic stair used by children or by someone unsteady on their feet. It is a single-channel aluminium nosing with a 66.5mm tread plate, made in three carrier finishes with a choice of 32 anti-slip inserts, supplied here in 1 metre and 2 metre bars. The same profile is also available cut to your exact length between 700mm and 3200mm.

Why this bullnose stair nosing works

The rounded front forgives a misjudged step

On a square-edged nosing a foot that lands short meets a hard corner. On this profile the same foot slides onto a curve. It will not stop a fall, but it removes the edge that turns a stumble into an injury, and it is markedly kinder to bare feet, soft shoes and walking aids. The curve is a thin formed shell of aluminium rather than a solid bead, so it hugs the step edge closely and adds nothing to the going.

A ramped back edge, so nothing trips behind the nosing

The tread plate is 4mm thick where it carries the insert and ramps down to 1mm at the back edge. Laid on top of vinyl, lino, laminate, LVT, timber or stone, the back of the plate finishes almost flush with the floor instead of standing proud as a lip. That is the detail that separates a surface-mounted nosing you can walk over without noticing from one that catches a heel on the way down.

It wraps the riser, not just the tread

Behind the curve the profile drops 30mm and returns underneath, with a 26mm inside leg that sits hard against the riser face. Fixed through the tread plate with size 6 screws, it locks the step edge in two planes, which is why a worn or chipped arris on an old concrete or timber flight can be made good and covered in one operation.

The insert does the gripping

The metal carries the load; the insert is what a shoe actually meets. The manufacturer publishes slip resistance values for each insert type, measured on a pendulum tester, wet and dry. Castellated PVC is the general-purpose choice at SRV 76 wet and 85 dry. Olympic Grip, a coarse aluminium-oxide band, is the one for entrances where wet footwear arrives, at SRV 71 wet and 102 dry. Smooth textured PVC reads SRV 56 wet and 65 dry and is a styling choice for dry interiors. The anodised and plain aluminium inserts give a monolithic metal look at SRV 54 wet and 82 dry. Those are the manufacturer's figures for the insert materials, not for a finished flight, but they are the right basis for comparing the options.

Where it is used

The manufacturer rates this nosing for medium to heavy foot traffic in interior settings, naming hotels, pubs, clubs, cafes, shops, schools, commercial offices and apartment buildings. In practice it is fitted to stone and timber stairs and to stairs finished in ceramic tiles or hard floorings such as laminate, LVT, vinyl and lino, on new build and on refurbishment where an existing edge has been damaged. It is an interior profile. For external or wet steps the same manufacturer makes a mill-finish version of this profile with a glass-fibre reinforced grit insert, which we can quote on request.

Specifications

Insert colours and light reflectance values

Every insert colour has a published light reflectance value (LRV), which is the number an access consultant or Building Control officer will ask for. Approved Document M treats two adjacent surfaces as visually contrasting where their LRVs differ by more than 30 points, so pick an insert at least 30 points away from your floor finish. The values below are the manufacturer's.

One honest limit. Approved Document K asks for a contrasting band 50mm to 65mm wide on the tread and 30mm to 55mm on the riser in the common areas of buildings containing flats, and a minimum of 55mm on both tread and riser in buildings other than dwellings. The insert on this profile satisfies the tread requirement; the 30mm rounded metal nose sits inside the 30mm to 55mm riser band for flats but is short of the 55mm minimum for offices, schools and public buildings, where a 55mm-nose profile is the safer specification. Compliance is a property of the whole installed stair and is signed off by Building Control, not by the nosing on its own.

Choosing the right option

Carrier finish. Mill is the plain extruded finish and the lowest cost; it is what most commercial work uses. Satin is brushed for a soft even sheen that hides fingerprints and light scuffs. Polished is bright and reflective and suits reception areas and residential stairs where the nosing is meant to be seen.

Insert type. Castellated PVC for general commercial and domestic work. Olympic Grip where footwear arrives wet, at an entrance stair or a loading door. Smooth textured PVC where the stair is dry and appearance leads. An aluminium insert where you want the nosing to read as one piece of metal, accepting the lower wet slip figure.

Colour. Work from the LRV table. A dark floor wants a pale insert such as Yellow, Porth Stone, Polar Grey or White; a pale floor wants Black, Regency, Spruce or Poppy. What matters is the difference in tone, not the hue, so a red insert on a mid-grey floor can contrast less than a plain black one.

Length. A 1m bar covers most domestic treads in one piece and a 2m bar covers most commercial flights; both can be cut down on site with a fine-toothed blade. If your goings are an awkward width or every flight differs, order the cut-to-size version instead and give us each length to the millimetre.

Installation, use and care

The step must be sound, clean, dry and flat; make good a broken arris before fixing or the nose will bridge a hollow and drum underfoot. Cut to length with a fine-toothed blade and deburr the ends. Drill the tread plate and fix with size 6 countersunk screws at roughly 250mm to 300mm centres, starting about 50mm in from each end; the profile is supplied undrilled, and pre-drilled bars for concealing plugs or retro-fit inserts can be quoted. Do not overtighten on a polished bar, which will mark. Clean with a damp cloth and a neutral detergent. Abrasive pads and solvent cleaners will dull an anodised insert.

Frequently asked questions

Is a bullnose nosing safer than a square edge?

It is kinder rather than grippier. The grip comes from the insert, which is the same across our square-edged and bullnose profiles. What the rounded front removes is the hard corner, which is why it is specified where children, bare feet or unsteady users are involved.

Will the back edge trip anyone?

No. The tread plate ramps from 4mm down to 1mm at the back, so it finishes almost flush with the floor covering rather than standing up as a lip.

Can I use it outside?

This is an interior profile. For external steps the manufacturer makes a mill-finish version with a glass-fibre reinforced grit insert; ask us for a price.

Which insert colour meets the contrast guidance?

Choose one whose LRV is more than 30 points from your floor finish. On a dark vinyl that means Yellow, Polar Grey, Porth Stone or White; on a pale floor, Black, Regency, Spruce or Poppy.

What if my treads are not 1m or 2m?

Order the cut-to-size version linked above and specify every length between 700mm and 3200mm. It is the same profile at the same rate per metre.

Ordering and delivery

All 192 combinations are made to order from stock lengths. Standard UK mainland delivery is a flat rate, and 2m bars travel as a long-length parcel. Order a single bar first if you want to check a finish or insert colour against your floor before committing to a whole flight; anodised and polished finishes photograph differently from how they read on site.

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