Aluminium Stair Nosing 66x55mm Raked Back

Most stair goings are not a round number. Measure a refurbished concrete flight and you get 843mm on one step and 851mm on the next; measure a domestic timber flight and you get 860mm against a wall that is out of square. This listing is for that job. Enter the width of each tread in millimetres, anywhere from 700mm to 2500mm, and every raked back aluminium stair nosing is cut to that figure before it leaves us, at the same per-metre rate whatever length you order. There is no cutting charge, no rounding up to the next whole metre and nothing to trim on site.

The profile is a 66mm tread plate with a 55mm raked nose and a single full-width channel carrying a replaceable anti-slip insert, extruded in the UK in five carrier finishes and 32 insert colours. It is the same extrusion as our 1 metre and 2 metre stock bars; the only difference is who does the cutting.

Why a raked back, and why this one

A raked nosing is shaped for a stair whose riser slopes back under the tread rather than dropping vertically. The 55mm face follows that slope and sits flat against it, so there is no wedge-shaped void behind the nose for dirt to collect in or for a fixing to work loose across. On a truly vertical riser a square-back profile is the better fit, and we sell one.

The tread plate is not a constant thickness. It carries a 4mm gauge at the nose, where the wear and the impact land, and ramps down to 1mm at the back edge. Laid over an existing vinyl, LVT, laminate, timber or ceramic floor, that thin back edge feathers onto the surface instead of standing proud of it, so there is no lip across the going for a toe, a castor or a mop head to catch. The extrusion is aluminium alloy 6063 T6 (manufacturer stated), the architectural grade that anodises evenly and holds a crisp arris under foot traffic without chalking.

The insert is the working surface, and the manufacturer publishes a slip resistance value for each insert material: castellated PVC 76 wet / 85 dry, Olympic Grip aluminium oxide 71 wet / 102 dry, smooth textured PVC 56 wet / 65 dry and the aluminium inserts 54 wet / 82 dry. Castellated PVC is the workhorse: fine longitudinal ribs, the widest colour range and the best wet figure of the four. Olympic Grip is a coarse gritted band for a flight that takes wet shoes. Smooth textured PVC is the flatter, quieter look for lighter use. The aluminium inserts are chosen for appearance, not grip.

Contrast, and what the regulations actually ask for

Approved Document K asks for step nosings in buildings other than dwellings to be made apparent with a visually contrasting material a minimum of 55mm wide on both the tread and the riser (clause 1.7a), and 50mm to 65mm on the tread with 30mm to 55mm on the riser in the common areas of buildings containing flats (clause 1.10a). Approved Document M treats a difference of more than 30 points in light reflectance value between two surfaces as adequate contrast, or 20 points where the lighting exceeds 200 lux. On this profile the raked face gives you a 55mm band on the riser side, and the tread insert is 49.5mm wide. Check both figures against the clause that applies to your building before you specify: compliance is a property of the installed edge against its floor, not of the extrusion on its own, and the sign-off belongs to Building Control or your access consultant.

To make that arithmetic possible, the manufacturer publishes a light reflectance value for every insert colour and for the black anodised carrier, and the full table is below rather than buried in a PDF. Choose an insert whose LRV sits at least 30 points from the LRV of your floor finish. A metal insert in a metal carrier gives almost no contrast at all.

Where it belongs

The manufacturer rates this profile for stairs with low to medium traffic volumes and warns that heavy foot traffic and impact damage can wear through the finish to reveal the natural aluminium beneath. Treat that as the edge of the specification. It suits offices, shops, surgeries, shared stairs in apartment blocks and domestic flights, finishing the nose edge of stone and timber stairs and stairs laid with ceramics, laminate, LVT, vinyl or lino. For a school corridor, a station or any genuinely heavy-traffic public flight, ask us for a heavy-duty profile and we will quote one. It is an interior profile: external or wet-area steps need a glass-fibre reinforced insert in a mill aluminium carrier, a different build of the same extrusion that we quote on request.

Specifications

Choosing the finish and the insert

Two decisions, independent of each other. The carrier finish is the metal you see around the insert. Satin and mill aluminium are the neutral, specify-and-forget choices. Black anodised suits dark floors and contemporary schemes. Bronze and light bronze are the designer finishes, made for hospitality and heritage stairs that want the look of aged brass at an aluminium price. Then the insert: castellated PVC in 21 colours for most jobs, Olympic Grip where footfall arrives wet, smooth textured PVC for a quieter tread, aluminium for an all-metal look. The price is set by the finish and the insert material, not by the colour, so every castellated colour costs the same in a given finish. Use the LRV table to pick the insert against your floor, and remember that the darker bronze finishes and the black anodised carrier pull the whole edge darker, which helps on a pale floor and hurts on a dark one.

Measuring and ordering

Number the steps from the top of the flight down, note the floor levels, flights and landings, and measure each tread edge to edge. That is the manufacturer's own cutting-list convention, and it stops a bundle of nosings arriving with no way to tell which step each one belongs to. On an open-string staircase, order 50mm oversize and trim on site. Where treads differ, order each at its own width; that is what this listing is for. Every length is cut to within 5mm. Nosings are supplied undrilled as standard, and pre-drilling for concealing plugs or for a retro-fit insert is available to order at a small surcharge, so ask before you order if you want it. Cut lengths are made to your figures and are non-returnable except where faulty.

Installation, use and care

The manufacturer's guidance is screws and a suitable adhesive together, onto treads and risers that are sound, dry and level. Fix with countersunk size 6 screws into plugs at roughly 300mm centres and no closer than 50mm to either end; pilot the holes on timber, drill and plug concrete or stone. A bed of adhesive under the plate alongside the screws stops the drumming you get from a screw-only fixing on a hollow tread. If you must fix with adhesive alone, allow the full cure time before the stair is walked on. Fit PVC inserts at normal room temperature, not in a cold building, so they do not contract later. Clean with a neutral-pH detergent and a damp mop; avoid solvent cleaners and abrasive pads, which dull an anodised finish, and clear cement or grout residue straight away because it attacks aluminium. The inserts are replaceable without lifting the carrier or disturbing the fixings.

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is the cut?

Every length is cut to within 5mm of the figure you order. If you need tighter than that, say so in the order notes and we will confirm before cutting.

My treads are all slightly different widths. What do I order?

Order each step at its own measured width, numbered from the top of the flight down. That is exactly what this listing is for, and it beats buying to the widest tread and trimming the rest on site.

Is cut to size dearer than a stock length?

No. Both are priced at the same per-metre rate and there is no cutting charge, so a 1500mm cut piece costs exactly one and a half times a 1 metre bar. Buy the stock bars if you want round lengths on the van to trim yourself; buy cut when the goings are awkward or you want the nosings to arrive ready to fix.

Is it Building Regulations compliant?

Compliance depends on the installed edge against its floor, not on the profile alone. The raked face gives a 55mm band on the riser side and the tread insert is 49.5mm wide; Approved Document K clause 1.7a asks for 55mm on both tread and riser in non-domestic buildings, and clause 1.10a asks for 50 to 65mm on the tread in the common parts of flats. Check the widths against the clause for your building and choose an insert with an LRV at least 30 points from your floor finish.

Can I use this on outdoor steps?

No. This build is for interior stairs. External or wet steps need a glass-fibre reinforced insert in a mill aluminium carrier, which we quote as a separate specification.

Can it come pre-drilled?

Yes, to order. The manufacturer offers drilling for concealing plugs, which sit flush with the insert over the screw heads, or drilling for a retro-fit insert, where the insert is bonded into the channel after the nosing is screwed down. Tell us which you want when you order and we will quote the small surcharge.

Ordering and delivery

Choose the finish and the insert colour, enter the length of one step in millimetres and how many pieces you need at that length, then add to basket and repeat for each different width. The price shown is per metre; the basket works out the exact figure for your lengths. If anything on your cutting list looks wrong to us, we will check with you before anything is cut. Order the matching 1 metre and 2 metre stock bars here if you would rather cut on site.

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