Heavy Duty Anti Slip Stair Nosing GRP 55x55mm & 70x30mm

When a stair edge in a hospital corridor, a school stairwell or a stadium concourse starts to wear round, the nosing you bolt over it has to survive years of hard footfall without polishing smooth. These are heavy duty anti-slip stair nosings: a pultruded GRP angle that caps the step edge, with a hard ceramic grit bonded into the top and front faces. They retrofit over concrete, timber, metal and stone, so you can bring an existing flight back up to standard without rebuilding it. Choose the profile, the grit grade, the length and the colour, and fit them with adhesive and stainless screws in an afternoon.

Order a full staircase online

Measure the finished width of each step and choose a listed length that covers it. Select the colour, length and combined grit grade/profile option shown above, then set Quantity to the number of nosings needed in that exact combination. For ten equal-width steps where one selected nosing spans each step, select that combination and Quantity 10. Add differing lengths, colours or grade/profile options to the basket separately. Allow for cutting and fit when choosing the stock length.

Why it works

Ceramic grit, not a coating

The grip on a painted nosing sits in a film on the surface and wears off along the walking line. Here the abrasive is a ceramic grit, which the manufacturer rates at 9 on the Mohs hardness scale. It is bonded into the GRP rather than applied over it, so the surface that gives you traction is the surface that takes the wear.

Tested wet, not just dry

Stair accidents happen when the tread is wet. The manufacturer publishes pendulum test values (PTV) of 76 dry and 70 wet for this heavy duty grade, against 71 dry and 63 wet for its standard-grit nosing. Against HSE guidance, anything at 36 or above is low slip potential, so this nosing sits well clear of that threshold even when wet.

Built for outside as well as in

The profile is moulded from ISO resin as standard and the manufacturer rates it for service between −20°C and 80°C, resistant to impact and corrosion and to swelling, stretching or warping under temperature change and physical stress. That is what lets the same product go on an external fire escape and an internal stairwell.

Where it is used

The manufacturer lists hospitals, schools, sports stadiums and staircases carrying heavy foot traffic as the intended applications for the heavy duty grade. In practice that covers school and college stairwells, hospital and care-home flights, stadium and arena concourses, car park and transport-hub stairs, plant rooms and external fire escapes, and communal stairs in housing blocks where the treads are concrete and the traffic never really stops.

Specifications

Choosing the right option

Profile. The manufacturer’s guidance is that a nosing must be 55mm x 55mm to meet Building Regulations on new build, because that gives the required depth on both the tread and the riser. The 70mm x 30mm profile puts more grit on the tread and less on the riser face, which suits a retrofit on an existing flight where the riser is shallow or already faced.

Grade. Fine is the internal grade – a dense, even grit that is easier underfoot in soft soles and easier to sweep clean, for stairwells inside the building envelope. Coarse is the external grade, with chunkier particles and more relief to clear water, for open steps, fire escapes and anywhere exposed to weather.

Colour. Yellow gives the strongest visual contrast against grey concrete for step-edge definition. White suits pale stone and lighter interiors; black is the discreet option where the edge is already marked another way.

Length. Order the length that covers the full step width where you can – a single run looks better and leaves fewer end joints to lift. Longer lengths can be cut down on site.

Installation, use and care

The manufacturer’s own instructions are to run a 6mm bead of high-strength gap-filling adhesive around the underside about 15mm in from the edges, press the nosing firmly home, then mechanically fix it: drill roughly 50mm in from each end and then every 400–500mm, and screw down with stainless steel Pozi 32mm x 4.2mm screws set flush with the top surface. The substrate dictates the drill – a 6mm masonry bit and plugs into concrete, 3.85mm into timber or steel. Cut with a diamond blade or a jigsaw, wearing eye and hand protection. For cleaning, the manufacturer recommends a stiff brush, a mild detergent for stubborn dirt and a low-setting power wash where circumstances allow, plus a monthly check that the fixings are still tight.

Frequently asked questions

Which profile do I need – 55mm x 55mm or 70mm x 30mm?

The manufacturer states that a 55mm x 55mm nosing is the one to specify where Building Regulations apply to a new stair, because it gives full depth on both the tread and the riser. The 70mm x 30mm is the retrofit shape: more grit on the tread, a shallower drop over the riser face.

What is the difference between the fine and coarse grades?

Fine is the internal grade and coarse is the external one. The manufacturer publishes a pendulum reading of 76 dry and 70 wet for this heavy duty grit. Coarse has larger, more angular grit that sheds water better outdoors; fine is more comfortable underfoot inside.

Can these be cut to length on site?

Yes. The manufacturer’s instructions cover cutting with orbital equipment and a diamond blade, an angle grinder with a 1mm blade, or a jigsaw for small trims. Cut outdoors or with dust extraction, and wear goggles and gloves. The manufacturer quotes a tolerance of +/- 3–4mm including cut.

Do I need adhesive as well as screws?

The manufacturer’s double fixing method uses both: adhesive to bed the nosing flat and take up any unevenness, screws to hold it mechanically. You can fix mechanically only, following the same steps without the adhesive, but the bonded method gives better contact on a worn concrete edge.

Are they fire rated?

The manufacturer offers a fire retardant version as an option, but no fire classification is published for the stock profile sold here. If your specification calls for a rated product, contact us before ordering and we will take it up with the manufacturer.

Ordering and delivery

Every combination of colour, length and profile on this page is a separate stock line, so select all three before adding to your basket. White is not made in the 70mm x 30mm fine (internal) grade; the 70mm x 30mm fine grade comes in yellow or black only. Orders placed before the daily cut-off go out on an express UK service. If you need a length that is not listed, a pre-drilled run or the fire retardant version, call 01282 270 010 or email sales@stairnosingsuk.co.uk and we will quote it.

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