Aluminium Stair Nosing 56 x 56mm DDA Rake Back, High Grip & Exterior Grip Inserts

Why this profile works

The rake is the whole point

Most nosings assume a square riser. On older concrete flights the riser leans back under the tread, and a square-back nosing fitted there either stands proud or has to be packed out behind, leaving a hollow that flexes underfoot and works its fixings loose. The leg here is cut to the rake, so it beds against the riser along its length.

56mm on the tread and 56mm on the riser

Approved Document K, clause 1.7a, asks for a visually contrasting nosing a minimum of 55mm wide on both the tread and the riser in buildings other than dwellings — offices, schools, retail, healthcare. Many single-channel profiles carry a 32mm riser face: inside the 30–55mm band clause 1.10a allows in common areas of flats, but short of that 55mm minimum. At 56mm on the tread and 56mm down the riser, this profile clears both. Geometry is only half of it — the contrast still has to come from the insert read against your floor.

Two insert families, two jobs

High Grip is the PVC insert family, for internal stairs. Exterior Grip is a different material — gel-coated GRP with fused alumina or quartz grit bedded in at the wet stage — and it is what to specify where the stair takes weather.

Where it is used

Refurbishment of concrete flights in schools, colleges, health centres and civic buildings, where an access audit has asked for a wider contrast band than a slimline nosing can give. Common stairs in apartment blocks and student accommodation. Office and retail stairs finished in vinyl or lino. External entrance steps, covered walkways and fire escapes, specified with the Exterior Grip insert. It suits vinyl, lino and lightweight carpet; it is not a profile for tile or engineered timber.

Specification

Choosing the right option

Check the riser first. Hold a square against the step: if the riser leans back under the tread, this rakeback profile is correct. If it drops plumb, ask us for a square-back nosing instead.

Then the insert family. High Grip for internal flights; Exterior Grip wherever the stair sees rain or wet shoes off the street. This is the one choice that cannot be corrected on site.

Then insert colour, which is a safety decision rather than a styling one. Approved Document M treats contrast as adequate where the light reflectance values of the two surfaces differ by more than 30 points. Coal reads LRV 5.09, Brimstone 54.24, so on a mid-tone floor one clears that. Choose the insert that fights your floor, not the one that matches it. Building Control signs off the installed assembly; a profile alone is never compliant.

Length last. Measure the widest flight and take the next stock length up.

Installation, use and care

Lay the floor covering first, up to where the plate's back edge will sit. Cut the profile 2–3mm short of the tread width using a fine-tooth non-ferrous blade, cutting metal and insert together. Drill through the plate at roughly 300mm centres and 75mm in from each end, then fix with countersunk screws and plugs to suit the substrate. Bed the angled leg against the riser as you tighten so it pulls in flat. Clear grit from the insert texture regularly — trapped grit is what wears an anti-slip surface smooth.

Frequently asked questions

Why choose this over a 32mm riser nosing?

The 56mm riser leg. Approved Document K 1.7a asks for a contrasting nosing at least 55mm wide on both tread and riser in buildings other than dwellings, and a 32mm riser face cannot meet that figure however it is finished.

Can it be used outside?

Yes, with an Exterior Grip insert — Brimstone, Coal or Everest. Those are GRP with grit fused into the sheet, made for exposed conditions. The High Grip inserts, Obsidian and Solar, are PVC and intended for internal stairs only.

Will it take a tiled or engineered timber step?

No. The manufacturer specifies this profile for vinyl, lino and lightweight carpets, and the 3.5mm plate is sized to those thicknesses. For a tiled step you want a tile-in nosing — send us the tile and bed depth and we will match one.

Ordering and delivery

All 126 combinations — nine finishes by five insert colours by three lengths — are listed and priced individually above. Bright Polished is offered with the High Grip inserts only, as the Exterior Grip range is not produced in that finish. Profiles ship as full stock-length bars. For project quantities, send us the drawings and we will price the flight.