Raked Back Stair Nosing 66x55mm Aluminium, Bronze & Black Anodised

A raked back aluminium stair nosing with a 66mm tread plate and a deep 55mm nose, supplied in ready-to-fit 1 metre and 2 metre bars. If you are edging a flight of standard-width treads, or you want stock on the van before the job starts, these are the lengths to buy: the price you see is the price of the bar, with no cutting service and no waiting.

It is a specifier's profile rather than a builder's-merchant one. The 55mm nose is deep enough to read clearly from the top of a flight, the insert channel takes a replaceable anti-slip band, and the whole thing is built to be refurbished rather than ripped out.

Why the raked back matters

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. That taper is the entire point of a raked profile. Fitted over an existing vinyl, LVT, laminate, timber or ceramic floor, the thin back edge feathers onto the surface instead of standing proud of it, so there is no square lip across the going for a toe, a castor or a mop head to catch. On a refurbishment where the existing covering is staying put, that is the difference between a nosing that reads as part of the stair and one that reads as an obstacle.

The extrusion is aluminium alloy 6063 T6, the standard architectural grade, chosen because it takes an anodised finish evenly and holds a crisp arris under foot traffic without the surface chalking. A single full-width channel runs the length of the tread and carries a 49.5mm insert, which is what actually delivers the slip resistance and the visual contrast.

Choosing the finish and the insert

Two decisions, and they are independent of one another. The carrier finish is the metal you see around the insert. Satin aluminium and mill aluminium are the neutral, specify-and-forget choices. Black anodised suits dark flooring and contemporary schemes. Bronze and light bronze are warm metallics for hospitality and heritage work where plain silver would look wrong.

The insert is the working surface, and it is where the safety performance sits. The manufacturer's published slip resistance values for the insert materials are: castellated PVC 76 wet / 85 dry, Olympic Grip 71 wet / 102 dry, smooth textured PVC 56 wet / 65 dry, and the aluminium inserts 54 wet / 82 dry. Castellated PVC is the workhorse, with fine longitudinal ribs, the widest colour range and the best wet figure of the group. Olympic Grip is a coarse gritted band for the busiest flights. Smooth textured is the flatter, quieter look for lighter-traffic stairs. The aluminium inserts are chosen for appearance rather than grip, so keep them away from high-traffic or wet routes.

On contrast: the manufacturer publishes a light reflectance value for every insert colour, which is what lets you specify the edge against the tread rather than guess at it. The range runs from Black castellated PVC at LRV 4.25 up to White at LRV 84.22, with Yellow at 54.91, Porth Stone at 52.91 and Polar Grey at 42.53 in between. The greater the difference between the insert's LRV and the LRV of the adjoining floor finish, the more clearly the nose reads underfoot. The full per-colour table is in the datasheet. Note that a metal insert in a metal carrier gives you almost no contrast at all, so choose one for looks rather than for legibility.

Where it belongs

The manufacturer specifies this profile for stairs with low to medium traffic volumes, and states that heavy foot traffic and impact damage can wear through the finish to reveal the natural aluminium beneath. Read that as the boundary of the specification, not as small print: it suits offices, shops, surgeries, shared stairs in apartment blocks and domestic flights, and it is the right profile for 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 other genuinely heavy-traffic public flight, ask us for a heavy-duty profile instead and we will quote one.

It is an internal profile, and we would rather say so than sell you the wrong thing. It is not intended for external steps, weather-exposed entrance thresholds or wet processing areas. Those need a glass-fibre reinforced insert in a mill aluminium carrier, which is a different build of the same extrusion; ask us and we will quote it.

Specifications

Need a length that is not 1m or 2m?

Order the same profile cut to your exact tread width, anywhere from 700mm to 2500mm, cut to within 5mm before it ships. Buy the stock bars here when your goings are close to a round metre and you are happy to trim on site; buy cut when the measurements are awkward or you want the nosings to arrive ready to fix.

Installation, use and care

Fix mechanically with countersunk screws into plugs, at roughly 300mm centres and no closer than 50mm to either end, onto a substrate that is sound, dry and level. Pilot the holes on timber. A bed of grab adhesive under the tread plate alongside the screws removes the drumming you otherwise get from a mechanically fixed profile on a hollow tread. Cut with a fine-tooth blade and de-burr the end before fitting. Clean with a neutral-pH detergent and a damp mop, and avoid solvent cleaners and abrasive pads, which will dull an anodised finish. The PVC inserts are replaceable, so a tread edge that takes a hammering can be renewed without lifting the extrusion.

Frequently asked questions

How many bars do I need?

One per step, cut to the width of the going. A 900mm tread takes one 1 metre bar with a little to trim; a 1.8 metre tread takes one 2 metre bar. Buying 2 metre bars to cut into two shorter pieces rarely pays once you allow for the saw kerf and the de-burring.

Can I use this on outdoor steps?

No. This build is for interior stairs. External steps need a glass-fibre reinforced insert, which we supply as a separate specification.

Which insert should I specify?

Castellated PVC for most jobs: the manufacturer gives it an SRV of 76 wet and 85 dry, the best wet figure of the range, and it comes in 21 colours. Olympic Grip is the coarser option at 71 wet and 102 dry, worth having where people arrive from outside with wet shoes. Bear in mind the manufacturer rates this profile for low to medium traffic overall, so for a genuinely heavy-traffic flight ask us about a heavy-duty profile rather than relying on the insert alone.

Will it sit flush over my existing floor covering?

That is what the raked back is for. The tread plate thins to 1mm at its back edge, so it laps onto an existing vinyl, LVT or laminate without leaving a step. Over thick carpet you would normally lift the covering back and tuck it to the nosing instead.

Can I replace just the insert later?

Yes. The insert is a separate strip held in the channel, so a worn or damaged band can be renewed without disturbing the aluminium carrier or the fixings.