Yes. Porcelain floor tiles are widely used in shops, offices, airports, hotels and hospitals. The tile must be chosen for the traffic, though. A tile that is fine in a living room can wear, scratch or crack in a busy shopping centre.
Five properties decide whether a tile suits a commercial floor: body, wear resistance, strength, slip resistance and installation. Ask for each one in writing.
Choose the right body
Use porcelain, meaning group BIa under ISO 13006 and EN 14411, with water absorption of 0.5% or less. In Morbi this is sold as vitrified tile. The dense body gives higher strength than ceramic tiles with higher absorption.
For the heaviest traffic, full-body or double-charge tiles are a safer choice than glazed tiles. In a full-body tile, the colour runs through the whole thickness, so wear and chips show less. Read full-body vitrified tiles for the details.
Check wear resistance
- For glazed tiles, ask for the PEI class from ISO 10545-7. Class 4 suits most commercial areas, and class 5 suits the heaviest foot traffic.
- For unglazed tiles, ask for deep abrasion to ISO 10545-6. European data sheets show a maximum of 175 mm³ for group BIa.
- For polished tiles, remember that gloss can dull in busy walkways even when the body is strong.
- Choose a matt or textured finish for entrances, where grit is heaviest.
PEI classes are explained in what PEI rating you need.
Check strength and thickness
Breaking strength is tested to ISO 10545-4. Data sheets for group BIa porcelain show a minimum of 1,300 N for tiles 7.5 mm or thicker, and a modulus of rupture of at least 35 N/mm². Commercial floors with trolleys, pallet trucks or vehicles need more than the minimum.
Thickness adds strength. Standard floor tiles are often around 8 to 10 mm. For areas with wheeled loads, ask about thicker tiles. Outdoor parking areas usually need much thicker tiles on a properly prepared base.
Check slip resistance
Commercial floors often have legal or insurance requirements for slip resistance. In Europe, specifiers commonly ask for an R rating to DIN 51130 or a pendulum value. In the US, ANSI A326.3 sets a wet DCOF of at least 0.42 for level interior floors expected to be walked on when wet.
Polished tiles often fail wet slip tests. Our guide to slip resistance and R ratings explains which test applies where.
Installation matters as much
Most commercial tile failures start below the tile. A weak screed, hollow spots under the tile or missing movement joints cause cracks that no tile can resist. Large tiles need full adhesive coverage and a flat base.
Tell your customers to use a suitable adhesive, such as a class C2 cementitious adhesive to EN 12004, and to follow local installation codes. Supply spare tiles from the same batch so that broken tiles can be replaced to match.
Next step
We match commercial projects to plants that can document wear, strength and slip results on the exact product. To review a project specification, book a free sourcing review.