Ceramic Tile Hardness Ratings

Hardness and durability pei rating.

Ceramic tile hardness ratings.

The pei rating applies only to glazed tiles. These ratings are the pei rating shade variation v rating and slip rating. The scale ranges from one to five with five being the strongest and most durable. Please note that.

Ceramic and porcelain tiles are rated though most people seem to be more concerned about the pei rating of ceramic tile. The tiles are rated from a soft 1 or talc to 10. It should be noted that the pei rating involves testing of only the surface wear layer of a tile s enamel glazing. It does not measure the fracture strength of the entire tile nor does it offer any rating of the slip resistance of the tile.

The pei rating indicates the tile hardness and these ratings are valuable to help in tile choices for different projects. The moh s scale uses ten fairly common minerals of known hardness and gives each of them a relative value of 1 10. To give the consumer a relative measurement of scratch resistance of tile and stone manufacturers and suppliers use the moh s hardness scale. In hard surface products i e ceramic tile porcelain tile stone tile etc movement joints may require a hard caulk.

Wear ratings help you determine what tiles are a good match with different levels of foot traffic. How do pei ratings differ. Hardness of some common items on the mohs scale. The following ratings have been developed to indicate the level of wear resistance you can expect from your chosen porcelain tiles.

The rule was if the hardness of the glaze was more than 2 calibrations different than the hardness of the body that it would tend to be prone to chipping. A car tire has a shore type d hardness rating of 15 while a hardhat has a hardness rating of 80. Pei rating is an abrasion test performed on glazed porcelain and ceramic tiles. The pei rating is and indication of tile hardness and pei floor ratings are valuable to guide tile choices for different projects.

Use the right tile for the right surface and you ll be a happy consumer. The pei categorization primarily defines the hardness and durability of the various ceramic products that are tested. Tiles with a wear rating of 0 are not recommended for use on floors and are therefore rated w0. Glazed and unglazed tiles are rated for scratch resistance and hardness via the mohs scratch test.

There are different ratings for tiles that determine if the tile is suitable for installation in the chosen area. In other words shore hardness is a measurement of a product s ability to resist a concentrated pressing load.