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If you’re looking into flooring for a space—whether it’s a hospital, school, office, or even a train station—chances are you’ve come across PVC flooring. Also called “resilient flooring,” it’s become a go-to choice for so many places because it’s comfortable underfoot, looks nice, and checks the box for eco-friendliness. But as it gets used more and more, one question pops up often: how do you know if a PVC floor is actually good quality? That’s where performance evaluation standards come in. They’re not just fancy rules—they help make sure the flooring you pick holds up, keeps people safe, and works for your specific space. Let’s break down what these standards look like now, the key things to check in a PVC floor, and where these standards might go next.

First: A Quick Background on PVC Floor Standards in China

We’ve been setting standards for PVC flooring in China since the 1980s. The early ones—like GB/T 4085-1983 for semi-rigid block floors and GB/T 11982.1-1989 for roll floors—covered the basics, making sure the two main types of PVC flooring at the time were consistent. But over 30 years, PVC floors have gotten more varied, and the tech behind them has gotten better. So those old standards have been updated again and again.

Today, there’s a set of standards that each focus on different types of PVC flooring. For example:

GB/T 11982.1-2015 is for “heterogeneous” roll floors (think layers of different materials)

GB/T 11982.2-2015 is for “homogeneous” roll floors (one consistent material all the way through)

GB/T 34440-2017 is specifically for rigid PVC floors

HG/T 3747.3-2014 targets flame-retardant flexible PVC floors

These standards cover the basics: how the floor looks, its size, physical traits like whether it warps when heated, and even environmental safety. But when it comes to the most important performance factors—the ones that affect how long the floor lasts or how safe it is—there are still some gaps. Let’s dive into those.

The Key PVC Floor Traits You Should Care About (And How Standards Measure Them)

Most standards agree on small details like “does the floor have scratches?” or “does it change size when it’s hot?” But the big stuff—like how well it resists wear, fire, or slips—needs more clarity. Here’s what you need to know about each:

1. Wear Resistance: How to Tell If It’ll Last

No one wants a floor that starts looking beat-up after a few months, especially in high-traffic spots like schools or train stations. Right now, there are three ways to test how well PVC floors resist wear:

The “general abrasion method”: This uses a sandpaper-covered wheel to rub the floor, then someone visually checks the damage. The problem? Sandpaper roughness can vary, and it’s subjective—one person might call a scratch “minor,” another “bad.”

The FRICK-TABER method: This one’s better. It uses a wheel to roll over tiny 金刚砂 (carborundum) on the floor, then measures how much of the floor’s volume is lost. It’s more like real-life wear (think shoes scuffing) and removes guesswork—numbers don’t lie.

Testing PVC resin content: This indirectly guesses wear resistance by measuring how much PVC resin is in the floor. But it’s rarely used because it doesn’t actually reflect how the floor holds up in real use.

The takeaway? The FRICK-TABER method is the most reliable. Future standards will probably make this the go-to test so you can compare different floors easily.

2. Fire Safety: Why the B1 Rating Matters

Fire safety is non-negotiable, especially in public spaces. Most standards say to test fire performance using GB 8624-2012 (a national fire test standard), but here’s the catch: they don’t say what rating the floor needs to pass.

Thankfully, a 2018 update changed that. GB 50222-2017 (the national building fire code) says that in almost every space where PVC floors are used—hospitals, offices, schools—they need a B1 rating. B1 means the floor is flame-retardant: it won’t catch fire easily, burns slowly, and doesn’t spread flames.

The next step? Future PVC floor standards will likely make the B1 rating a requirement, so you don’t have to guess if a floor is fire-safe.

3. Slip Resistance: The Hidden Safety Factor

If you’re putting flooring in a kindergarten or elderly care home, slip resistance is make-or-break. But right now, there’s no clear “safe” limit in standards. Here’s how it’s tested:

The domestic way: Uses a rubber pad to measure friction between the pad and the floor. It’s simple, but it doesn’t account for real-life scenarios (like a wet floor).

The German DIN 51130 method: Testers wear special shoes and walk on an oiled floor, tilting the floor until it’s slippery. This is more realistic, but not all standards use it.

The problem? Without a clear safety limit, it’s hard to know if a floor is safe for your space. Future standards will probably create a test that’s specific to PVC floors and set clear “safe” levels.

4. Antibacterial Performance: A Gap for Sensitive Spaces

Hospitals or clinics need floors that don’t grow mold or bacteria. But PVC floors themselves don’t fight microbes—they need added antibacterial agents. The issue? Only one current standard (GB/T 34440-2017, for rigid PVC floors) mentions mold resistance. All other standards ignore antibacterial traits entirely.

That means some floors might not be hygienic enough for sensitive spaces. Later on, standards will likely add clear antibacterial tests (borrowing methods from plastic or wood-plastic products) and set grades based on where the floor is used—like “medical-grade” vs. “residential-grade.”

5. Antistatic Performance: For Tech or Clean Spaces

Data centers, labs, or clean workshops can’t have static electricity—even a small spark could ruin equipment. PVC floors are great here because they don’t collect dust, but current standards don’t mention antistatic requirements.

But other codes do: For example, GB 50174-2017 (data center design) says floors need a surface resistance between 2.5×10⁴ Ω and 1.0×10⁹ Ω. Future PVC standards will probably add these numbers, so you can be sure the floor works for tech-heavy or clean spaces.

6. Sound Insulation: A Hidden Benefit That Needs Highlighting

If you’ve ever lived in an apartment, you know how annoying floor noise (like someone walking above you) can be. PVC floors help because they’re elastic—they absorb impact sound. But the main building sound code (GB 50118-2010) doesn’t mention PVC floors as a sound solution.

Right now, contractors test PVC floor sound insulation using two standards (GB/T 19889.6 and 19889.8), but there’s no consistency. Future standards will likely fix this, making it easier to see how well a PVC floor reduces noise—and helping it become more popular in green buildings.

What’s Next for PVC Floor Standards?

As PVC floors get used in more places—from tiny clinics to huge airports—the standards need to keep up. Here’s what’s coming:

A single, unified test for wear resistance (the FRICK-TABER method)

Clear B1 fire rating requirements

Specific slip resistance tests and safety limits

Antibacterial grades for different spaces

Antistatic rules that match data centers and clean rooms

Sound insulation tests that align with building codes

For you—whether you’re an architect picking floors for a project or a business owner renovating—this means clearer, more reliable standards. You’ll know exactly what to look for, and you won’t have to guess if a PVC floor is right for your space.

At the end of the day, PVC flooring is popular for a reason: it’s versatile, durable, and eco-friendly. With better standards, it’ll only get better—making it an even smarter choice for modern spaces.