What Is A Pei Rating For Ceramic Tile

Pei is the abbreviation for porcelain enamel institute.

What is a pei rating for ceramic tile.

The pei rating is and indication of tile hardness and pei floor ratings are valuable to guide tile choices for different projects. A rating of 1 means the tile can be used on very light wear areas and should only be installed in rooms where people use soft footwear such as sneakers or slipper. Tile with this rating is not suitable for installation on floors. 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 tiles are rated from a soft 1 or talc to 10. The pei categorization primarily defines the hardness and durability of the various ceramic products that are tested. Up to 154 revolutions.

Tile with this rating should only be used on walls and is not practical for counters or walls. The pei rating applies only to glazed tiles. For this reason the pei value is shown in tile catalogues as the requirement for the individual article rather than for the series as a whole which may have lighter and darker tiles. The pei rating class begins with a 0 rating which is best suited for light duty applications in homes.

The pei rating only refers to a tile s strength and suitability for a particular application. Glazed and unglazed tiles are rated for scratch resistance and hardness via the mohs scratch test. It is not an indicator of the tile s overall quality or value. In many cases some of the most beautiful and costly tiles have a pei 1 or 2 rating.

Pei rating 5 tiles represents the highest pei score which means that tiles with such a rating are resistant to visible wear with very high amounts of traffic. A pei rating is given to a tile product based the hardness of its glaze. Ceramic and porcelain tiles are rated though most people seem to be more concerned about the. If you step up to a 1 rating product the tile is suitable for use on walls in both residential and commercial buildings.

Glazed tiles in this class are wall tiles only and unsuitable for use on floors. Please note that through body porcelain tiles do not have a pei rating as they are very hard wearing. This hardness is determined by the manufacturer using a standardized test. The results of this test will determine the proper usage of a product.

Pei ratings porcelain enamel institute all glazed floor tiles are classified under a porcelain enamel institute pei rating for the suitability of fixing in a particular location.