Footwear Slip Resistance Testing: Methods and Standards

Slip‑and‑fall accidents represent one of the leading sources of occupational injury across many industries. When footwear loses sufficient grip against walking surfaces, workers may suffer sprains, fractures, and long‑term physical harm. 

Dynamic friction between shoe outsole and floor surface governs whether stable walking can be maintained. If kinetic friction becomes insufficient, sliding movement takes place, which may result in falls and bodily damage. For occupational and safety footwear, slip resistance performance directly protects human bodies from such avoidable harm. 

Footwear is not only worn for comfort and fashion; it also delivers critical safety protection for people working under complex floor conditions. 

According to relevant footwear research, properly designed outsole structures with suitable rubber materials can achieve high kinetic coefficient of friction on ceramic tile, wood and PVC substrates under lubricated conditions. Slip‑resistance has evolved beyond an optional technical feature and become a key safety indicator, especially for personal protective footwear used in high‑risk workplaces.

To objectively verify real‑world slip‑resistance performance of finished shoes or sole components, a footwear slip resistance testing machine is deployed for laboratory measurement.

The footwear slip resistance tester applies predetermined vertical load, selects different test medium surfaces including wood, PVC and ceramic tile, sets defined friction cycles and sliding speed, and measures the friction coefficient of shoe outsoles. Test results are expressed as kinetic coefficient of friction values to judge footwear slip‑resistance quality. GESTER’s computer‑operated footwear slip test equipment supports testing complying with multiple international test standards.

Many global footwear brands require testing with formal standards, especially with ISO, ASTM, SATRA, BS‑EN, GB and JIS specifications. Because these standards have clearly defined testing methods, procedures and suitable equipment required for accurate testing.

ISO 13287 Slip Resistance Test for Protective Footwear

This test measures footwear’s ability to resist slipping under defined vertical load and horizontal traction on test surfaces, with optional lubricant contaminant. During the test, the technician mounts footwear sample, applies vertical load, drives relative horizontal movement and records dynamic friction coefficient dataISO.

ISO 20344 Footwear General Test Methods

It contains general testing framework for PPE footwear, including requirements for slip‑resistance assessment.

SATRA TM144 Friction & Slip Resistance Test

This method measures friction coefficient between footwear outsole and various flooring mediums under dry, wet or oily contaminated conditions, widely used in footwear R&D and third‑party certification labsSATRA.

ASTM F2013

ASTM F2013 Slip Resistance Test evaluates kinetic friction performance for whole footwear under different test medium and contaminant settings. This helps footwear engineers to select suitable outsole material and optimize tread design processes.

Laboratory Steps for Accurate Footwear Slip Resistance Measurement

Accurate footwear slip resistance evaluation requires controlled laboratory environments and standardized operating workflows.

Samples are pre‑conditioned under standard temperature‑humidity settings to stabilise outsole material properties, as temperature and humidity can modify rubber hardness and frictional characteristics. Test footwear shall be firmly mounted without movement or distortion, ensuring the outsole maintains full, stable contact with test surfaces.

The testing machine applies defined vertical predetermined load. The test bench moves horizontally relative to fixed footwear specimens via lateral traction force. The equipment captures dynamic friction force data and calculates the kinetic coefficient of friction. Multiple repeated measurements (3‑5 replicates) for each sample are averaged to minimise statistical noise.

Some standards mandate testing under lubricated glycerin conditions. Lubricated‑surface test data deliver more realistic performance insights than dry‑surface‑only measurements, particularly for occupational footwear exposed to wet or oily workplace floors.

The computer‑controlled footwear slip resistance testing machine relies on reliable mechanical drive and high‑precision force‑sensing systems. The equipment supports multiple interchangeable test surfaces such as wood, PVC and ceramic tile according to standard requirements.

Force sensors record vertical applied load and horizontal frictional force during horizontal relative movement. The whole measurement process captures force data continuously. The system computes kinetic friction coefficient and stores test curves for later review.

GESTER’s computer‑driven footwear slip resistance tester enables one‑touch test sequence execution. It automatically calculates kinetic coefficient of friction and supports a wide set of global testing standards including ISO 13287, GB/T 28287, ASTM F2013, BS EN 13204, SATRA TM144, QT/T 724F, ISO 20344 and JIS T 8101.

Kinetic coefficient of friction is the core output parameter generated during slip‑resistance testing. Higher kinetic friction coefficient readings indicate stronger anti‑slip performance under given surface‑contaminant combinations. It is critical to note that friction coefficients are valid only for the exact test surface, lubricant condition, applied load and sliding speed specified in each standard.

Key test variables include alternative test medium surfaces (wood, PVC, ceramic tile), lubricant type (glycerin for contaminated‑surface simulation), magnitude of vertical applied load, sliding speed and total repetition cycles. These parameters must follow requirements laid out in corresponding international or national standards.

To maintain the consistency of testing results across different regions in the world, laboratories test the footwear samples with international footwear slip resistance testing standards like ISO, ASTM, SATRA, BS‑EN, GB/T and JIS. These standards have clearly defined and explained the testing procedures, laboratory conditioning requirements, equipment specifications and evaluation calculation methods.

Advanced testers, such as computer‑operated footwear slip resistance testers, have automatic software‑driven systems to maintain uniform testing conditions throughout the whole test workflow, like load control, movement speed setting, friction‑cycle counting and automatic reports generation. This enhances overall laboratory testing efficiency and produces accurate, repeatable test data.

ISO 13287 is one of the most widely‑recognised global test standards for PPE footwear slip‑resistance. SATRA TM144 and GB/T 28287 are also extensively used across different regional markets.

Slip‑resistant footwear protects workers against slip‑and‑fall injuries when they work on wet, oily or contaminated floor surfaces. It serves as critical personal‑safety equipment for occupational‑site risk reduction.