At a glance
| Class | Group | Intensity | Description (ISO 10874:2009, Table 1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Domestic | Moderate/Light | Areas with low or intermittent use |
| 22 | Domestic | General/Medium | Areas with medium use |
| 22+ | Domestic | General | Areas with medium to heavy use |
| 23 | Domestic | Heavy | Areas with heavy use |
| 31 | Commercial | Moderate | Areas with low or intermittent use |
| 32 | Commercial | General | Areas with medium use |
| 33 | Commercial | Heavy | Areas with heavy use |
| 34 | Commercial | Very heavy | Areas with intense use |
| 41 | Light industrial | Moderate | Work mainly sedentary, occasional use of light vehicles |
| 42 | Light industrial | General | Work mainly standing and/or with vehicular traffic |
| 43 | Light industrial | Heavy | Other light industrial areas |
Class names and descriptions are from Table 1 of ISO 10874:2009 (first edition), read through a publisher preview on 8 Nov 2026. The current British edition, BS EN ISO 10874:2012+A1:2020, was not read: confirm the wording against it.
What a usage class is
The usage-class scheme grades floor coverings by how hard a space is used: domestic 21 to 23, commercial 31 to 34, light industrial 41 to 43, with a 22+ between 22 and 23. It began as EN 685. The table above is Table 1 of ISO 10874:2009 (first edition), the international text that EN 685 fed into, read through a publisher preview this session. In the standard, the classes are “based on practical requirements for areas of use and intensity of use and … linked to the requirements specified in the relevant International Standard for each type of floor covering”. In other words a class is a promise made against a product standard, not a free-standing measurement.
The standard also says the specifier should decide whether a higher or lower class than the one recommended will do, that other properties should be considered and specified in the manufacturer’s product specifications, and that wear and appearance are affected by installation, maintenance, the subfloor, the kind of use (including footwear) and concentrated traffic. So a class is a starting point for a conversation with the supplier.
Edition, status and scope
Check which edition a claim cites. BSI Knowledge shows BS EN 685:2007 as withdrawn on 31 March 2012. A standards-reseller listing shows BS EN ISO 10874:2012+A1:2020 as current (published 17 November 2020) and as superseding BS EN 685:2007; the 2012 edition without the amendment is shown as withdrawn on 17 November 2020 in a search summary. The text we read is the 2009 ISO first edition, whose bibliography cites EN 685. We did not read the current British edition, so confirm the class wording and any informative annex of example rooms against it before relying on this table in a contract.
The scheme’s scope matters as much as its edition. ISO 10874 classifies resilient, textile and laminate floor coverings. Solid and engineered wood are not named in its scope. Wood flooring has its own product standards and a marking standard (see wood flooring standards map), and we found no use-class system in BSI’s description of the marking standard, which we did not read. A “class 34” printed against a wood or end-grain timber floor therefore needs a stated basis: which standard, which edition, which test, whose report.
Testing a wear claim
| What the brochure says | What it can mean | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| “Class 33” or “class 34” | A usage class under EN 685 or ISO 10874, for a floor type the scheme covers. | Which standard and edition; which product standard it is linked to; the declaration or test report for this exact product. |
| “AC4”, “AC5” | An abrasion class for laminate under its product standard (EN 13329). It is a wear-layer rating, not the same thing as a usage class, and one source notes a high AC class says nothing about scratch or fade resistance. | The edition of the laminate standard, and the usage class the maker links to that AC level. |
| “Commercial grade”, “heavy duty”, “contract” | No defined meaning that we found. | A class or test result, with its standard. |
| “Rated by the maker” | The class is the maker’s own assessment, which may not be an independent test. | What the rating rests on: a standard, a test house, a report, or an internal judgement. |
| Species hardness figures | A measure of the timber’s resistance to indentation, quoted by suppliers. | The test method and edition. It is not a usage class. |
| Finish durability (oil, lacquer) | How the surface coating copes with wear; separate from the floor’s class. | The finish system and the maintenance regime the claim assumes. |
Class numbers also say nothing about slip, fire or acoustics. For those see slip resistance for floors, floor reaction to fire and acoustics for wood floors.
Using the class in a specification
For a hotel, restaurant or retail floor the useful move is to turn the claim into a sentence you could defend in front of a client: “this floor is classified [class] under [standard, edition], evidenced by [report]”. If the sentence cannot be completed, the class is a sales statement. Then add what a class cannot say: the finish, the maintenance, the subfloor and the footwear.
- Choose against use, not the highest number. The standard leaves it to the specifier to decide whether a higher or lower class is enough.
- Pair the class with the finish and the aftercare. See timber floor finishes compared and specifying timber floors for high-traffic interiors.
- Do not substitute a class for a wood-flooring grade. Grades describe appearance (wood flooring grades), classes describe intensity of use.
- End-grain and engineered floors. Ask what evidence supports a heavy-traffic statement for the construction and finish you are specifying; see end-grain timber block flooring and solid vs engineered wood flooring.
Specification wording
Paste into your schedule or specification and replace anything in [square brackets] with your own figures. Wording is a starting point: your specification governs.
The floor covering is to be classified [class] ([commercial: heavy / very heavy]) in accordance with [BS EN ISO 10874:2012+A1:2020 / edition confirmed by the supplier]. The supplier is to state the floor-covering product standard and edition to which the class is linked and to supply the declaration of performance or test report for the product and finish supplied.
Where the floor is solid or engineered wood, end-grain timber or another type not named in the scope of the classification standard, the supplier is to state in writing the basis for any wear or traffic rating given: standard, edition, test method, test house and report reference. A rating by the maker without a stated basis is not accepted as evidence [or: is accepted only with the designer’s written approval].
The rating is to be stated for the finish system specified [ ], with the maintenance regime assumed, and the supplier is to supply a care sheet for the handover pack.
Terms used on this page
- Usage class
- A rating of a floor covering by intensity of use: domestic, commercial or light industrial, as set out in EN 685 and ISO 10874.
- Intensity of use
- How hard an area is used: from low or intermittent to intense. Classes are based on it.
- Abrasion class (AC)
- A wear-layer rating for laminate floor coverings under their product standard. Not the same as a usage class.
- Withdrawn standard
- A standard that the standards body has taken out of use, usually replaced. BS EN 685:2007 is withdrawn.
- Declaration of performance
- A document in which a manufacturer declares the performance of a construction product against a standard.
Standards and sources
- ISO 10874:2009, Resilient, textile and laminate floor coverings: Classification: first edition; scope, section 2 and Table 1 read in a 3-page preview, 8 Nov 2026.
- BS EN ISO 10874:2012+A1:2020: listed as current by a standards reseller, published 17 Nov 2020; confirm against BSI; text not read.
- BS EN 685:2007: withdrawn 31 Mar 2012 per BSI Knowledge; replaced by the ISO text.
- BS EN 13329:2023, Laminate floor coverings: BSI Knowledge: current; AC classes belong to this family of standards; not read.
Questions we are asked
What does class 34 mean on flooring?
In the ISO 10874 scheme, class 34 is the commercial class for very heavy use, described as areas with intense use. It is linked to the requirements in the product standard for the type of floor covering, so ask which standard, which edition and for the report.
Is EN 685 still current?
No. BSI Knowledge shows BS EN 685:2007 as withdrawn on 31 March 2012. The scheme continues in BS EN ISO 10874, listed as current in its 2012+A1:2020 edition. Confirm the edition a supplier cites.
Does class 34 apply to wood flooring?
ISO 10874 classifies resilient, textile and laminate floor coverings and does not name solid or engineered wood. A class 34 claim on a wood or end-grain floor needs a stated basis: the standard, test and report behind it.
Is AC5 the same as class 33 or 34?
No. AC is an abrasion class for laminate under its own product standard; a usage class is a different scheme. Ask which usage class the maker links to a given AC level, and where that is written.
Should I always choose the highest class?
No. The standard leaves the specifier to decide whether a higher or lower class than the one recommended will be sufficient, and says wear also depends on installation, maintenance, subfloor, footwear and concentrated traffic.
What should I ask a supplier who quotes a class?
Which standard and edition, which product standard the class is linked to, the declaration or test report for this exact product and finish, and the maintenance regime the rating assumes.
Download the factsheet
A two-page A4 PDF with the eleven usage classes, the scope and status of the scheme, and the questions to test a class claim.