ISO 13746:2019

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 13746
Second edition
2019-06
Textile floor coverings — Guidelines
for installation and use on stairs
Revêtements de sol textiles — Lignes directrices pour la mise en
oeuvre et l'utilisation sur les escaliers
Reference number
©
ISO 2019
© ISO 2019
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ii © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Criteria for the assessment of stair suitability . 2
4.1 General . 2
4.2 Pile carpets . 2
4.3 Flat needled floor covering . 4
4.4 Pile needled floor covering . 5
4.5 Carpets without pile . 6
5 Design . 7
5.1 General . 7
5.2 Planning and layout . 7
6 Installation . 8
6.1 Carpet gripper method . 8
6.2 Direct stick method . 8
6.3 Protective stair nosings . 8
Bibliography . 9
Foreword
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URL: www .iso .org/iso/foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 219, Floor coverings.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 13746:2000), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
— this document has been aligned with EN 1307:2014+A3: 2018, Annex C;
— a reference to ISO 1766, ISO 12951 and ISO 4919 has been added.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
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iv © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

Introduction
Although the aspect of suitability of carpets for use on stairs is worldwide, different countries
have approached its solution from different perspectives, e.g. not guaranteeing carpets on stairs,
recommending that carpets be periodically moved on stairs, accepting that the wear life on stairs can
be half that in the equivalent flat location, use of proprietary stair nosings, etc.
Associated with some of these perspectives is tacit acceptance of test methods, although no universal
test method exists to predict the property for all carpet types.
In order to define the perspectives more closely, ISO/TC 38/SC 12 (the then responsible TC) circulated
a questionnaire to its participating experts. From the replies, it became apparent that problems with
carpets on stairs can be centred on three different characteristics:
— wear to the backing, particularly on stair nosings;
— tuft loss;
— appearance retention on the treads.
The problem is further complicated by the fact that some countries suggest movement to even out
wear and appearance changes, and also that the use and type of underlay play an important part in the
subsequent performance of the carpet on stairs.
Over the years, in practice, EN 1307 proved to be satisfying on the issue of suitability of carpets for use
on stairs, so it was decided to bring this guideline in line with its Annex C.
For all the above reasons, it was agreed that, until test methods can be developed to cover all
eventualities, this document would be developed as guidelines for the installation and use of textile
floor coverings on stairs.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 13746:2019(E)
Textile floor coverings — Guidelines for installation and
use on stairs
1 Scope
This document provides recommendations for the installation and use of textile floor coverings on stairs
for both residential/domestic and contract/commercial purposes. It covers all products composed of
textile material with a pile or non-pile use surface including the use of such products in tile form.
This document is applicable only to carpets that are intended to be installed without the use of
protective stair nosings. For carpets that are intended to be installed using protective stair nosings, the
overall use class determines the stair suitability.
NOTE 1 The use of stair nosings/edgings in public areas is often the subject of local bye-laws and legislations.
NOTE 2 In many split-level dwellings, a room can have one or two steps between different levels. This situation
differs from a stairway in several important respects:
— the steps are usually wider and therefore traffic intensity in any one place is usually lower;
— the carpet can be bent over steps in either the machine direction or the across-machine direction. On a
stairway, it is normal practice to lay the carpet with the pile lying down the stairs.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 2424, Textile floor coverings — Vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 2424 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https: //www .iso .org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http: //www .electropedia .org/
3.1
stair nosing
junction of the top edge of the riser and the forward edge of the tread
3.2
protective stair nosing
prefabricated, decorative, angled retaining strip made from metal, vinyl, wood, etc., used to eliminate
the need to bend the carpet over the stair nosing (3.1), thereby extending the life of the carpet
3.3
crotch
junction of the lower edge of the riser with the rearmost edge of the stair-tread
4 Criteria for the assessment of stair suitability
4.1 General
The following general recommendations for the installation and use of textile floor coverings on stairs
should be taken in account:
— Foam backed carpets can be used on stairs if recommended by the manufacturer. Because of the
problem of fitting such carpets to stairs, it is preferable that they be totally adhered.
— When carpet tiles are used on stairs, protective stair nosings should be used.
— Special care should be taken in the selection of carpet underlays/carpet cushion to be used on stairs
in both domestic/residential and contract/commercial installations since stairs represent one of
the most demanding areas of use. In order to prevent premature wear, woven carpets with sewn
seams should be used in conjunction with a carpet underlay/carpet cushion which does not allow
the seams to be raised prominent above the general surface level. Thicker, high density underlays
help the carpet to resist wear over stair nosings.
4.2 Pile carpets
For pile textile floor coverings, the thickness of the pile above the substrate measured according to
ISO 1766 should be ≤ 12 mm.
NOTE Thicker carpets can be potential tripping hazards.
If the backing can be seen on a new, unused piece of the carpet when bent at 90° over a (12,5 ± 1) mm
radius, as long as the visible backing is not part of the design, the carpet should be deemed to be
unsuitable.
The appearance of each specimen is tested according to ISO 12951, test B and assessed using at least
three independent assessors according to the characteristics given in Tables 1 or 2. At least 3 out of 4
samples should fulfil the criteria as listed below.
Carpets showing a pile loss of more than 3 tufts when assessed in accordance with Table 1 or Table 2
should be tested and classified according to the pile withdrawal force test given in Table 3.
Carpets fulfilling the following criteria are deemed to classify for occasional stair use:
— spun yarn;
— minimum 50 % natural fibres;
— installed on underlay with a work of compression of (175 ± 25) J/m ;
— overall use class minimum 22;
— fulfilling the minimum criteria for pile withdrawal in Table 3.
2 © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

Table 1 — Suitability of loop pile
Suitability Criteria
Not suitable Extreme changes at the area of the stair edge, e.g.:
— destroyed primary backing, foam or secondary backing;
— visible backing, as long as this is not part of the design;
— more than 3 fully broken loops;
— cob webbing with a fibre length of 15 mm or more.
Suitable for occasional use Moderate changes at the area of the stair edge:
— not more than 3 broken loops over the whole width;
— cob webbing with a fibre length of 5 mm to 15 mm;
— moderate pattern changes at the stair edge compared to areas of
...