The Different Grades of Anti-Slip Tape

At Heskins, we always manufacture and supply various grades of anti-slip tape. By grades, we mean the size of the mineral that we apply to the tape base, from very fine grit to a very coarse grit. You can effectively assume the construction is similar to sandpaper, but with additional advanced manuf­ac­turing technologies implemented to achieve maximum manuf­ac­turing quality and performance during usage. Increasing the usage of our anti-slip tape, to be made viable to a larger audience has been very important in helping our company grow, thus allowing us to work on further innovations, our non-abrasive slip-resistant tape being another vital component in our range of products.

The different grades you will find to be the most popular, therefore the most widely used, are:

• Standard: Our most popular abrasive slip-resistant tape grade, due to its ability to be used in a wide range of areas. The abrasive coating applies itself to many internal and external uses, including some wet areas if footwear is always used. This is graded as 60 grit.
• Coarse: As the name suggests, the minerals are of a larger size than standard, meaning it is more abrasive and allows anti-slip surfaces to be applied in areas that are subject to exposure from loose dirt or viscous liquids. This is graded as 36 grit.
• X-Coarse: This is the most abrasive material, totally unique, its grit is so large, creating such large valleys in-between the peaks, that it is suitable for use in areas that are exposed to dirt such as mud, clay and even snow & ice. This is an exclusively industrial grade material, with a thick backing plastic carrier and a higher grade ( HG ) adhesive to prevent failure. This is graded as 30 grit.

The popular grit choice for Heskins anti slip tape is aluminium oxide. This is a diamond-hard substance that is crushed and applied to our product, bonded to the backing with resin, then using a static bar to ensure the sharpest ends point upwards, another lighter coat of resin is applied to fix them in place, and prevent grit shedding and increase durability. This is a great substance that has very slow degradation, so will last for years if the application has been done properly and measures have been put in place to ensure the application itself is prolonged as possible.

Over the years, our research and development have allowed us to produce many variants which can apply themselves to many situations.

Safety-Grip – Our flagship material, seen as the standard in slip prevention, is a simple, yet durable slip-resistant tape is a 60 to 36 grit material, designed to be applied in most circum­stances and perform well. In dry or damp conditions, indoors or outdoors, this material will provide suitable slip protection on walkways, steps, ramps and more. Our coarser grades will give efficient slip protection in ice, snow and mud, allowing their use on construction sites, farms and more.

Conformable – With a surface similar to our Safety-Grip, conformable has the unique feature of a backing made from aluminium foil. Named as to its performance, it will literally conform to any irregular surface, such as metal diamond tread. Application over an irregular surface such as metal plate, with gentle persuasion with a rubber mallet or pressure roller, means that once it applies to the surface, it will not attempt to revert back to its flat shape, leaving you with a well applied anti slip surface that will perform for years.

Skateboard Grip Tape – Available in industry-standard 80 grit or 60 grit variants, skateboard grip tape performs best when it allows a sure footing, but freedom of movement too. The Worlds best skatebo­arders all have a preference to the grip tape and shoes used, allowing them expert control of their board to perform tricks with the confidence to land them expertly.

Longboard Grip Tape – Similar to skateboard grip tape, but manufactured with a backing that can resist the temperatures that operating a longboard create, as to prevent quicker degradation of the material, requiring it to be changed more frequently.

Chemical Resistant Anti Slip Tape – Exposure to various chemicals in the workplace can have an effect on the durability and performance of slip resistant tape, so to combat this, we developed Safety-Grip with a chemical resistant backing and resin, of which bonds the aluminium oxide grit granules to the backing. We have tested these by submerging them in many chemicals, and recording the results, then altering the materials used during the manuf­ac­turing process to ensure that it resists degradation by many common chemicals found in industrial envi­ron­ments.

Transparent Anti Slip Tape – Developed after the discovery of S2 (a form of silica which is a derivative of sand), glass beads which are completely translucent, allowing the creation of an effective, clear grip tape. Clear anti-slip tape is useful for areas which require incon­spi­cuous slip prevention, as to not affect the aesthetics of a particular environment or surface. Environments considered for its use are ones which are natural, or designed to look a certain way or to allow graphics for display or advertising purposes to still be shown without affecting the safety of the people around it.

Glow in the Dark Anti Slip Tape – Perfect for highlighting potential hazards in low light areas or lights out situation, whilst providing superb slip prevention. Once created as novel, it has now become a very popular material that lends itself to many appli­cations. The photolu­min­escent finish is created by impregnating the plastic backing and the resin that bonds the grit granules to it. Glow in the dark anti-slip tape is a standard 60 grit grade in all its abrasive variants.

We produce rolls of complete glow in the dark slip-resistant tape and variants where the glow in the dark is a constituent.

Marine Anti Slip Tape – Our latest innovation in abrasive anti-slip tape, and completely unique. This is our first anti-slip product specifically designed for the marine industry. It’s constructed with our aforem­en­tioned S2 grit, like our transparent grip tape, yet the major difference is that the resin and backing is salt resistant, allowing it to be used for a long time out in the open seas, on commercial or pleasure craft. This construction allows it to be used in relaxed envi­ron­ments, without harming bare skin, or in demanding envi­ron­ments, it will perform effectively.

Marine anti slip tape is a standard 60 grit grade material.

All of these can be offered in a massive range of sizes & shapes, with some offering colour options and print possi­bili­ties. Dependent on order quantity, we can create a specific anti-slip solution which is unique to your business, our massive fleet of post-production machines and range of custom services can help you achieve the most efficient and cost-effective anti-slip solution possible.

For more information, visit the website or contact us by phone, email, live chat or our simple contact us form.

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