FeRFA types 1 to 8: what your resin floor quote actually means
Key takeaways
- FeRFA classifies resin floors into eight types by build-up and thickness, running from a floor seal at up to 150 microns through to heavy duty resin flooring above 6mm. The current classification is the October 2024 edition.
- FeRFA is the Resin Flooring Association, a trade association. Its classification is industry guidance, not a British Standard. The British Standard is BS 8204-6:2008+A1:2010.
- The type number is the most useful single line on a resin quote, because it tells you what construction and thickness category is being offered. It does not make two systems equivalent. FeRFA is clear that service life and suitability turn on the product formulation, the substrate and the conditions the floor works in.
- Types 4, 5 and 6 sit close together on paper and behave very differently in service. This is where most quote comparisons go wrong.
- Thickness is the headline and preparation is what decides the outcome. A thick system bonded to laitance, contamination or a wet slab is at risk whatever the type number says. Thickness does not compensate for a system that is wrong for the conditions either.
Classification and standard references on this page were checked as at 29 August 2026.
What is a FeRFA type?
A shorthand for the build-up of a resin floor. FeRFA, the Resin Flooring Association, publishes a classification that sorts resin floor finishes into eight types by construction and thickness and the UK resin flooring industry writes its quotes, specifications and data sheets in that vocabulary. When a contractor quotes you “a Type 5 flow applied system”, the type tells you what kind of floor it is before you get to the product name.
The reason to learn it is commercial rather than technical. Two quotes for the same room can differ by a factor of three because one is a coating and the other is a screed and unless you know which is which the cheaper one looks like a better deal. The type number is what turns two prices into a comparison of like with like on construction and thickness. It is a starting point rather than the whole answer, because two systems carrying the same type number can still differ in chemistry and in performance.
Is FeRFA a British Standard?
No and this distinction is worth getting right. FeRFA is a trade association representing resin flooring contractors, manufacturers and suppliers. Its Types 1 to 8 classification is industry guidance produced by that association. It is widely used across the UK resin flooring market, which is what makes it a useful common vocabulary, but wide use does not give a trade association classification the standing of a standard. It is not a British Standard and it does not carry the status of one.
The British Standard for this work is BS 8204-6:2008+A1:2010, the code of practice covering synthetic resin floorings within the BS 8204 series on screeds, bases and in-situ floorings. That is the standard a specification should reference for workmanship, substrate requirements and the performance of the finished floor.
Both matter and they do different jobs. The FeRFA classification tells you what kind of floor is being offered. BS 8204-6 tells you how it should be specified and laid. A quote that cites a FeRFA type and works to BS 8204-6 is telling you something useful about both.
The eight FeRFA types
| Type | Name | Thickness | Duty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Floor Seal | Up to 150 microns | Light |
| 2 | Floor Coating | 150 to 300 microns | Light to medium |
| 3 | High Build Floor Coating | 300 to 1,000 microns | Medium |
| 4 | Multi-layer Flooring | Above 2mm | Medium to heavy |
| 5 | Flow Applied Flooring | 2 to 3mm | Medium to heavy |
| 6 | Resin Screed Flooring | Above 4mm | Medium to heavy |
| 7 | Heavy Duty Flowable Flooring | 4 to 6mm | Heavy to very heavy |
| 8 | Heavy Duty Resin Flooring | Above 6mm | Very heavy |
Type 8 systems are described by FeRFA as effectively impervious throughout their thickness, which is the property that distinguishes them from a thick floor that merely looks solid. That property is one reason Type 8 turns up in food processing, wet production and chemical handling, where liquid reaching the substrate is a failure everyone is trying to prevent. It is not the only reason. Loading, impact, abrasion, chemical exposure, temperature and hygiene requirements all feed the choice.
What each type is actually for
Types 1 and 2, seals and coatings. A thin film applied to seal a concrete surface, reduce dusting and make it easier to clean. Typically used in a dry store, a plant room or a garage, though whether a seal or coating suits a given room depends on the product chemistry and the conditions rather than on the type number. It follows the substrate exactly, so it will not hide unevenness and it will not bridge a crack. If the concrete underneath is poor, a coating makes it a sealed poor floor.
Type 3, high build coating. A common choice for light industrial and commercial work. Thick enough to give a proper surface with some build and some tolerance, thin enough to be affordable over large areas. Commonly where anti-slip aggregate is introduced.
Type 4, multi-layer. Built up in layers with aggregate broadcast between coats, which is what gives it both thickness and a textured surface. That texture is why Type 4 systems are often chosen for wet or greasy areas, though the slip performance depends on the finish specified and the chemical resistance depends on the product rather than the type. It is not a way around preparation either: the substrate has to be sound and properly prepared whatever the type. The surface is not smooth, which is the point in a kitchen and a drawback in a cleanroom.
Type 5, flow applied. A self-smoothing system poured and spread to a level, seamless finish. This is the classic smooth resin floor: showrooms, production areas, pharmaceutical spaces, anywhere the appearance and the cleanability of a genuinely flat seamless surface matter. It needs a good substrate because it will telegraph what is underneath.
Type 6, resin screed. A trowel-applied heavily filled system above 4mm. That is what the classification describes: a construction and a thickness, not a chemistry. Resin screeds are made in more than one chemistry and it is the polyurethane ones that are most often specified for wet production and wash-down areas in food and drink, because particular products in that family are formulated to take thermal shock from hot spillage and steam cleaning and can be laid to falls. Those are properties of the system chosen rather than of the type number, so they have to be confirmed on the product data rather than assumed from the words Type 6.
Types 7 and 8, heavy duty. The systems specified where the loading is severe: forklift traffic on a hard-wheeled truck, dropped loads, high point loads, aggressive chemical exposure or continuous wet conditions. Type 8 in particular is a substantial construction and it is priced accordingly.
Where quote comparisons go wrong
Almost always between Types 3, 4, 5 and 6, because those four cover most commercial and industrial work and they are not interchangeable even where two of them would technically survive the environment.
The most common mismatch is a Type 3 coating quoted against a Type 4 or 5 system for a wet area. The coating is cheaper, will look identical on the day it is finished and has a fraction of the thickness available to wear. The second most common is a smooth Type 5 quoted for a kitchen. FeRFA’s own guidance describes smooth Type 5 surfaces as having high slip potential, reducible by aggregate scatter, so a smooth finish in a wet kitchen is the wrong surface unless it is modified. Type 5 products are also made with textured and enhanced slip-resistant finishes carrying published wet slip data, so what matters is the finish specified rather than the type number on its own.
The third is subtler. A Type 6 screed and a Type 5 flow applied system can appear on the same tender for the same room and they behave differently under thermal shock. BS 8204-6 warns that high-temperature pressure or steam cleaning can soften thinner resin floorings and lead to damage and it advises that steam cleaning should not be permitted on them. Specifying a thin flow applied system into a nightly steam wash-down is therefore choosing a system the code of practice warns against for that duty. What actually happens depends on temperature, method, duration, chemistry, thickness and detailing, but the duty is what should be deciding the type.
Nor are the two simply two prices for one job. Cost varies with chemistry, thickness, aggregate loading, preparation, area and access, so a screed is frequently the dearer of the two rather than a like-for-like swap.
So the question to put to anyone quoting is not “what resin are you using” but “what FeRFA type is this, at what thickness and why that type for this room”. A contractor who can answer that in one sentence has thought about the job.
Why preparation decides the outcome
Thickness is the headline on every quote and on its own it does not determine whether the floor lasts. Adhesion to the substrate has to come first and adhesion is bought with preparation.
That means mechanical preparation to remove laitance, contamination and any previous coating, usually by shot blasting or grinding, so the resin bonds to sound concrete rather than to the surface of a slab. It means testing the substrate for moisture, because a resin system laid over a slab still holding construction moisture will blister or debond regardless of type. It means dealing with cracks and joints properly, since a movement joint bridged with resin will reappear as a crack in the finished floor within months.
BS 8204-6 is the code of practice covering this ground, which is why a specification is better for citing it. It is a code of practice rather than a statutory requirement in itself and citing it does not on its own mean the preparation, moisture testing and joint treatment have been dealt with. A quote that lists a system thickness and says nothing about any of them is quoting for the visible half of the job. See subfloor preparation and concrete moisture testing for what that work involves.
What to ask before you accept a resin quote
Ask for the FeRFA type and the nominal thickness in writing, not just a product name. Ask why that type suits the room and expect an answer about the loading, the contamination and the cleaning regime rather than about the product range. Ask what preparation is included and how the substrate will be tested. Ask how joints and cracks will be treated. Ask what the slip resistance will be in the wet condition if the area is ever wet and how it will be achieved.
Then check the quotes against each other on those answers rather than on the bottom line, because a Type 3 and a Type 6 in the same room are not two prices for one job. They are two different jobs.
Resin systems across these types are made by manufacturers such as Sika, Flowcrete, Mapei, Resdev, Remmers and Watco and a specialist contractor matches the type, the thickness and the preparation to the environment. Listing a manufacturer here does not imply a partnership, approval or accreditation.
Related reading covers resin flooring, industrial resin flooring, the manufacturer comparison on the resin flooring brands hub and the compliance picture in warehouse floor regulations and fire ratings for commercial floors.
Surface Specialists is a network of vetted specialist contractors. Tell us the room, the loading and the cleaning regime and we match the project to a contractor who lays that type of system. Get in touch to arrange a site survey. The contractor specifies the system and provides the written quotation.
Frequently asked questions
What are the FeRFA types?
FeRFA classifies resin floors into eight types by build-up and thickness: Type 1 floor seal up to 150 microns, Type 2 floor coating 150 to 300 microns, Type 3 high build floor coating 300 to 1,000 microns, Type 4 multi-layer above 2mm, Type 5 flow applied 2 to 3mm, Type 6 resin screed above 4mm, Type 7 heavy duty flowable 4 to 6mm and Type 8 heavy duty resin flooring above 6mm.
Is FeRFA a British Standard?
No. FeRFA is the Resin Flooring Association, a trade association and its Types 1 to 8 classification is industry guidance rather than a British Standard. The relevant British Standard is BS 8204-6:2008+A1:2010, the code of practice for synthetic resin floorings.
What is a FeRFA Type 8 floor?
Heavy duty resin flooring above 6mm thick, specified for very heavy duty environments. FeRFA describes these systems as effectively impervious throughout their thickness, which is one reason they are used in food processing, wet production and chemical handling where liquid reaching the substrate would be a critical failure. Loading, impact, abrasion, chemical exposure and temperature feed the choice as well.
What is the difference between Type 5 and Type 6?
Type 5 is a flow applied self-smoothing system at 2 to 3mm giving a level seamless finish. Type 6 is a trowel-applied resin screed above 4mm. The classification describes construction and thickness rather than chemistry, so the ability to take falls or thermal shock belongs to the particular system rather than to the type. BS 8204-6 advises that steam cleaning should not be permitted on thinner resin floorings, which is why a nightly steam wash-down points away from a thin flow applied system. Cost is not comparable either: a screed is frequently the dearer of the two.
Which FeRFA type do I need for a commercial kitchen?
A Type 4 multi-layer or a Type 6 resin screed is the usual starting point, because both can be built with the thickness and the textured surface a wet greasy kitchen needs. Neither is textured or slip-resistant by virtue of its type number, so the finish has to be specified and its wet slip data checked. Some Type 5 systems are supplied with enhanced slip resistance too. Where the room is steam cleaned or takes hot spillage, a screed formulated for thermal shock is the usual answer, but that property comes from the product data rather than from the words Type 6. Traffic, cleaning regime, temperature, chemicals and drainage all bear on the final choice.
What is BS 8204-6?
BS 8204-6:2008+A1:2010 is the British Standard code of practice for synthetic resin floorings, part of the BS 8204 series covering screeds, bases and in-situ floorings. It addresses substrate requirements, workmanship and the performance of the finished floor, which is why a resin specification should reference it alongside the FeRFA type.
Does a thicker resin floor always last longer?
No. Thickness contributes to durability but it does not decide service life on its own. Adhesion to the substrate has to come first and adhesion comes from preparation, so a heavy Type 6 screed laid over laitance, contamination or a slab still holding construction moisture is at risk however thick it is. Beyond that the chemistry, the aggregate, the traffic, the impact, the chemical exposure and the cleaning regime all bear on how long a floor lasts. FeRFA itself notes that actual lifespan depends on the product formulation, the substrate quality and the service conditions.
Why do two resin quotes for the same room differ so much?
Usually because they are for different FeRFA types and often because one includes proper mechanical preparation, moisture testing and joint treatment while the other does not. Asking each contractor for the type, the nominal thickness and the preparation included turns two prices into a comparison you can actually make.