Static Terms and Definitions
Looking for a floor to remove static?
It can be very confusing when you see all of the different terms used. We have sold floor coatings for over 30 years and are rarely asked for the same thing by customers. We have therefore produced the following guide on static terms and definitions which explain the terms you will regularly see used and hopefully help remove any doubts and myths about what they actually mean.
Static An electrical charge that isn’t moving.
Static electricity is the result of an imbalance between negative and positive charges in an object.
Anti Static reducing, removing, or preventing the build up of static electricity.
Conductive Flooring: The term conductive floor is often confused with the term static dissipative.
Conductive Flooring Material: A floor material that has the ability to conduct a charge to ground and has a resistance to ground of less than 1.0 x 106 ohms.
Static Dissipative Floor Material: Floor material that has a resistance to ground between 1.0 x 106 and 1.0 x 109 ohms.
ESD: The abbreviation for electrostatic discharge.
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD): The rapid, spontaneous transfer of electrostatic charge between objects induced by a high electrostatic field.
ESD Floors: This is a catch-all term for any type of floor covering with antistatic or conductive properties.
Conductor: A material with low electrical resistance that will safely attract an electrical charge to ground. Examples of conductors are water, copper, aluminium and carbon.
Grounded Floor: Any floor with electrically conductive properties that is attached to either electrical or earth ground. Grounding of conductive or dissipative floors is usually achieved by physically attaching the ESD flooring solution to a certified ground connection using copper strips or grounding wires.
Insulative : The main cause of static build up. A material having a surface resistivity of at least 1 x 1012 or 1 x 1011 ohms volume resistivity.
Insulator: A material with high electrical resistance. An insulator will not conduct a charge to ground therefore static builds. Examples of insulators are plastic, rubber, vinyl, and wood.
Static Control Flooring: A generic term used to describe any form of flooring that is designed to remove static electricity. Static control flooring is available in numerous forms including paint, carpeting, carpet tiles, vinyl tile, rubber tile.
Triboelectric Charging: The generation of electrostatic charges when two materials make contact or are rubbed together, then separated. Also known as tribocharging.
Still confused? We find in 99% of cases, our customers require a static dissipative floor to safely remove static however please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to chat further.