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A Static Control Primer
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ESD and Anti Static Flooring Terminology
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30 Years Experience in Protecting Clients from Static Electricity Discharge (ESD):
We Help Determine the Right Static Control Flooring and Anti Static Maintenance Products for Your Application

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Have you been asked to specify static free, conductive or anti static flooring? Are you confused about jargon like mission critical, low static generating, N+1, ANSI/ESD S20.20 or the difference between static dissipative floors and conductive floors?

Staticworx can help you identify the right static resistant rating, select the correct static flooring option, and get it installed by a local professional who understands grounding, conductive flooring adhesives, ESD floor testing. We can even supply your building service contractor with maintenance recommendations and the necessary static free floor care products – no matter what floor you own.

What is ESD Flooring?

Let’s start with the definition of ESD: ESD is an abbreviation for electrostatic discharge: the pulse of static electricity that occurs when a charged person contacts another object. Anything from sliding out of a car seat or walking across a static generating floor can build up a dangerous charge. Most associate a static discharge with that sensory “ouch” that we feel and see; the zap, the mini bolt of blue lightening. However, the majority of static discharges, anything below 3500 volts, are totally undetectable to humans. Like common cold germs, ESD events are occurring around us constantly, causing damage to sensitive microelectronics inside computers and electronic devices.

The best way to avoid ESD events is to prevent static generation in the first place. In the case of ESD, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. If the environment prevents static generation, it’s impossible for an ESD event to occur. A static free environment is created by eliminating normal static generating surfaces like carpet, rubber and tile. We loosely define those surfaces as ESD flooring. Other common names are anti static flooring, static flooring, conductive tile, static resistant flooring, non-static flooring, and grounded floors.

Visit our Static Control Knowledge Center to learn how to more accurately describe these floors so you don’t mistakenly specify a material that will increase static. Also, read more about grounding an esd floor.

What is Anti Static Flooring?

Define: anti static flooring: The term anti static refers to a condition where static generation is inhibited during contact and separation with a different material. Anti static flooring can either be static dissipative or static conductive. (See also, Dissipative Tile)

Architects: learn more and get credit with our AIA/CES accredited course >

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All Staticworx products are shipped in Staticworx packaging. Find out why product identification is important.

We have installation experts in all 50 States (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming), Mexico, and Canada: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Quebec City, Ontario. Call our east coast information center at 617-923-2000 or our west coast flooring installation center at 949-933-0177 for more information.

Featured Articles

Static flooring Solutions for E-9-1-1 Dispatch Centers

Originally published in Emergency Number Professional Magazine
Static electricity discharge can cause multiple problems in call centers. Dropped calls, staticy reception, damaged headsets are just the tip of the iceberg. In a 9-1-1 call center, static electricity becomes a safety concern because state of the art telephone systems are highly susceptible to as little as several hundred volts. Since its accumulation is most often the result of a static generating floor or carpet, it makes sense to stop the problem by installing the right floor.
Staticworx produces several different modular, conductive and anti static flooring options appropriate for E9-1-1 applications and for installation over concrete, old flooring, or raised access floor panels:

Conductors ESD Carpet tile – Can be installed permanent or temporary. Utilizes a releasable adhesive for easy pick-up on raised floors. Consider using in conjunction with Staticworx GridLock Tile for easy rolling of chairs. Most expensive to maintain. Material Cost: $$$
EC Rubber- Available in tile or rolls and runners. Can be installed as a permanent or temporary floor. Least expensive to maintain. Material Cost: $$$$
Staticworx Vinyl- Average cost for maintenance. Material Cost: $$
Staticworx GridLock Tile – A free lay super thick tile. At half the cost of interlocking flooring, it can be installed with or without adhesives. An ideal solution for easy rolling of chairs with roller castors. Can be used in tandem with any carpet tile. Average cost for maintenance. Material Cost: $$

Call us to let us help you determine which product would best meet your needs at 617-923-2000.

How to choose the right floor for a dispatch center

Will the floor prevent static regardless of the type of footwear?
Are the anti static/conductive properties permanent?
What kind of maintenance is required? Staining, odor retention, dust generation
Ergonomics: Sound absorption qualities, slip resistance, anti-fatigue
Durability: Can the floor withstand traffic, roller castors and normal spills?
Appearance: Shiny, matte or non-reflective surface

Things to avoid when choosing a floor for a dispatch center

Never use chair mats on top of an anti-static carpet.
All chair mats are static generators. They are now conductive so they prevent your floor from doing its job. If you require easy rolling under chairs but want to use carpet in your space, consider using our Staticworx GridLock hard surface conductive squares in tandem with our Conductors carpet squares
Don’t use strategically located mats.
The entire floor needs to be covered with the anti static solution. A major function of a static control floor is preventing static in the first place.
Never use anti static waxes or static-free sprays as the primary means of eliminating static electricity.
Anti static sprays are temporary. Their properties last for a short time and it is difficult know when they have lost their ability to prevent static generation.

Static Control Flooring Checklist

Only conductive floors can be grounded. Standard flooring installed with ground strips or conductive adhesive will not offer any static protection.
Any effective conductive floor can be verified with an ohm meter to determine the electrical resistance of the material. If the material does not pass the ohm meter test than it cannot be grounded.
Conductive floors should never require any antistatic sprays or waxes to enhance or maintain performance. The conductivity should be achieved by the actual permanent physical composition of the material.
The floor should reduce static electricity regardless of relative humidity. Ask the supplier specifically about performance in very dry conditions.
The floor must prevent static buildup in real world conditions without special conductive shoes or shoe straps. When in doubt, ask for independent test data verifying this property. It should be available.
Never assume that a shock-free environment means a static-free environment. A shock-free environment only means that static charges are below 3500 Volts.
Do the homework up front. It is much more costly to remove an ineffective floor and replace it than it is to do it right the first time. Any mission-critical space is only as secure as its Achilles’ heel.
Even if your present electronics are immune to static, if at some point in the future they will be upgraded or replaced with state-of- the-art equipment, then static will be a problem. As with any potential security breach, it is always best to plan ahead.