Taber Abrasion Testing on Epoxy Floor Samples: How to Read the Results

When you hold a Taber abrasion test report in your hand, it is tempting to look at a single number and conclude that a floor is “durable” or “not durable”. That way of reading is very easy to get wrong: Taber does not measure a floor’s “service life”, and a single number only means something when it comes with the full set of test conditions. This article explains how to read Taber results on epoxy floor samples — as a general guide to reading results. It does not publish any Taber results for Kadier, because the figures for each individual coating system are only found in that specific product’s technical data sheet (TDS) and its accompanying test report; every general reference range below carries the same note: a general reference range only — the specific product’s TDS decides.

Illustration: laboratory equipment. Source: Pexels, by Tima Miroshnichenko. Illustration only — not Kadier test equipment or samples, and not real Kadier test results.

1. What does the Taber test measure?

The Taber method (ASTM D4060) measures the abrasion resistance of a coating on a flat sample. The general principle: a flat sample rotates under two abrasive wheels turning in opposite directions, with a vacuum system removing the abraded material. The measured result is the sample’s loss of mass after a given number of cycles — not “hardness”, and not a “service life in years”.

Keep two often-confused concepts clearly apart:

• Hardness (for example Shore D hardness) measures how well a surface resists indentation when pressed — see also What Do Shore D Hardness and Taber Abrasion Tell You?.
• Taber abrasion measures how much material is lost under repeated abrasion. A hard surface is not necessarily the one that loses least under abrasion, and vice versa.

Taber is a laboratory test, on a flat sample, under controlled conditions. It allows a relative comparison between samples tested under the same set of conditions — it does not by itself tell you how many years a floor on a real project will last, or how many vehicle passes it will withstand.

2. Four parameters that must always be read together

One line of Taber results can only be compared when all four of the following are stated. If one is missing, two reports cannot be placed side by side and ranked:

Parameter	Why it is mandatory
1. Wheel type	CS-10 wheels abrade more gently than CS-17 wheels; H-18/H-22 wheels are used for more severe screening. A different wheel means a different level of abrasion.
2. Load per wheel	Loads commonly described in method descriptions are 250 g, 500 g or 1,000 g per wheel. The higher the load, the greater the loss.
3. Number of cycles	500–1,000 cycles are commonly found in method descriptions. Total loss after 500 cycles cannot be compared directly with total loss after 1,000 cycles.
4. Reporting unit	Total loss after N cycles (mg) or the wear index — mg per 1,000 cycles. These are different units and must be converted to a common basis before comparing.

Wear index formula: wear index = mass lost (mg) / (number of cycles / 1,000), in mg/1,000 cycles. This formula can only be used when the report states all four items above.

Illustrative reading example (not figures for any product, and certainly not figures for Kadier): suppose a report states “CS-17 wheels, 1,000 g load, 1,000 cycles, 60 mg loss”. Then the wear index = 60 / (1,000/1,000) = 60 mg/1,000 cycles. If another report states “CS-10 wheels, 500 g load, 500 cycles, 30 mg loss”, you cannot conclude that the second report is “twice as good”, because the wheel, load and cycle count are all different.

The correct reading rule: lower loss means better abrasion resistance — only under the same set of conditions (same wheel, same load, same cycle count, same calculation method). Change one condition and direct ranking is no longer possible.

3. When can two reports not be compared?

• Different wheel types (CS-10 versus CS-17, or H-18/H-22).
• Different loads or different cycle counts without conversion to a common wear index unit.
• One side reports total loss (mg) and the other reports wear index (mg/1,000 cycles) without stating the cycle count.
• Different sample film thickness, or different sample curing times and conditions.
• A flat laboratory sample differs from a real installed floor: a real floor may have anti-slip aggregate, construction joints and patched areas — all of which make real-world abrasion different from a flat laboratory sample.

Beyond the four parameters above, when checking a report you should also ask: how thick was the sample, under what conditions and for how long was it cured, does the sample surface contain anti-slip aggregate, and are there photos of the wear track? A report missing this information is not yet a sufficient basis for choosing a coating system.

4. Taber alone is not enough — what else needs to be combined with it?

Taber answers only one question: how much coating material is lost under laboratory abrasion. Real floor use also depends on other mechanisms that Taber does not simulate:

• Adhesion: a coating that abrades little but debonds from the substrate still fails — see how to read pull-off adhesion test results.
• Actual film thickness: if the test sample is thicker than the installed floor, the result does not transfer directly to the project.
• Substrate conditions: a damp, weak or contaminated substrate can cause a floor to fail before abrasion ever becomes the issue.
• Real abrasion mechanisms: tyres pivoting on the spot, pallets being dragged, and sand and grit stuck to wheels are different forms of abrasion from Taber wheels rotating evenly in a laboratory.

So do not convert a Taber number into “lasts X years” or “withstands X vehicle passes” unless you have field data from that very project or from an equivalent project. Taber is one piece of the picture, not the whole picture.

5. Checklist: 5 questions before finalising a system on the basis of a Taber report

1. Which wheel type (CS-10, CS-17 or another)?
2. What is the load per wheel, and how many cycles?
3. Is loss reported as total mg or as mg/1,000 cycles (wear index)?
4. How thick was the test sample, and how long and under what conditions was it cured?
5. Are there photos of the wear track and a description of the sample surface (flat or with anti-slip aggregate)?

If a supplier cannot answer all five questions, ask for a supplementary report before using that number to compare or to decide. And when comparing against a specific coating system, the final authority remains that product’s TDS — a general reference range only; the specific product’s TDS decides.

Frequently asked questions

Does a low Taber value mean the most durable floor?

Not necessarily. A low Taber value under the same set of conditions means better laboratory abrasion resistance, but a floor also needs good adhesion, sufficient thickness and a substrate that meets requirements. A coating that abrades little but peels off still does not pass.

Can Taber values from two different brands be compared?

Only when both reports state all four parameters: the same wheel, the same load, the same cycle count and the same reporting unit (or a value convertible to the same wear index). You should also compare sample thickness and curing conditions.

Why does this article not give Kadier’s Taber numbers?

Because the figures for each Kadier system are only meaningful together with that system’s TDS and its real test report. This article is a general guide to reading results, not a substitute for a specific product’s TDS.

Contact

To receive the TDS and test reports for the coating system suited to your area’s function, contact Kadier via the quote page or the contact page (hotline/Zalo 0899355489, WeChat wxid_95o54joujyrr12). When sending your request, please state the area of use, the vehicle types and traffic frequency so the right system can be matched to you. You can also refer to the acceptance and warranty page and the RollCoat, LevelFlow, StatGuard and AquaBase systems to see each system’s function before requesting a quote.