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Stair Nosing

Commercial Stair Nosing.
Melbourne & Australia.

Compliant, slip-resistant stair edging for commercial, civic and transport projects. Aluminium, brass and silicon carbide ranges tested to AS 4586:2013 for P5 slip resistance and detailed to the AS 1428.1:2021 luminance-contrast requirement. Supplied and installed across Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

The Range

Four Stair Nosing Ranges.

Aalto
Aalto
Brass · Aluminium · Premium
Solid brass or 6063-T6 aluminium nosing with an integral silicon carbide grip, not a removable strip. Surface mount or recessed, P5 slip, ten year warranty. The architectural choice for civic and premium commercial stairs.
Venturi
Venturi
Brass · Aluminium · Carbtech · Polymer
The insert nosing system. A carrier that takes a removable corrugated (P5) or striped (P4) insert, with a profile for every tread condition: surface mount, recessed, flooring-tile and carpet.
Tadao
Tadao
Brass · Aluminium · Carbtech
Stair nosing machined from one continuous piece of solid brass or 6063-T6 aluminium, corrugated for grip and P5 rated. Tadao Carbtech adds a silicon carbide tape insert in eight colours, including luminous.
Carbtech
Carbtech
Silicon Carbide · Heavy Duty
Heavy-duty silicon carbide nosing and re-line insert strips, 50 and 75mm, slip rated P5 wet, dry, oily or soiled. Impact, chemical and corrosion resistant. The grip layer of the Korb range.
Stair nosing, supplied and installed
Compliant to AS 1428.1:2021
Stair nosing, supplied and installed
What It Is

The Edge That Has
To Comply.

Stair nosing is the protective, high-visibility edging fitted to the leading edge of each step. On a commercial stair it does three jobs at once: it warns vision-impaired users where the edge is, it provides slip resistance underfoot, and it protects the step structure from wear.

For a stair to pass an accessibility audit, the nosing must deliver a minimum 30% luminance contrast across a strip 50-75mm wide on both the tread and the riser under AS 1428.1, and a slip-resistance classification that suits the application under AS 4586. Get either wrong and the stair fails, which is why Korb supplies the slip and LRV test data with every range.

Korb's stair nosing spans four ranges, Aalto aluminium and brass, the Venturi carpet and flooring systems, the corrugated and striped Tadao profiles, and the silicon carbide Carbtech, in surface-mounted, recessed and downturn formats to suit new builds and retrofits alike.

Every profile is available supply-only or as a full supply-and-install package, with one point of accountability from specification through to handover.

AS 1428.1
Design for access and mobility. Sets the 30% minimum luminance-contrast strip (50-75mm) required on the nosing of every step on an accessible stairway. Korb supplies the LRV data so the contrast can be verified at spec stage.
AS 4586
Slip resistance of new pedestrian surface materials. Korb's stair nosing inserts are tested to AS 4586 and carry a P5 (wet pendulum) classification, the highest slip-resistance rating, across the range.
NCC 2022
The National Construction Code adopts AS 1428.1 for accessible stairways via the Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions. Specifying Korb nosing with its test data attached is the simplest path to a compliant, audit-ready stair.
Compliance

What AS 1428.1 Requires.

Every stairway on an accessible path of travel needs a compliant nosing on every tread in the flight, including the top tread, which is the one most often missed, and the bottom tread. Landings themselves do not need a nosing strip, but the last tread before each landing does. These are the clause 11 requirements every Korb profile is detailed against.

AS 1428.1:2021, clause 11.1
RequirementWhat the standard sets
Luminance contrastMinimum 30% against the adjacent tread, calculated with the Bowman-Sapolinski equation. Use the LRV calculator to confirm a pairing before it is specified.
Strip depth50 to 75mm measured across the tread surface, extending the full width of the path of travel.
ContinuityA single continuous strip. Splitting the contrast into multiple colour bands, known as a multistripe nosing, does not comply. Surface texture such as corrugation, ribbing or silicon carbide is permitted, because what fails is the colour banding, not the texture.
SetbackA maximum of 15mm from the leading edge. Where the strip is not set back, any contrast carried onto the riser is limited to 10mm vertical.
Nose profileA sharp intersection, a radius up to 5mm, or a chamfer up to 5 x 5mm. A full bullnose or any radius over 5mm does not comply and needs retrofit.
Slip resistanceClassified to AS 4586:2013 wet pendulum. HB 198:2014 recommends P3 internal dry and P4 external wet as deemed-to-satisfy minimums, and P5 for uncovered external steps.
Which edition applies. NCC 2022 Amendment 2 took effect on 29 July 2025 and moved the referenced edition from AS 1428.1:2009 to AS 1428.1:2021. The Disability (Access to Premises, Buildings) Standards 2010 were amended to the same edition on the same date, so the code, the Premises Standards and the current Standard are aligned.
Applications

Where Stair Nosing
Is Specified.

SettingWhat tends to drive the specification
Commercial and officeInternal dry flights where the contrast strip and a clean architectural edge carry equal weight. Recessed aluminium is the common answer on new build, surface mounted on fitout.
Civic and educationHigh scrutiny on accessibility audit, so the LRV evidence matters as much as the profile. Brass and anodised aluminium dominate.
Transport and railContinuous heavy traffic and frequent wet entry. Silicon carbide inserts and replaceable surface mounted profiles suit maintenance access.
Industrial and plantWheeled loads, external steps and soiled conditions push the specification toward a P5 classified silicon carbide insert and a surface mounted profile that can be replaced without disturbing the tread.
Retrofit and upgradeWhere an existing stair fails audit, usually on a bullnose over 5mm radius, on missing contrast, or on a multistripe nosing. Surface mounted profiles resolve all three without rebuilding the flight.
Questions

Common Questions.

How deep does a stair nosing strip have to be?
Between 50 and 75mm measured across the tread, running the full width of the path of travel, under AS 1428.1:2021 clause 11.1. Anything narrower than 50mm or deeper than 75mm does not comply.
Does every step need a nosing?
Every tread in the flight does, including the top tread and the bottom tread. Landings do not need a strip themselves, but the last tread before each landing does. The top tread is the one most commonly missed on site.
Is a bullnose step compliant?
Only if the radius is 5mm or less. AS 1428.1 permits a sharp intersection, a radius up to 5mm, or a chamfer up to 5 x 5mm. A full bullnose with a larger radius does not comply and needs a retrofit profile.
What is the difference between a stair nosing, a step nosing and a stair nosing strip?
They are the same component. Stair nosing is the term used in AS 1428.1, while step nosing, staircase nosing, step tread nosing and stair nosing strip are used interchangeably on site and in tender documents.
Can stair nosing be retrofitted to an existing staircase?
Yes. Surface mounted profiles are designed for exactly this, fixed onto the finished tread without cutting a rebate. On friable concrete or perished mortar use chemical anchors rather than plastic plugs, and level any cupped or worn tread first, because a void under the profile flexes and cracks the fixings within 12 to 24 months.
What slip rating does a stair nosing need?
The nosing has to be classified to AS 4586:2013 by wet pendulum. HB 198:2014 recommends P3 as the minimum for internal dry stairs and P4 for external wet, with P5 for uncovered external steps. Korb supplies the classification report with the range.
Why do some nosings fail an accessibility audit despite having a contrast strip?
The three recurring causes are a strip under 30% luminance contrast against the actual adjacent tread rather than against a sample, a multistripe profile that splits the contrast into several colour bands, and a nose radius over 5mm. All three are visible on a walk of the flight.
Supply

Stair Nosing Supply
Across Australia.

Korb supplies and installs stair nosing from three locations: Melbourne in Thornbury, Adelaide in Thebarton and Perth in O'Connor, covering Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Every profile is available supply only for a builder's own installer, or as a full supply and install package with one point of accountability from specification through to handover. Slip classification and LRV test data are issued with the order, so the compliance evidence is on file before the stair is inspected rather than chased after it.

Project References

Specified On the
Work That Matters.

Caulfield to Dandenong Sky Rail level crossing removal
Melbourne, VIC · John Holland
Caulfield to Dandenong Sky Rail
Coburg train station stair nosing
Coburg, VIC · Wood Marsh
Coburg & Moreland Stations
Specify With Confidence

Free Tools for Specifiers.

Nosing Spec Tool
Generate a compliant stair-nosing specification clause for your project documents in minutes.
LRV Calculator
Check luminance contrast between your nosing and adjacent tread to confirm the AS 1428.1 30% threshold.
Nosing Profiles Guide
A technical guide to surface-mounted, recessed and downturn stair-nosing profiles and where each is used.

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