A technical data sheet lists how a tile performed in standard tests. Knowing which lines matter for a given use saves most of the back-and-forth with a manufacturer.

Start with the classification

Most sheets open with the tile’s group under EN 14411 (ISO 13006): the forming method, A for extruded and B for dry-pressed, and the water absorption band. BIa means dry-pressed with an absorption of 0.5% or less, the group porcelain belongs to; BIII is the porous group of most interior wall tiles. The group tells you which test values the standard requires of the tile.

Size and flatness

Look for the work size, not only the nominal size, and for whether the edges are rectified. Length, width, thickness, straightness, rectangularity and flatness are tested under ISO 10545-2. Tight tolerances matter most for narrow joints and large formats.

Strength and wear

  • Breaking strength and modulus of rupture (ISO 10545-4): the load a tile of that thickness carries, and the strength of the material itself.
  • Surface abrasion for glazed tiles (ISO 10545-7, the PEI classes 0 to 5), or deep abrasion for unglazed tiles (ISO 10545-6, a volume in mm³ where lower is better).
  • Frost resistance (ISO 10545-12): pass or fail, and needed outdoors where it freezes.

Surface and safety

  • Chemical resistance (ISO 10545-13) and stain resistance (ISO 10545-14), each given as a class.
  • Slip resistance: DIN 51130 R classes for areas walked in shoes, DIN 51097 A, B and C for barefoot areas, and in other markets pendulum values (EN 16165) or DCOF (ANSI A326.3). Check which method the local rules ask for.

What the sheet does not tell you

Shade, calibre and batch belong to each delivery, not to the product: they are printed on the boxes. Nor can a sheet say whether the substrate, adhesive and joints suit the tile; that is the installation’s part.