Designation: F 609 – 96
Standard Test Method for
Using a Horizontal Pull Slipmeter (HPS)1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation F 609; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope
1.1 This test method covers measurement of the static slip
resistance of footwear sole, heel, or related materials on
walkway surfaces in the laboratory and in the field.
1.2 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded
as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for
information only.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
2. Terminology
2.1 Definition:
2.1.1 static slip resistance—the force required to cause one
body in contact with another to begin to move. This force is
generally proportional to the perpendicular force between the
surfaces; the ratio of the former to the latter is called the
coefficient of friction. The ratio (with the decimal point moved
one place to the right) is used to designate slip index as
measured by the Horizontal Pull Slipmeter.
3. Significance and Use
3.1 The Horizontal Pull Slipmeter2 is a laboratory and field
instrument designed to provide information about the slip-
resistant characteristics of footwear sole, heel, and related
materials under dry conditions. However, the slip resistance of
shoe sole and heel materials can be affected by factors other
than the reaction of these materials with walkway surfaces, for
example, foreign materials on either the mating surfaces or the
general maintenance of the surfaces. Consequently, unless all
factors are taken into proper consideration, acceptable results
from the measurements of slip resistance will not necessarily
assure resistance to slipping.
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F-13 on Safety
and Traction for Footwear and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F13.10
on Traction.
Current edition approved Feb. 10, 1996. Published April 1996. Originally
published as F 609 – 79. Last previous edition F 609 – 79 (1989)e1.
2 4
The Horizontal Pull Slipmeter was developed by C. H. Irvine of Liberty Mutual
Insurance Co., Hopkinton, MA. The instrument is described in “A New Slipmeter
for Evaluating Walkway Slipperiness,” Materials Research and Standards, Vol 18,
No. 12, December 1967, pp. 535–541.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
1
4. Apparatus 3
4.1 Horizontal Pull Slipmeter—See Fig. 1.
4.2 Walkway Surface Panel,4 not less than 9 by 9 in. (229
by 229 mm) square.
5. Reagents and Materials
5.1 Ammonium Hydroxide Solution, 3 %.
5.2 Abrasive Paper,5 Nos. 60 and 400 grit.
6. Test Specimens
6.1 The test specimens shall be 0.5 in. (12.7 mm) in
diameter.
6.2 Three specimens are required for performance of the
test.
6.3 In the case of test specimens that are to be cut from
molded slab stock as supplied from the manufacturer for
specification testing to be cut into shoe soles or heels, take nine
specimens in three sets of three specimens each. Space the
specimen locations as nearly equidistant from one another as
possible in order to provide representative sampling throughout
the sheet. (No specimen should be taken at a position less than
1.0 in. (25.4 mm) from any of the four edges of the sheet.) The
purpose of this is to assure uniform thickness and state of cure
among the specimens.
6.4 For routine testing of sheet materials intended to con-
form to previously approved specification sampling (see 6.3) of
like material, the supplier and user of the material may agree
mutually to use a simplified sampling procedure yielding three
test specimens. A diagonal pattern is suggested, such as
location A-1, B-2, and C-3 in the specimen location diagram
(see Fig. 2).
6.5 When it is desired to test sole material taken from a
finished shoe, take one specimen 1⁄2 in. (12.7 mm) from each
side of the widest part of the shoe sole (commonly called the
“ball” area) and one specimen from the center of the toe area,
3
Available from Whitely Industries, Inc., 939 C East St., Tewksbury, MA 01876.
Phone: (508) 640-1177. Plans for the instrument may be obtained at a nominal cost
from ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. Request
Adjunct No. 12-606090-47.
Walkway surfaces for testing may be any suitable tiles or floor panels selected
by the laboratory or user.
5
Available from 3M Corp., St. Paul, MN 55100, and other abrasive paper
manufacturers.
 F 609 – 96

NOTE 1—Total weight of slipmeter less power unit is 2700 6 34 g. Speed of power unit is 3.5 6 0.5 in./min.
FIG. 1 Horizontal Pull Slipmeter

FIG. 2 Sampling Locations for Routine Testing of Sheet Materials

a distance of 1⁄2 in. (12.7 mm) from the tip of the shoe sole, for
a total of three specimens.
6.6 For the sampling of a heel on a shoe, take three
specimens in a pattern approximating an equilateral triangle
with one apex in the rearward or smaller portion of the heel. No
specimen should be taken less than 1⁄4 in. (6.35 mm) from a
heel edge.
6.7 It is recognized that in some shoe styles the heel area is
insufficient to provide three specimens as recommended in 6.6.
In such cases, use one specimen each from the center of the
walking surface of the heels on three separate shoes to provide
the three specimens needed.
7. Calibration
7.1 Place the switch button, which is located just below
gage, in the center position.
7.2 Grasp the slipmeter and hold in vertical position.
7.3 Set the gage on zero by moving the rim on the gage.
7.4 Use a separate hook to suspend the slipmeter by the
hook located on one end of the slipmeter. The slipmeter should
hang freely.
7.5 The needle on the dial of the gage should be within
calibration range on the dial. (This reading is equivalent to the
total weight, less the power unit, of the slipmeter if the dial
indicated pounds rather than “slip index.”)

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 F 609 – 96
8. Conditioning
8.1 When required, condition all specimens for at least 18 h
in atmosphere maintained at 73 6 3.6°F (22.8 6 2°C) and 50
6 4 % relative humidity.
8.2 When testing specimens in the field or on fixed floor
surfaces, conditioning of specimens in accordance with 8.1
may not be required.
9. Procedure
9.1 When testing specimens in the laboratory, use a walk-
way surface panel of not less than 9 by 9 in. (229 by 229 mm)
square.
9.2 Prior to conditioning, wipe the walkway surface panel
with a 3 % ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) solution and dry
with a clean cloth.
9.3 Place the walkway surface panel on a sturdy bench or
table in such a way that the panel does not move during testing.
9.4 Place a leveling panel on one side of the walkway
surface panel that is level with the walkway surface.
9.5 Insert a set of three specimens in the slipmeter recesses.
9.6 Sand the specimens with a No. 60 grit abrasive paper to
remove mold release agents and clean the sliding surface.
Resand the specimens with a No. 400 abrasive paper, and brush
to remove loose surface particles. Mount the abrasive paper on
a flat 3 by 7-in. (76.2 by 12.7-mm) piece of 1⁄2-in. (12.7-mm)
plywood. New soling or heeling materials may present a
temporary slipping hazard. To investigate the slip resistance of
unworn footwear, do not sand samples prior to testing.
9.7 Place specimens downward on the test walkway surface.
The hook end shall face the leveling panel.
9.8 Place the slipmeter power unit on the leveling panel in
front of the slipmeter.
9.9 Align the pulley on the power unit with the hook on the
slipmeter.
9.10 Connect the string of the power unit pulley to the hook
of the slipmeter. The string should be parallel with the test
surface and in line with the pulley on the power unit.
9.11 Put the switch that permits retention of maximum slip
index indication in the center position.
9.12 Set the slip index meter on zero by rotating the rim of
the gage on the push-pull meter.
9.13 Push the “maximum recording” switch toward the
hookless end of the slipmeter.
9.14 Hold down the power unit to prevent its moving; then
depress the switch.
9.15 Switch off the power unit when the slipmeter begins to
move.
9.16 Record the reading shown on the slip index gage.
(Record slip index readings in excess of 8 as >8.)
9.17 Repeat this procedure four times for each set of three
specimens. Rotate the walkway surface 90° after each test.
9.18 When testing specimens in the field, eliminate the
procedures in 9.1, 9.3, and 9.4. Proceed in accordance with 9.2
and 9.5-9.17; however, rotate the Horizontal Pull Slipmeter 90°
after each test (see 9.17).
10. Report
10.1 Record each slip index reading, and record the average
of four readings under dry conditions.
10.2 Record the thickness of each specimen to the nearest
1⁄64 in. (0.4 mm).
10.3 Identify the composition of the sole, heel, or material
being tested.
10.4 Identify the walkway surface panel.
10.5 Identify the conditions and nature of the walkway
surface when the test is performed in the field.
11. Precision and Bias 6
11.1 Laboratories of four different organizations ran tests
using the Horizontal Pull Slipmeter with 17 different sole and
heel materials on two test floor surfaces7 for both wet and dry
conditions. The 1991 Bucknell University Workshop, spon-
sored by ASTM Committee F-13, showed data obtained with
the Horizontal Pull Slipmeter under wet conditions to be
unreliable. Therefore, reference to the use of data reported in
RR: F13-1001 under wet conditions has been eliminated from
this test method.
11.1.1 Repeatability—Repeated measurements made in the
same laboratory were, with a 90 % confidence level, within6
0.53 of the average of other measurements in that laboratory
using the same materials.
11.1.2 Reproducibility—The data from these tests indicated
that measurements made with the Horizontal Pull Slipmeter in
one laboratory were, with a 90 % confidence level, within
61.73 of the average slip index collected in the other labora-
tory using the same materials.
11.2 Bias—Bias for this test method cannot be determined
since there are no acceptable reference standards.
12. Keywords
12.1 shoe heel; shoe soling; static coefficient of friction
6
Supporting data are available from ASTM Headquarters. Request RR
F-13:1001.
7
Test panels used for the collection of data to support the statement of precision
were OVCT tiles, available from Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Assn., 1901 I
St., N.W., Washington, DC 20006, and hardwood coated with Fabulon P3-56L, a
commercial urethane coating frequently used for general testing.

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 F 609 – 96

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