Most people don’t know this but Laminate flooring has a rating system to better assist you as to which type of laminate flooring your should purchase and use. It is an international grading system called the AC (abrasion class) rating. This grading system tells you how durable a particular laminate is and what kind of traffic it can hold up to.
There is a number of tests that the laminate flooring has to go through to be given an AC rating. Each line of laminate is tested for resistance to burns, scratches, stains, abrasion, and impact. To gain an AC rating all tests must be past, if the flooring fails one test it can’t receive an AC rating.
The ratings range from AC1 to AC5.
An AC1 rating means that the floor is suitable for light to moderate traffic in a residential setting best suited for maybe a bedroom or closet.
An AC2 rating is suitable for moderate traffic in a residential setting, best suited for living and dining rooms.
An AC3 Residential rating is suitable for heavy traffic in a residential setting. It is best suited for the main traffic areas of the home such as the entry or kitchen.
An AC3 Commercial rating is for either a very busy household or a light to moderate commercial setting such as a small office or hotel room.
An AC4 rating is rated for moderate commercial use, such as busy offices.
An AC5 rating is rated for heavy commercial use, such as hotels or department stores.
The higher the rating the higher the cost. Even though a AC5 rated laminate floor would work well in a home setting the cost involved usually steers people to a more reasonable choice. It’s kind of overkill, but does work really well and would last for a long time.
This is why most of the $.99 cent and under laminate flooring specials you may see will either not have a rating or maybe it will have a rating of AC1.
We usually recommend going with a laminate flooring that has a rating of AC3. This works really well in most situations and has a very reasonable price point.
We hope this information will help guide you if you are considering purchasing a laminate floor.