3mm Dryback LVT
Flooring Manufacturer
Glue-Down · Class 44 · 0.7mm Wear
Class 44 is not a marketing claim — it is a specific EN 685 utilisation classification that requires sustained heavy wheeled load resistance that no click SPC, no 2mm Dryback, and no 2.5mm Dryback achieves. Specifically, Class 44 covers environments where wheels, trolleys, or pallet jacks apply sustained rolling loads exceeding the threshold that Class 43 materials can withstand without permanent surface deformation. Furthermore, the permanent adhesive bond of 3mm Dryback distributes these loads across the full subfloor contact area — eliminating the micro-movement at joints that causes click SPC to fail in wheeled load environments.
All Three Must Be
Correct Simultaneously.
| Requirement | Standard | Class 44 note |
|---|---|---|
| Flatness tolerance | ≤ 3mm / 3m straight-edge | More tolerant than SPC click (≤2mm/2m). Adhesive accommodates minor irregularities. |
| Moisture content | ≤ 85% RH / ≤ 75% CM | Critical for Class 44 hard-set adhesive — moisture above threshold causes adhesive failure under heavy rolling load. |
| Contamination | Zero — must be clean and dry | Oil, dust, or curing compounds prevent full adhesive bond. Class 44 requires full-contact bond across 100% of floor area. |
| Primer | Required on porous substrates | Concrete, screed, and calcium sulphate substrates require primer before hard-set adhesive application for Class 44 bond strength. |
| Adhesive type | Hard-set acrylic or PU | Pressure-sensitive adhesive is not recommended for Class 44 — the sustained load of pallet jacks can overcome PS bond strength over time. |
| Cure time before traffic | 24–48 hours before light traffic · 72h heavy rolling | Class 44 bond strength requires full adhesive cure before pallet jack or hospital trolley traffic. Do not rush cure time. |
The Numbers That Define Class 44.
3mm Dryback LVT shares four of its six performance certifications with 2mm and 2.5mm Dryback — they are compound and construction-determined, not thickness-determined. What is unique to 3mm is the residual indentation figure (0.05mm — the lowest in the Dryback range and equal to 5mm SPC), the Class 44 utilisation ceiling, and the 0.7mm wear layer option. Consequently, each parameter below is explained in the context of what it means for an NHS hospital procurement, a European airport authority tender, or a supermarket chain facilities manager specifying a 15–25 year floor replacement.
| Parameter | Value | Standard & Class 44 Hospital / Airport / Supermarket Context |
|---|---|---|
| Total Thickness | 3.0mm | 4-layer construction. Maximum Dryback thickness. No pre-attached underlay — hard-set adhesive replaces underlay. No click system. |
| Core Construction | Flexible PVC + fibreglass | Fibreglass reinforcement at 2.2mm core depth. Textured back face for maximum adhesive mechanical grip. Critical for Class 44 hard-set adhesive bond under sustained pallet jack loading. |
| Container Yield | ~4,200 m² / 20ft | FOB Ningbo or Shanghai. Approximately 5.5 kg/m². Still 1.9× the yield of 5mm SPC click per 20ft container. |
| Wear Layer Options | 0.3 / 0.5 / 0.7mm | 0.3mm for Class 31/33 — correct when 3mm is specified for indentation resistance not Class 44. 0.5mm for Class 33/42. 0.7mm (28mil) for Class 44 — the only wear layer that achieves Class 44 on 3mm Dryback. |
| EN 685 Utilisation | Class 44 · 0.7mm wear | Maximum LVT utilisation class. 0.7mm wear + permanent hard-set adhesive bond required. NHS hospitals · EU airports · supermarket chain retail · government buildings. |
| Dimensional Stability | ≤ 0.10% | EN ISO 23999 · ASTM F2199. UFH compatible. NHS HTM 61 compliant. Adhesive bond held across hospital and airport temperature range without shear failure. |
| Peel Resistance | ≥ 50N / 50mm | ISO 24345:2006 — wear layer to core bond. Class 44 subfloor bond: hard-set acrylic or PU adhesive. Mapei Ultrabond Eco S955 or Uzin KE 2000S recommended for concrete and screed subfloors. |
| Residual Indentation | avg. 0.05mm | ISO 24343-1. Equal to 5mm SPC. Best figure in the Dryback range. Pallet jack wheel and hospital trolley caster contact maintained within 0.05mm permanent deformation across 25-year lifecycle. |
| Chemical Resistance | Grade 5 · EN ISO 26987 | Maximum grade. Hospital disinfectants · airport cleaning agents · supermarket floor maintenance. Daily clinical cleaning protocols for 15–25 years without surface degradation. |
| Fire Rating | Bfl-S1 · CE EN 14041 | EN 13501-1. NHS HTM 05-03 · EU airport ICAO · UK Part B · EU national commercial codes. CE DoP per shipment — no supplementary fire testing for NHS or airport procurement files. |
| Slip Resistance | R10 / DS | DIN 51130 · EN 13893. NHS HTM 61 compliant for hospital ward and corridor wet zones. Airport terminal R10 for wet entrance areas. |
| VOC / Air Quality | CARB 2 · FloorScore · AgBB | FloorScore SCS-FS-05154 · GREENGUARD Gold · CARB 2 · AgBB (DE hospital public procurement). LEED v4 IEQ 4.3 — increasingly specified for EU hospital and airport BREEAM certification. |
| Installation Adhesive | Hard-set acrylic or PU | Pressure-sensitive adhesive not recommended for Class 44. Hard-set required: Mapei Ultrabond Eco S955 / Uzin KE 2000S. Cure time: 24–48h light traffic · 72h heavy rolling before pallet jack traffic. |
| Subfloor Tolerance | ≤ 3mm / 3m · ≤ 85% RH | More tolerant than SPC click (≤2mm/2m). Primer required on porous substrates before adhesive for Class 44 bond strength. Contamination-free subfloor mandatory. |
| FOB Price Range | US$5.90–7.00/m² | 0.3mm from US$5.90 · 0.5mm from US$6.40 · 0.7mm from US$7.00 — FOB Ningbo or Shanghai. MOQ 800 sqm/SKU. HS Code 3918.10. |
| Transit Times | 14–30 days | Rotterdam 22–26d · Felixstowe 26–30d · Hamburg 24–28d · Long Beach 14–18d · Sydney 18–22d. |
Correct when 3mm Dryback is specified for its residual indentation performance (0.05mm — equal to SPC) rather than for Class 44. Specifically, 3mm with 0.3mm wear is the specification when a project requires the best possible indentation resistance of any Dryback LVT at the lowest FOB cost — for example, a public building entrance with heavy foot traffic but no rolling load requirement, or a precision manufacturing facility where point load from machinery feet must be minimised.
Heavy commercial Class 33/42 on 3mm core — specified when both maximum indentation resistance (0.05mm) and Class 42 utilisation are required in the same project, and when the project does not require Class 44. Correct for EU education renovation (school corridors and common areas), government building refurbishment, and large retail renovation where Class 42 is specified and maximum core depth is preferred for long-term performance over 2.5mm Dryback.
The Class 44 specification — the only combination of wear layer and core depth that achieves EN 685 Class 44 in LVT format. Required for NHS hospitals (HTM 61), EU airport terminals, supermarket chain sales floors, and any environment with pallet jack, hospital trolley, or sustained heavy rolling loads. Furthermore, 0.7mm wear on 3mm Dryback delivers a 20–25 year commercial lifecycle in Class 44 environments — the longest expected service life of any LVT specification in heavy commercial use. Hard-set adhesive mandatory.
9 Decors. All Class 44 Ready.
Every colour below is available on 3mm Dryback LVT with 0.7mm wear layer — and on 2mm and 2.5mm Dryback from the same décor film batch. Consequently, an NHS hospital specifying 3mm Dryback (0.7mm wear, Class 44) in ward corridors and 2.5mm Dryback (0.5mm wear, Class 33/42) in staff offices maintains the same colour throughout — one purchase order, identical appearance under clinical lighting across all zones.
Where 3mm Dryback LVT Is the Only Correct Specification.
Five Class 44 environments where no other LVT or SPC specification is technically compliant. Each scenario below represents a procurement requirement that eliminates click SPC, thinner Dryback, and all floating floor formats from consideration.
NHS Hospital · Class 44 · HTM 61 · 0.7mm Wear
NHS hospital ward and corridor floors are replaced on 15–20 year cycles under NHS Estates programmes. The UK Department of Health HTM 61 guidance specifies Class 44 utilisation, Bfl-S1 fire rating, R10 slip resistance, Grade 5 chemical resistance, and underfloor heating compatibility — all satisfied by 3mm Dryback with 0.7mm wear layer as standard. Specifically, the hard-set adhesive bond required for Class 44 also satisfies the NHS requirement for a floor covering that cannot be dislodged by hospital trolley impacts — a clinical safety requirement as well as a utilisation class requirement. CE DoP and FloorScore documentation provided per shipment for NHS Supply Chain compliance files.
EU Airport Terminal · Class 44
EU airport terminal renovation and new terminal fit-out specifies 3mm Dryback with 0.7mm wear layer for all public floor areas — passenger concourses, departure gates, and retail concessions. The combination of Class 44 utilisation, Bfl-S1 fire rating, and Grade 5 chemical resistance satisfies ACI Europe and national airport authority procurement requirements without supplementary testing. Furthermore, at 4,200 m²/20ft container yield, 3mm Dryback provides significantly better logistics efficiency than 5mm SPC click on large terminal floor areas — reducing the number of containers and the warehousing requirement during phased installation.
Supermarket Chain · Class 44 · Pallet Jack
European supermarket chain facilities teams specify 3mm Dryback with 0.7mm wear layer for all sales floor areas on 15-year replacement cycles. Daily pallet jack stocking (typically 100–300 pallet jack movements per day per store), sustained trolley fleet traffic, and frequent chemical cleaning create the most demanding combination of load and cleaning conditions in any retail environment. Specifically, the permanent adhesive bond prevents joint separation under loaded pallet jack wheels — a failure mode that eliminates all floating LVT formats from supermarket chain specifications regardless of wear layer thickness.
Government Buildings · Class 44
EU government building renovation frameworks increasingly specify Class 44 LVT for public-facing corridors, lobbies, and high-traffic institutional areas — particularly in the UK (Government Buying Standards), Germany (BAMF/federal procurement), and the Netherlands (Rijksvastgoedbedrijf). The combination of Class 44 durability, GREENGUARD Gold indoor air quality certification, and Bfl-S1 fire compliance satisfies the three principal requirements of EU government sustainability procurement frameworks simultaneously. Moreover, the same colour code is available across all three Dryback thicknesses — allowing the facilities manager to specify 3mm in public corridors and 2.5mm in office areas from one order.
EU Education · Class 44
EU school and university renovation projects specify 3mm Dryback with 0.7mm wear layer for main corridors, entrance lobbies, and canteen areas — the highest-traffic zones in educational facilities. The sustained foot traffic of 500–2,000 students daily combined with cleaning machine and trolley access generates Class 44 loading conditions during peak periods. Specifically, the GREENGUARD Gold and AgBB certifications on 3mm Dryback satisfy EU education authority indoor air quality requirements for occupied school environments — a procurement prerequisite in Germany, France, and the Netherlands for any floor covering installed in classrooms and corridors.
Large Facility · Multi-Spec · One Order
A large NHS hospital or EU airport terminal typically has three distinct utilisation zones requiring different specifications but the same visual colour. Ward corridors and patient areas: 3mm Dryback 0.7mm wear (Class 44, US$7.00/m²). Staff offices and consultation rooms: 2.5mm Dryback 0.5mm wear (Class 33/42, US$5.80/m²). Storage and plant rooms: 2mm Dryback 0.3mm wear (Class 31, US$4.20/m²). All three in the same colour code, from the same print run, delivered in two 20ft containers. Furthermore, the facilities manager receives three separate product data sheets and compliance documents for the NHS procurement file — each correctly specifying the utilisation class for its zone.
Is 3mm Dryback the Right Specification?
3mm Dryback LVT is the correct specification when EN 685 Class 44 is required — hospital wards, airport terminals, supermarket sales floors, and any environment with pallet jack or hospital trolley traffic. If your project requires Class 33/42 without Class 44 loads, 2.5mm Dryback with 0.5mm wear delivers identical Class 33/42 at lower FOB cost (US$5.80/m² vs US$6.40–7.00/m²). If your project is residential, 2mm Dryback delivers Class 21/31 at the lowest possible landed cost. Consequently, 3mm is not the default over-specification — it is the precise specification for Class 44 environments and nothing else.
Maximum container yield (6,200 m²/20ft) at lowest FOB cost. Class 21/31 residential. US multi-family and LATAM housing. Not suitable for any commercial Class 33 or above specification.
EU commercial balance. Class 33/42 with 0.5mm wear. UK housing associations, German offices, Dutch commercial renovation. Lower FOB than 3mm — correct when Class 44 is not required.
The only LVT specification that achieves Class 44. NHS hospitals, airport terminals, supermarket chain sales floors — permanent adhesive bond + 0.7mm wear + 3mm core. The maximum Dryback specification.
Maximum click SPC — Class 43, not Class 44. Correct when adhesive is not viable and Class 44 is not required. If your project requires Class 44, no SPC thickness achieves it. 3mm Dryback is the only path to Class 44.
| Parameter | 2mm Dryback | 2.5mm Dryback | 3mm Dryback ← This page | 8mm SPC Click |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | Full-spread adhesive | Full-spread adhesive | Full-spread adhesive | Floating · click |
| Container yield / 20ft | ~6,200 m² | ~5,100 m² | ~4,200 m² | ~2,200 m² |
| FOB entry price | US$3.80/m² | US$5.10/m² | US$5.90/m² | US$7.80/m² |
| Wear options | 0.2 / 0.3mm | 0.3 / 0.5mm | 0.3 / 0.5 / 0.7mm | 0.3 / 0.5 / 0.7mm |
| EN 685 max class | Class 21–31 | Class 33/42 | Class 44 · Maximum | Class 43 |
| Class 44 achievable | No | No | ✓ Yes — only here | No · click format |
| Dim. stability | ≤ 0.10% | ≤ 0.10% | ≤ 0.10% | ≤ 0.10% |
| Residual indentation | 0.10mm avg | 0.07mm avg | 0.05mm avg | 0.05mm avg |
| Chemical resistance | Grade 5 | Grade 5 | Grade 5 | Grade 5 |
| Fire rating | Bfl-S1 | Bfl-S1 | Bfl-S1 · NHS HTM | Bfl-S1 · DM Dubai |
| NHS HTM 61 compliant | No · Class 44 req. | No · Class 44 req. | ✓ Yes · 0.7mm wear | No · click format |
| Airport ACI compliant | No · Class 44 req. | No · Class 44 req. | ✓ Yes · 0.7mm wear | No · click format |
| Pallet jack rated | No | No | ✓ Yes · hard-set bond | No · floating joint |
| Primary market | US multi-family · LATAM | EU office · UK housing | NHS · Airport · Supermarket | ME hospitality · AU high-rise |
FOB Price in
24 Hours.
Guaranteed.
Send your 3mm Dryback specification — wear layer (0.3mm / 0.5mm / 0.7mm), sector (hospital / airport / supermarket / government), destination market, volume, and compliance requirements. You receive FOB pricing, CE DoP, NHS HTM documentation, and tender compliance checklist within one business day. Furthermore, chain rollout programmes above 100,000 m² qualify for dedicated volume pricing.
FOB Quotation + TDS
Specify wear layer, sector, compliance requirements, and volume. We respond within one business day with FOB pricing, CE DoP, NHS or airport tender documentation, and compliance checklist.
Or email sales@ecoflors.com. Sample kits dispatched within 5 business days. Chain rollout pricing available for 100,000 m²+.