Flooring for server & comms room
Antistatic Flooring for Server Rooms
How to distinguish if a floor qualifies as antistatic for communication and server rooms.
If you're specifying flooring for a server room or comms room, you've probably run into this exact problem: the product page doesn't say the word "antistatic" anywhere, but you're not sure if that means the floor doesn't qualify, or if it just isn't being marketed on that point.
Here's the truth almost every Forbo flooring product is antistatic, but the product copy doesn't always say so explicitly. To know for certain, you need to check one specific number in the technical specification.
What "antistatic" actually means
Antistatic the technical definition
Antistatic performance is measured against EN 1815, the European standard for body voltage generated by walking across a floor. A flooring product is classified as antistatic when its body voltage result is ≤ 2kV.
That's it. That single number is the actual, verifiable definition. If a product's specification sheet shows an EN 1815 result at or below 2kV, that floor is antistatic.
Do you actually need more than antistatic?
For the vast majority of server rooms and comms rooms, standard antistatic flooring is genuinely sufficient you don't need a specialist ESD system like Colorex or Sphera EC | SD. The deciding factor isn't whether electronics are present; it's whether the floor needs to be earthed. Consult the client or their electrical engineer directly and ask whether the floor needs to be earthed.
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Recommended flooring for server & comms rooms
These are selected standard antistatic flooring with no special ESD system required, no additional earthing infrastructure to plan for.
- Marmoleum – If colour choice and sustainability credentials matter for the project, Marmoleum is the strongest pick.
- Eternal – heterogenous vinyl sheet if you're after realistic wood and stone visuals modern design look
- Surestep – safety vinyl offers slip resistance properties, available in solid, wood and concrete look.
View all our products
When standard antistatic isn't enough
The exception is high availability datacenters', where equipment sensitivity is formally specified by the client or their engineering team. In these cases, don't assume consult the client or their electrical engineer directly and ask whether the floor needs to be earthed. If the answer is yes, you're no longer in antistatic territory; you need a conductive (EC) or static dissipative (SD) ESD system.
Not sure which category your project falls into? Use our ESD flooring selector tool to check
Frequently asked questions
Q: What's the difference between antistatic and ESD flooring?
Antistatic flooring reduce static build up to a safe level (≤2kV under EN 1815) meaning it won't generate a shock when walking across a floor. but isn't earthed. ESD flooring (conductive or dissipative) is a specialist system that's earthed to actively drain static charge, required where equipment sensitivity demands it.
Q: Do I need to earth the floor in a comms room?
Not usually. Most comms rooms don't require earthing, meaning standard antistatic flooring is sufficient. However always confirm with the client's electrical engineer if you're unsure.
Still not sure which system fits your project?