PVC Flooring Glossary: Terms Every Importer & Specifier Should Know

Product Types

SPC (Stone Plastic Composite)

Rigid-core vinyl flooring made from roughly 60% limestone blended with PVC and stabilisers. The dense core (~2,000 kg/m³) makes it dimensionally stable and 100% waterproof. Installed floating with click-lock joints, with or without pre-attached IXPE underlayment. See our SPC flooring range.

WPC (Wood Plastic Composite)

Rigid-core vinyl with a foamed wood-plastic composite core — lighter and slightly softer underfoot than SPC, with better acoustics but lower dimensional stability at temperature extremes. Generally used for residential projects.

LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile)

An umbrella term for multi-layer vinyl flooring made in tile or plank format. It covers both flexible vinyl (dry-back or loose-lay) and rigid-core products (SPC/WPC). LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) is the same family in long wood-look plank format.

Homogeneous Vinyl

Vinyl sheet made from a single layer of identical material and colour through the entire thickness — wear does not reveal a different colour underneath. The standard choice for hospitals and schools. Browse our homogeneous vinyl sheet.

Heterogeneous Vinyl

Multi-layer vinyl: PVC backing, optional glass-fibre reinforcement, printed decor film and a transparent wear layer. Broader design freedom and lower cost than homogeneous for most commercial applications. See heterogeneous vinyl.

Sheet, Tile & Plank

Sheet is supplied in rolls (typically 2 m wide) and heat-welded into seamless floors; tile and plank formats are cut sizes installed with click, glue-down or loose-lay methods. Seamless requirements (hospitals, food areas) drive buyers to sheet; design flexibility drives plank/tile.

Surface & Construction Terms

Wear Layer

The transparent PVC top layer that protects the printed design. Thickness is the #1 quality indicator: 0.3 mm suits residential, 0.5 mm is the commercial standard, 0.7 mm+ for extreme traffic. Always verify the delivered wear layer — it is the most common spec shortfall in the market.

EIR (Embossed in Register)

A manufacturing process that aligns surface texture exactly with the printed wood grain or stone pattern, so the floor looks and feels realistic under touch and light.

UV Coating

A ceramic-bead or aluminium-oxide reinforced topcoat cured by ultraviolet light, adding scratch, stain and UV-fading protection over the wear layer.

Decor Film

The printed layer carrying the visual design (wood, stone, abstract). Print quality and colour fastness vary significantly between suppliers — always judge from physical samples, not photos.

Backing Layer

The bottom layer providing balance and stability. In heterogeneous sheet it is usually foam or felt PVC; in rigid core products it is the SPC/WPC core plus an optional pre-attached IXPE underlayment for acoustic insulation.

Installation & Accessories

Click-Lock

A floating installation system where planks or tiles join mechanically without adhesive. A quality lock (e.g. Unilin or Valinge type) holds joints tight and speeds installation to 50–80 m² per installer per day.

Loose-Lay

Heavy vinyl installed without glue or locking — held in place by its own weight and edge tackifier. Faster to install and replace; common in retail fit-outs with frequent interior changes.

Glue-Down

Installation with adhesive applied to the subfloor (full-spread or trowel-notched). Used for sheet vinyl and flexible tile where a seamless, stable bond is required.

Hot-Air Welding & Welding Rods

The process of fusing sheet seams with a hot-air gun and matching PVC rod, producing a waterproof, seamless floor — mandatory in hospitals, laboratories and food areas. See our welding rods and the welding technique guide.

Self-Leveling Compound

A cementitious or gypsum-based underlayment poured to create a perfectly flat subfloor before installation. Commercial floors typically require flatness within 3 mm over 2 m.

Skirting & Transition Strips

Skirting (wall base) covers the expansion gap at walls; transition strips join flooring to other surfaces at doorways. Both are colour-matched accessories that complete a professional installation. Browse PVC skirting and accessories.

Standards & Certification

EN ISO 10582 / EN 660-2 / BS 476 / ASTM E648

The product and performance standards behind commercial vinyl flooring — from heterogeneous product specification (EN ISO 10582) to abrasion groups (EN 660-2), UK fire rating (BS 476 Class 1) and US radiant-flux classification (ASTM E648 Class I). Each controls a different attribute of the floor.

Which report do you actually need for your project? Read the full Flooring Standards Guide with a cross-reference table by market and a 5-step guide to reading test reports.

FloorScore® / CE

FloorScore is an independent low-VOC indoor-air-quality certification (SCS Global Services) required for many healthcare and green-building projects. CE marking is the legal market-access requirement for floor coverings sold in the EU, based on the harmonised standard EN 14041.

Purchasing & Trade Terms

MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity)

The smallest quantity a factory will produce or sell per order/colour. For PVC sheet this is usually expressed in square metres or rolls; for rigid core products, in cartons or square metres. MOQs vary by colour — popular colours typically allow smaller orders than specials.

OEM / ODM

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer): the factory produces your design or formula under your brand. ODM (Original Design Manufacturer): the factory's existing design is produced under your branding — faster because tooling and development already exist.

RFQ (Request for Quotation)

The formal document you send a supplier listing product, specification, quantity and target price. A complete RFQ — including the standard/certification you need — shortens negotiation and reduces quote errors. Download a copy-ready RFQ checklist in our skirting selection guide.

Incoterms® (FOB / CIF / EXW)

International trade rules defining when risk and cost transfer between buyer and seller. FOB (Free On Board): seller delivers goods onto the ship; CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight): seller covers cost, insurance and freight to the destination port; EXW (Ex Works): buyer collects at the factory. Price comparisons only make sense on the same Incoterm.

Lead Time

The time from order confirmation (and deposit) to shipment. Lead times vary by factory and order type: at UNITECH NEXUS, in-stock colours ship within 5–7 business days, standard production runs 7–10 days, and custom colours take 15–20 days. Always confirm the lead time in writing before placing the order.

Container Loading

PVC flooring ships by sea container. A 20' container holds roughly 5,000–7,000 m² of 2 m wide, 2.0 mm sheet (weight-limited — less for thicker sheet or heavy packaging); a 40' HC roughly doubles the available volume (about 2.3×), but the loaded area rises only modestly for weight-limited 2 mm sheet. Confirm the loading plan with your forwarder. Freight cost per m² drops sharply with full-container orders — worth modelling when comparing suppliers.

References

Definitions in this glossary were cross-checked against the product specifications and certification programmes below (verified September 2026).

• ISO 10581 — Homogeneous poly(vinyl chloride) floor coverings — Specification
• ISO 10582 — Heterogeneous poly(vinyl chloride) floor coverings — Specification
• ASTM E648 — Critical Radiant Flux of Floor-Covering Systems
• FloorScore® — SCS Global Services indoor air quality certification
• CDPH Standard Method v1.2 (CA Section 01350) — VOC emissions

Reviewed by the UNITECH NEXUS technical team, September 2026. Trade terms such as Incoterms® follow ICC definitions; confirm the applicable standard edition with your specifier.