Face Floor Flatness
F numbers were developed in the 1980s to provide a systematic quantitative way to indicate the flatness and levelness of a concrete floor.
Face floor flatness. To quantify floor flatness using f numbers you begin by measuring the elevation differences d between points on the floor that are 1 foot apart along a straight line. The levelness is the levelness between the wheels which controls the forklift s lean. The most specified flatness levelness measuring testing labs building owners developers contractors universities research institutions and government agencies on six continents choose the dipstick because it produces the most accurate and repeatable flatness levelness data period. F numbers provide architects and contractors a method of determining the flatness and levelness of a concrete floor slab.
Pulled manually across the floor the f meter can measure up to 2500 linear feet 5 000 point elevation readings per hour a data collection rate 3 to 5 times faster than any other device. They are calculated using the standards set forth in astm e1155 which is the standard test method for determining f f floor flatness and f l floor levelness numbers the american concrete institute indicates acceptable ranges for flatness and levelness in aci 302 1 guide. Author of the f number system and inventor of the dipstick brings you the latest in floor and road profilers. Flatness is a measure of how bumpy the floor s finished surface is.
The difference between flatness and levelness is illustrated in figure 3 1. Full technical data can be viewed by clicking on the relevant specifications within table 1. The decision on which flatness specification to choose is usually dependent on the country of origin and there are four main floor flatness specifications used internationally. The f meter is the finest floor profiling instrument ever made.
After building the first reliable floor flatness levelness measuring device the face floor profileograph and developing the placement and finishing techniques that resulted in what face called superflat floors a team of face companies engineers and flat floor consultants invented the dipstick and introduced it at the 1982 world of. The flatness is the bumpiness or conversely the smoothness component which translates into how much jitteriness the truck operator would feel as the wheels move over the floor. Floor flatness levelnessone of the things that distinguishes a high tolerance floor is its f number requirement.