UK Tennis Court Slip Testing

Worried your courts are slippery? Let's find out.

If someone's slipped, a court feels wrong underfoot, or you just want peace of mind — we carry out independent, UKAS-accredited slip tests on tennis courts across the UK. Clear results, plain-English reports, and advice you can actually act on.

PTV 36+ Low slip risk target
ITF Pace classified
Trusted across UK sport
UKAS 17025 ITF FIFA The FA FIH World Rugby
Why People Call Us

If any of this sounds familiar, a slip test is probably a good idea.

You don't need to be a surveyor or an insurer to know when a court doesn't feel right. These are the situations that bring most of our tennis clients through the door.

Players are complaining it's slippery

Members have mentioned the court feels slick underfoot — especially after rain, in damp weather, or first thing in the morning. A slip test gives you a straight answer: is it actually unsafe, or does it just feel that way?

Someone's slipped and fallen

A member, guest or pupil has had a fall. You need an independent, documented assessment — both to understand what happened and to have something defensible on file if an insurance claim follows.

The courts are getting old

Your surface is past its prime — maybe showing wear, moss, or patchy areas. Before committing to resurfacing, a test tells you whether the current surface is still safe, and what the real condition is.

Your insurer or committee has asked

Insurance renewal, trustee review, or a safety audit has raised the question. A UKAS-accredited slip test is the document that puts it to bed — for this year and on the record.

Safeguarding duty of care

You're a club secretary, bursar, or facilities manager with a legal duty of care to members, pupils, or the public. Routine slip testing is how you evidence you've taken that duty seriously.

New or resurfaced courts

The contractor has finished — but how do you know they've delivered what you paid for? An independent slip test at handover confirms your new surface meets the safety standard, not just the invoice.

What Actually Happens

What is a tennis court slip test?

It's more straightforward than it sounds. Here's what we do when we turn up at your club.

The pendulum test — the UK's standard for slip resistance

We use a piece of equipment called a pendulum tester. It's the same method the Health and Safety Executive recommends for measuring slip risk on any floor surface in the UK — from supermarket aisles to sports courts.

A rubber slider, weighted like the sole of a shoe, swings across a measured section of your court. The faster it's slowed down by friction, the better the grip. The result is a single number called the Pendulum Test Value (PTV).

We take readings across multiple points on each court, in both wet and dry conditions, because a court that's fine when dry can turn into a skating rink in the damp. Then we compare your PTV to the HSE's safety thresholds and tell you exactly where you stand.

0–24
High slip risk
25–35
Moderate
36+
Low slip risk
What You Get

A straight answer and a report you can hand to anyone.

No jargon, no upsell, no ambiguity. Just a clear test, a clear result, and a clear recommendation — from a lab that doesn't sell surfaces or take installer commissions.

1 Day
Quote turnaround
5 Days
Report after visit
UK
Nationwide coverage
17025
UKAS accredited
I

A test that actually counts

Our slip testing is UKAS ISO 17025 accredited — the same national standard that's used for airport floors, supermarket aisles and NHS corridors. Insurers recognise it. Solicitors recognise it. Committees can rely on it.

II

We're not trying to sell you a new court

We don't install, resurface, or sell tennis surfaces. No commissions, no kickbacks. If your courts are fine, we'll tell you. If they need work, we'll tell you that too — without steering you to a contractor.

III

Reports in plain English

You'll get a PDF with photos, clear numbers, a pass/fail against the HSE thresholds, and recommendations written so that committee members, bursars, and insurers can all follow them — no technical background required.

IV

We know tennis, not just floors

Plenty of slip testers work on commercial flooring. Sports surfaces are what we do — acrylic, macadam, artificial clay, synthetic turf, carpet. We've tested thousands of tennis courts across the UK, so we know what "normal" looks like.

How It Works

From worried email to clear answer — usually under a fortnight.

I

Tell us about your courts

Send a quick email or use the form below. The court surface, location, and why you're worried. We'll come back within one working day with a fixed quote.

II

We come to site

A UKAS-trained technician attends on a date that suits you. Testing takes 1–3 hours depending on how many courts you have. No disruption to play if you don't want any.

III

We analyse the readings

Back at the lab, your readings are checked against the HSE's national safety thresholds and written up into a clear, plain-English report.

IV

You get the report

A UKAS-accredited PDF in your inbox within 5 working days — photos, numbers, pass/fail, recommendations. Ready to send to your insurer, committee, or anyone who needs it.

Who We Help

Clubs, schools, and anyone responsible for a tennis court.

Tennis Clubs

Member clubs of every size, from village clubs with two courts to regional performance centres.

Schools & Colleges

Independent, state, and further education sports facilities — we understand bursar and safeguarding requirements.

Leisure Centres

Local authority and operator-run public courts where duty of care is a statutory obligation.

Hotels & Resorts

Guest-facing facilities where a slip claim is bad for business and bad for reputation.

After an Injury

Post-incident testing if someone's slipped — for insurers, solicitors, or your own peace of mind.

New-Build Sign-Off

Independent verification that your new or resurfaced courts meet the safety standard before you sign off.

Get An Answer

Don't guess whether your courts are safe.

Send us a few details — court surface, location, and what's prompting the enquiry — and you'll have a fixed-price quote in your inbox within one working day. No pressure, no obligation.

Common Questions

The things clubs usually ask us first.

My court feels slippery — is it actually dangerous?
It might be, or it might just feel that way. Tennis is a fast sport and a lot of court surfaces feel "slippier" than you'd expect from carpet or concrete, even when they're perfectly safe. The only way to know for certain is to measure it — which is exactly what a pendulum slip test does. You get a number, and you compare it to the national safety threshold. That's it.
How much does a tennis court slip test cost?
It depends on where you are, how many courts you have, and whether it's a routine test or post-incident. For a typical UK tennis club with 2–4 courts, a slip test sits in the low-to-mid hundreds of pounds. Send us a quick email with the basics and we'll send an exact number — most clubs are surprised how reasonable it is.
How often should a tennis court be tested?
Most UK clubs benefit from testing every one to two years as part of routine duty of care. Older courts, heavily used courts, or courts with visible contamination (moss, algae, leaf debris) sometimes benefit from annual testing. If a court has just been resurfaced, testing at handover is worthwhile to verify the contractor has delivered what they promised.
What surfaces can you test?
All of them — acrylic (hard courts), macadam (porous asphalt), artificial clay, artificial grass (sand-filled and sand-dressed), carpet, and traditional clay or grass. We'll confirm the right testing approach for your specific surface when you get in touch.
Someone's already had a fall — what do we do?
Call us sooner rather than later. For post-incident testing, we try to get to site quickly — usually within a few working days — to document the court's condition before it changes. The resulting UKAS-accredited report carries full evidential weight for insurers and, if necessary, civil proceedings. Don't resurface, clean, or alter the court until we've been, if you can help it.
Will testing disrupt play?
Only minimally. A single-court slip test takes around 60–90 minutes and we only need access to a small section of the court at a time. Most clubs schedule us for a quiet morning or weekday. We can work around league matches, coaching sessions, and tournaments if needed.
What does the report actually contain?
A PDF you can email to anyone. It covers: where we tested, what equipment we used, photographs of each test point, the PTV readings in wet and dry conditions, a clear pass or fail against the HSE thresholds, and recommendations if any remedial action is advisable. Written in plain English, not lab jargon.
Where in the UK do you cover?
Everywhere. We're based in Sunbury-on-Thames but test courts across the whole of the UK and Ireland. We plan routes efficiently, so even if you're in a remote part of the country, it's usually affordable.