The Displacement Volume test essentially measures the amount of surface profile of the tile or flooring product. It is intended be an indicator for deliberately patterned products with raised dots, pyramids, squares, circles, ribs, ridges etc.  Flat textured surfaces will generally not achieve a result on this test however some extremely coarse textured surfaces of applied finishes may achieve a score in the lowest V4 category.

Ratings are  V4, V6, V8 or V10 (highest).

Profiled surfaces have generally received limited acceptance in the Australian market, and this limited acceptance has generally declined even further since the publication of HB198 in 2014.

The limitations of profiled surfaces include:-

• The relatively poor performance under accelerated wear testing(AWT)
• The relatively poor durability under heavy traffic
• A propensity to trap soiling with certain designs
• Relatively poor handling of wheeled traffic
• Recognition by the newer handbook HB 198 that a higher rated flat product is a suitable alternative to a profiled product e.g. an R11  flat tile is suitable in lieu of an R10 with profiled surface (V4).