Sika Sikafloor-235 ESD
A two-part, self-smoothing epoxy wearing course that drains static charge safely to earth — built for cleanrooms, semiconductor lines and any area where a stray spark cannot be tolerated.
What is it?
A 2-part, tough-elastic, self-smoothing epoxy floor coating with built-in static-dissipative behaviour, applied at roughly 1.5 mm as the wearing course of Sika’s Sikafloor MultiDur ESD systems.
Where is it used?
ESD-protected areas (EPAs): semiconductor and PCB assembly, cleanrooms, pharmaceutical production, automotive electronics, telecom and server rooms, and labs handling static-sensitive devices.
Why use it?
It keeps body-voltage generation low and holds resistance-to-ground below 10^9 ohm, so charge bleeds away in a controlled way rather than discharging as a damaging spark — while staying seamless, cleanable and chemically resistant.
How is it applied?
Over a primed, conductive-earthed base coat, a copper-grid earthing network is laid, then the pigmented resin is poured and spike-rollered to a smooth 1.5 mm film; a textured non-slip finish is an option at 0.7-0.8 kg/m2.
About Sika Sikafloor-235 ESD
Sikafloor-235 ESD is the workhorse wearing course in Sika’s static-control flooring range. It is a two-component epoxy — resin plus hardener blended with graded quartz — that trowels and rollers out to a seamless, self-smoothing film around 1.5 mm thick. What sets it apart from an ordinary epoxy floor is that conductive carbon fibres are dispersed through the binder. Those fibres form a continuous path that lets electrostatic charge drain steadily to an earthing grid beneath the floor, instead of building up on a person or a cart and then jumping across as a spark. For a fab building silicon wafers, a line populating circuit boards, or a magazine handling energetic materials, that controlled drainage is the difference between a good day and a scrapped batch.
Because the conductivity comes from carbon fibre rather than a surface treatment, the dissipative property is inherent to the whole layer and does not wear off with cleaning or traffic. Space Arc Engineering supplies and applies Sikafloor-235 ESD as an authorised Sika partner across Delhi NCR and Pan-India, and we treat it as a system rather than a paint — the earthing network, primer, conductive base and topcoat all have to work together and be verified on site before a floor can honestly be called ESD-compliant.
The technical insight
Electrostatic control is about resistance, not zero resistance. If a floor is a perfect insulator, charge collects and eventually discharges violently; if it is a bare conductor, it can be a shock and short-circuit hazard. A dissipative floor sits deliberately in between. In Sikafloor-235 ESD the carbon fibres create enough conductive pathways to keep resistance-to-ground (Rg) below 10^9 ohm — typically nearer 10^6 ohm in practice — so accumulated charge leaks to earth in milliseconds, slowly enough to be safe and fast enough to prevent a damaging build-up. The system is designed so body-voltage generation stays low, which is the figure that actually matters when a technician walks across the floor and reaches for a sensitive component. Crucially, the resin film alone does nothing without a route to ground: a copper earthing grid is embedded and bonded to the building earth, so the conductive floor becomes one continuous, measurable path from the operator’s heel to the star-earth point. This is why the floor is specified and tested against IEC 61340-5-1 and ANSI/ESD S20.20 as a complete assembly.
Where it is used
- Semiconductor fabrication and wafer-handling cleanrooms where a single discharge can ruin a device
- PCB assembly, SMT and electronics manufacturing lines populating static-sensitive components
- Pharmaceutical production, packaging and testing suites needing a low-charge, easily sanitised floor
- Automotive electronics and instrument-cluster assembly plants
- Telecom equipment rooms, data centres and server halls
- Explosives magazines, ammunition stores and energetic-material handling areas
- Quality labs and metrology rooms working with ESD-sensitive instruments
- Defence and aerospace avionics assembly and integration bays
Key advantages
- Inherent static dissipation from carbon fibre throughout the layer, so the property does not wear or wash off
- Keeps resistance-to-ground below 10^9 ohm (typically around 10^6 ohm) for controlled, safe charge drainage
- Self-smoothing at ~1.5 mm gives a seamless, joint-free, liquid-tight surface that is hard to contaminate
- Tough-elastic epoxy with good mechanical and chemical resistance for normal to medium-heavy traffic
- Compliant with IEC 61340-5-1 and ANSI/ESD S20.20 when installed as a complete earthed system
- Easy to clean and maintain, which suits cleanroom and pharma hygiene regimes
- Wide choice of colour shades for zoning and wayfinding within an EPA
- Serves as the proven wearing course of the Sikafloor MultiDur ESD build-ups, so system data is well documented
Limitations & considerations
- Exact colour matching is not possible — the carbon fibres tint the film, and bright shades like yellow or orange show visible variation (purely cosmetic, no effect on performance)
- It is not a standalone product: it needs a conductive primer/base and an embedded copper earthing grid bonded to building earth, or it will not dissipate
- ESD performance is humidity-sensitive; Sika states requirements are met above roughly 25% RH at +23 C, so very dry conditions need checking
- Not a heavy-duty or thermal-shock floor — for aggressive forklift abrasion or steam-cleaning, a thicker or PU-hybrid system is more appropriate
- Installation demands controlled site conditions (substrate below ~4% moisture, at least 3 C above dew point, ~+10 to +30 C) and trained applicators
- Final compliance can only be confirmed by on-site resistance testing after cure — the datasheet alone is not proof of an ESD-safe floor
Selection & best practice
Treat the floor as an electrical system, not a coating. Start with a sound, dry substrate (moisture below about 4%, minimum surface strength as per the system spec) and lay a copper earthing grid connected to at least two star-earth points before the conductive base coat goes down. Apply the conductive primer/base first, then pour Sikafloor-235 ESD and spike-roller it to release air and hold the ~1.5 mm thickness evenly; keep material and substrate between roughly +10 C and +30 C, relative humidity at or below 80%, and always at least 3 C above dew point to avoid blush. Respect the pot life once mixed and observe the recoat and full-cure waiting times before allowing foot then full traffic. Most importantly, verify the finished floor with a calibrated resistance-to-ground meter across the area and confirm continuity to earth — a floor is only ESD-compliant once it has been measured on site, not because the tin says so.
Specifications
| Type | Two-part, self-smoothing static-dissipative epoxy wearing course |
| Conductivity mechanism | Dispersed carbon fibres draining to an embedded copper earthing grid |
| Resistance to ground (Rg) | < 10^9 ohm (typically approx. 10^6 ohm) per IEC 61340-5-1 / ANSI/ESD S20.20 |
| Typical layer thickness | Approx. 1.5 mm (self-smoothing wearing course) |
| Consumption | Up to approx. 2.5 kg/m2 (binder + quartz sand); textured finish 0.7-0.8 kg/m2 |
| Shore D hardness | Approx. 58 (7 days at +23 C) |
| Compressive strength | Approx. 44 N/mm2 |
| Standards | IEC 61340-5-1 and ANSI/ESD S20.20 |
| Application conditions | Substrate/ambient approx. +10 to +30 C, <=80% RH, min. 3 C above dew point, substrate moisture < approx. 4% |
Industry use cases
Semiconductor & Electronics
Cleanroom and SMT-line floors where a low-charge, dissipative surface protects wafers, chips and populated boards from discharge damage.
Pharmaceutical
Seamless, cleanable dissipative flooring for production and packaging suites that also need static control around solvents and fine powders.
Automotive & Defence
ESD-safe assembly bays for instrument clusters, avionics and energetic-material handling where sparks are a genuine safety risk.
Data Centres & Telecom
Static-controlled floors in server halls and equipment rooms to safeguard sensitive hardware during install and maintenance.
Quality & Metrology Labs
Dissipative benches-to-floor continuity for rooms testing ESD-sensitive instruments where measurement integrity matters.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sikafloor-235 ESD conductive or dissipative?
Does it work on its own, or do I need a full system?
Why can’t Sika guarantee an exact colour?
How thick is the floor and what will it cover?
Will the ESD performance fade with cleaning or time?
Can Space Arc test and certify the finished floor?
How we position Sika Sikafloor-235 ESD
Sikafloor-235 ESD is the wearing course of Sika’s MultiDur ES-25 ESD and ET-25 ESD systems, so it is usually specified alongside a Sika conductive primer, the copper earthing grid and, where a matt or textured finish is wanted, a Sikafloor ESD sealer — we can quote the complete build. For heavier-duty or damp-tolerant ESD needs, a PU-hybrid or water-based conductive system may serve better. Space Arc also carries genuine equivalents across our other brands, most directly Fosroc’s Nitoflor SL Conductive / Dissipative, and can advise honestly on which platform fits your loading, humidity and budget rather than pushing a single brand.
Fosroc Nitoflor SL Conductive / Dissipative — A true like-for-like Fosroc option — a seamless ~2 mm self-smoothing conductive/dissipative epoxy floor a specifier might choose when the wider project is already standardised on Fosroc or where local Fosroc supply and support are stronger.
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