About Fosroc Nitoflor ET Slurry R

Fosroc Nitoflor ET Slurry R is a heavy-duty, flow-applied anti-skid surfacing system from the Fosroc Nitoflor industrial-flooring range, and the current designation of the product formerly sold as Fosroc Cicol ET Slurry. It is built around a three-component formulation: a coal-tar modified epoxy resin base, an amine-based hardener, and chemically inert graded mineral (silica) fillers. Mixed on site in pre-weighed packs, these combine into a fluid, homogeneous black slurry that is poured and spread onto the prepared substrate. While the slurry is still wet, a specially selected hard-wearing aggregate (graded silica sand, or harder calcined bauxite for the most demanding wear) is broadcast over the surface until the binder is obliterated. The result is a monolithic, jointless wearing course that is at once waterproof, chemically resistant and aggressively anti-skid, even when wet.

The system was developed for one of the most punishing duties in construction: surfacing steel and concrete decks that carry continuous wheeled and pedestrian traffic while being exposed to weather, fuels and de-icing salts. Because the cured film is light (built in millimetres rather than the tens of millimetres of a cementitious screed) it adds minimal dead load, which is exactly why bridge engineers reach for it when overlaying existing structures or designing new long-span decks where every kilogram of superimposed load matters. Equally important is its adhesion: Nitoflor ET Slurry R is formulated to bond tenaciously to blast-cleaned bare steel without a primer, and to concrete once primed with Nitoprime, so it doubles as a corrosion-protective, water-impermeable membrane for the substrate beneath. For Indian contractors, consultants and procurement teams, it sits in the same decision space as Fosroc’s coal-tar-free sibling Nitoflor NT Slurry and competitive anti-skid deck systems, and is supplied in India by Fosroc Chemicals (India) Pvt. Ltd.

The technical insight

The defining technical trait of Nitoflor ET Slurry R is that performance is governed by build thickness, which is deliberately varied to match traffic intensity rather than fixed. Fosroc literature specifies roughly 3.0–3.5 mm of slurry for light traffic, 3.5–4.0 mm for medium and 4.0–5.0 mm for heavy traffic, with the finished aggregate-dressed surface typically 5–8 mm overall. Coverage of the binder runs about 1.6 kg/m² per mm of slurry (or, expressed by traffic class on the India TDS, ~0.33 m²/litre at 3 mm light, ~0.25 m²/litre at 4 mm medium and ~0.20 m²/litre at 5 mm heavy), so material take-off scales directly with the specified duty. The coal-tar epoxy chemistry delivers the chemical resistance and waterproofing, while the broadcast aggregate, not the binder, provides the skid resistance and abrasion life: choosing a harder aggregate (Mohs ~9, approaching diamond) and a coarser grade is how you uprate the system for jet-blast aprons or HGV decks. Two practical constraints follow from the chemistry. First, pot life is short, about 30 minutes at 30°C, so mixing must be sized to what a crew can place and dress before gel. Second, the aggregate must fall vertically into the wet binder to refusal; throwing it at an angle creates ridges that cannot be corrected after cure. Cured mechanicals (BS 6319) are strong but modest by epoxy-mortar standards (compressive ~35 N/mm², tensile ~8 N/mm², flexural ~15 N/mm²), reflecting that this is a flexible wearing course designed to move with a deck, not a rigid high-strength screed.

Where it is used

• Steel and concrete road and foot bridge decks requiring a lightweight anti-skid overlay
• RO-RO linkspans, loading jetties, dockside ramps and other marine-exposed traffic surfaces
• Multi-storey and basement car park decks, ramps and turning circles
• Helicopter decks, ship decks and offshore platform walkways (low flame-spread duty)
• Airfield aprons, hardstandings and fuel-handling pavements exposed to spillage
• Wet-process industrial floors, gangways and walkways needing permanent grip
• Waterproofing/corrosion-protective membrane beneath asphalt on bridges and flyovers

Key advantages

• Lightweight at a few millimetres build, minimising added dead load when overlaying existing decks and bridges
• Bonds tenaciously to blast-cleaned bare steel with no primer required, and to concrete via Nitoprime
• Excellent wet and dry skid resistance from the broadcast aggregate, reducing aquaplaning on deck surfaces
• Waterproof and corrosion-protective, sealing the steel or concrete substrate as a membrane
• Resistant to petrol, diesel, kerosene, aircraft fuel, hydraulic fluids, dilute acids/alkalis and de-icing salts
• Flexible with good tensile and flexural strength, so it accommodates deck movement and impact
• Fast curing: foot traffic in around 24 hours and full vehicular traffic in about 48 hours at 30°C
• Flow-applied and jointless, covering large areas quickly with a hand crew using trowel/squeegee

Limitations & considerations

• Contains coal-tar; for aesthetics, lighter colours or coal-tar-free specs, Fosroc’s Nitoflor NT Slurry is the preferred alternative
• Short pot life (~30 minutes at 30°C) demands disciplined batching and an experienced applicator crew
• Finished colour is dictated by the broadcast aggregate; the binder itself is black, limiting decorative options
• Application window is temperature-bound, recommended 15–35°C with substrate at least 3°C above dew point; Indian summer decks may need early-morning or night placement
• Substrate preparation is unforgiving: steel needs blast cleaning to Sa 2½ with ~75 micron profile, concrete must be sound, dry and primed
• Aggregate must be broadcast vertically to refusal while the slurry is wet; ridges from angled throwing cannot be remedied after cure
• Not a high-strength structural screed; modest compressive strength (~35 N/mm²) means it is a wearing course, not a load-spreading topping
• Skill- and PPE-intensive epoxy/coal-tar handling; adequate ventilation and resin-safe practices are mandatory

Selection & best practice

Specifications

Industry use cases

How we position Fosroc Nitoflor ET Slurry R

Within Fosroc’s range, Nitoflor ET Slurry R is the heavy-duty, coal-tar epoxy anti-skid deck system, best reserved for bridge decks, jetties, car parks and fuel-exposed pavements where waterproofing, chemical resistance and low dead-weight all matter together. It pairs with Nitoprime 25 as the concrete primer and Nitoflor Sol as the tool cleaner. Where coal-tar is undesirable, on aesthetic grounds, for indoor air quality, or because a specification bars it, its direct sibling Nitoflor NT Slurry is the coal-tar-free choice, and for conventional self-smoothing or screed floors the wider Nitoflor resin-flooring range (Nitoflor coatings, toppings and hardeners) applies. Against competitors, the closest equivalents are Sika’s anti-skid bridge-deck and Sikafloor systems, MBS (MYK Schomburg) resin flooring and deck-waterproofing lines, Dr. Fixit’s Pidifin/anti-skid deck offerings for car parks and bridges, and STP’s epoxy and PU floor and deck systems; the right pick usually turns on aggregate grade, project-specific chemical exposure, certification and local applicator support rather than headline chemistry alone. As an authorised Fosroc distributor and applicator across Delhi NCR and pan-India, Space Arc Engineering can supply Nitoflor ET Slurry R, advise on the correct thickness and aggregate for your traffic class, and provide on-site application support and budgetary pricing.

Related Industrial Flooring products

View all Industrial Flooring products →