
Stainless Steel Tactile Indicators: Durability and Compliance Guide
Grade selection, surface patterns, fixing methods and the dimensional requirements of the major standards, in one guide for specifiers.
20 March 2026 · 6 min read
Transport hubs are the most demanding environment for tactile indicators: enormous footfall, luggage trolleys, floor scrubbers, short maintenance windows and strict compliance audits. Integrated stainless steel tactile tiles were developed for exactly these conditions, and they are now the default specification for platform edges and escalator landings in metro and airport projects worldwide.
Most standards call for a warning field 600 mm deep set back about 300 mm from the platform edge (confirm against the project standard and the operator's drawings). That is two rows of 300 mm tiles: about 6.7 tiles per running metre. A 140 m platform needs roughly 935 tiles per side. Order 2% extra for cutting at columns and stair openings.
Warning fields at the top and bottom of escalators and stairs are also 600 mm deep across the full width. Lift lobbies use a field in front of the call button. Tiles suit all of these rectangular areas; use loose studs where the field wraps a column.
Guiding paths from the entrance to ticket gates and platforms use bar tiles (4 bars at 75 mm centres) on straight runs and loose strips at turns and junctions.
Enclosed, air-conditioned concourses: SS 304. Open-air, elevated or coastal stations, and any city with salt-laden air: SS 316. A client on a Saudi Arabia metro project chose SS 316 studs from MetalX for this reason and reported on-time delivery for the programme.
Metro corporations in India generally reference their own standard drawings, often based on ISO 23599 or AS/NZS 1428.4.1 geometry; airports may reference ISO or, for US-linked projects, ADA truncated domes. MetalX holds tooling for concentric ring, truncated dome, poly insert, carborundum insert and welded extended studs, so the tile can match the drawing.
MetalX manufactures tiles in Mumbai, holds standard tiles in stock, produces custom sizes in 3–4 days and can deliver urgent orders worldwide within 7 days. Every consignment includes screws, plugs, instructions and mill certificates on request.
About 6.7 tiles for a 600 mm-deep field (two rows of 300 mm tiles), plus 2% for cutting.
SS 304 for enclosed underground or air-conditioned concourses; SS 316 for open-air, elevated or coastal stations exposed to salt-laden air.
Yes, during off-peak or overnight possessions. Each tile fixes in about two minutes, and the platform can be handed back immediately.
MetalX holds tooling for concentric ring, truncated dome, poly insert, carborundum and welded studs and can manufacture to the operator drawing supplied with the tender.

Grade selection, surface patterns, fixing methods and the dimensional requirements of the major standards, in one guide for specifiers.
20 March 2026 · 6 min read
The two tactile messages, where each belongs in a building or street, and the layout rules that make them readable to cane and foot.
27 March 2026 · 5 min read
Platform-edge fields, guiding paths to gates and lifts, SS 316 in coastal cities, drawings and certificates: what a contractor should expect in a metro tactile specification.
20 May 2026 · 6 min readSend us your drawings, quantities and delivery location. We reply with a quotation, technical datasheet and lead time, usually within one working day.