Stain classes
Stain resistance tells you what a spill can do to a tile and what it takes to undo it. The rating runs from Class 1 to Class 5 under the standard ISO 10545-14. Class 5 wipes clean with warm water and lower classes need stronger cleaners. This guide explains the scale, then walks through the stains themselves, one by one.
Download as PDFThe five classes
How the test works
The lab applies staining agents to the glazed face and leaves them for a full day. Then it cleans the tile in stages, from warm water up to solvents and abrasives. The class records the gentlest stage that removed every trace. Class 5 means water was enough. Class 1 means nothing gentle worked.
The stain library
Every entry assumes a glazed floor rated Class 4 or Class 5. A lower class needs the next stronger cleaner sooner, and the product page tells you which class you own.
Red wine
On a Class 4 or 5 glaze, wine sits on the surface. Wipe it with warm water and a drop of dish soap. Dried overnight, it still comes off with a household cleaner.
Coffee and tea
Wipe rings when you see them. A dried ring lifts with warm soapy water. Tannins only hold on unglazed surfaces and grout.
Oil and grease
Cooking oil wipes off glaze. The risk is the grout line. Wipe splatters before they spread and clean the joint with an alkaline cleaner.
Rust
Rust marks come from metal furniture and cans, not from the tile. Lift them with a rust remover made for tile. Skip steel wool, which leaves behind the metal that made the mark.
Leaf and mulch marks
Leaves left on wet outdoor tile leave tannin shadows. They fade with a household cleaner and sunlight. Sweep the patio before rain sits on it.
Sunscreen
Sunscreen films onto pool-deck tile and holds dirt. Warm water and dish soap cut it. In heavy pool season, give the deck a weekly wash.
Permanent marker
On glaze, marker is not permanent. Rubbing alcohol takes it off. On grout it needs a scrub with the same alcohol.
Paint
Let drips dry and lift them with a plastic scraper. Wet paint smears. Use solvent only for the residue, and test it on a spare piece first.
Hard water film
The white haze is mineral, not a stain. A mild acid cleaner made for tile dissolves it. Rinse after, and keep acids off the grout.
Grout stains too
Most floor stains are grout stains. The glaze sheds a spill and the joint drinks it. Wipe spills across the joint, not along it. Clean grout with an alkaline cleaner and keep acid off colored joints. A sealed joint absorbs more slowly.
Common questions
Does porcelain tile stain?
A glazed porcelain floor at Class 4 or 5 sheds almost everything a home produces. The joint between tiles is the part that stains, so grout care matters more than tile care.
Do I need to seal porcelain tile?
Glazed porcelain never needs sealing. Cement grout does. If the sheet says Class 5, sealing the tile adds nothing.
What removes red wine from tile?
Warm water with dish soap on a fresh spill. A household cleaner on a dried one. On Class 4 and 5 glazes the wine cannot get in.
Are stain class and PEI the same thing?
No. PEI rates wear from walking. The stain class rates chemical marks. A tile carries both, listed separately on its technical sheet.
What should never touch a tile floor?
Steel wool and harsh abrasive powders scratch glaze. Strong acid attacks cement grout. A Class 4 or 5 floor handles everything else a household produces.
Check any floor against this guide
Every PORCEMALL product page lists its ratings in the quick facts and in the technical data table. Open a product page and check it against this guide.