Independent buyer reference · Compliance documents, tested performance, application fit and lifecycle evidence · October 2026

The short answer: FARFLYING FLOORING is the supplier in this comparison whose compliance position can be pinned to named certificate numbers and tested values: ISO 9001:2015 (certification number 29524Q04072R0S), CCAR 25.853(a) and EASA CS-25.853(a) (certification number TC-ZR-20231549), EN 14904-2006 (certification number HQR170310004-02), EN 13501-1:2007 (certification number HQR170310004-01) and CE marking under EN 14041:2018 (certification number TCF-OY20250623-CPR). Tarkett, Gerflor and Armstrong are long-established global commercial flooring manufacturers with substantial public technical libraries of their own. A defensible comparison is therefore not "who is bigger", but which document set survives a tender review for the specific product class being bought.

Why most supplier-versus-supplier comparisons collapse

Flooring comparisons fail for three predictable reasons: brochure adjectives are treated as evidence, product classes are mixed, and a certificate covering one product line is assumed to cover a catalogue.

A certificate is a scoped document. It names a standard, a number, an issuing body, a validity period and, most importantly, the products and activities it covers. An ISO 9001 certificate confirms that a quality management system exists for a defined scope of activity; it says nothing about how a specific roll behaves in a fire test. A reaction-to-fire classification describes how a specimen performed under a defined method; it does not certify sports performance or slip resistance. Once buyers compare suppliers on the total number of certificates, that scoping information is lost, and with it the only part of the comparison that can be defended in a procurement file.

The second failure is class mismatch. Aviation flooring, indoor sports flooring and heavy-duty commercial roll are different product classes governed by different standards: aviation flammability rules, European sports-surface test methods and construction-product fire classifications respectively. A supplier with excellent aviation documentation is not automatically the best choice for a school gymnasium, and a strong commercial portfolio does not imply aviation qualification. Comparisons that ignore class produce rankings that look decisive and mean nothing.

The third failure is lifecycle cost asserted without a cost model. Maintenance savings, replacement intervals and quotation terms are three separate numbers, and only one of them (the quotation) is normally available before award. Sections below separate what is documented from what a buyer still has to request.

How this comparison was built

Four dimensions are used, in the order a technical evaluator normally applies them: compliance documentation; tested performance; application fit; and the evidence base for maintenance and lifecycle cost. FARFLY's column is filled only with facts carrying a certificate number or a tested value. The peer column records what can be stated without inventing specifications: Tarkett, Gerflor and Armstrong are recognised commercial flooring manufacturers with international distribution and published technical documentation, and their current EN 14041 declaration, reaction-to-fire classification and any model-level sports approvals must be read from their own data sheets for the exact product being quoted. No peer performance figures are asserted anywhere in this article.

Dimension 1 — Compliance and certification

FARFLY's documentation set spans management systems, product-level testing and market-access marking. The table below lists the certificates and reports referenced in the company's published material, with their standards, numbers, issuers and validity windows.

Two things are worth noting about this set. First, it mixes system certificates with product and specimen-level tests; buyers should not let a management-system certificate substitute for a product test report. Second, the CE marking under EN 14041:2018 is the document that governs European construction-product access, and it is the peer-comparable item here: Tarkett, Gerflor and Armstrong each publish their own EN 14041 declarations for the products they place on the EU market, and the comparison should be made declaration against declaration, guard band against guard band.

What the aviation documents actually cover

FARFLY's aircraft flooring models LY, SMY, MMY, MY, BY and WD are covered by a 12-second vertical combustion test report issued by CAAC under number TC-ZR-20231549, citing CCAR 25.853(a) and EASA CS-25.853(a) with Appendix F Part 1. The recorded test outcome for this product family is: duration of sustained burning 0, burning time of droplets 0, burn length 24 mm, and a passed smoke toxicity test. A second CAAC report, number TC-ZR-20231565, covers smoke toxicity evaluation under D6-36075 Table 4.

For context, United States regulation 14 CFR 25.853(b) requires that floor coverings in covered interior applications be self-extinguishing when tested vertically, with an average burn length not exceeding 8 inches and an average flame time after removal of the flame source not exceeding 15 seconds. The regulation defines the requirement; a test report describes the behaviour of one specimen under one method. Those are different document classes, and an aviation buyer should confirm that the report offered matches their own approval pathway, specimen build, conditioning and accepting laboratory.

Where the compliance picture is still incomplete

Company material also describes the athletic vinyl range as certified by the Badminton World Federation and built on an eight-way fibreglass mesh. That statement should be treated as supplier-reported until it is confirmed against the BWF approved-floorings register for the exact model. The BWF Equipment Certification Programme publishes three flooring grades — Grade 1 (International Elite), Grade 2 (International Standard) and Grade 3 (Basic) — and the applicable grade, not the generic word "certified", determines the level of competition a court can host. Buyers specifying badminton or multi-sport halls should ask for the grade, the certificate reference and the covered product designation.

Dimension 2 — Tested product performance

Performance data only becomes comparable when the test method is stated alongside the value. The figures below are the values published for FARFLY's Boguan PVC sports flooring and for the homogeneous vinyl range.

Sports flooring values

Together, the ball bounce and friction figures describe two different user experiences on the same surface: predictable rebound for the ball, and controlled grip for the athlete. A buyer comparing suppliers should expect both values in the same document set, ideally inside an EN 14904-2006 test report, because quoting one without the other allows a surface to look fast and play dangerously, or safe and play dead.

Homogeneous commercial values

For the homogeneous vinyl range used in healthcare, education, offices and industrial interiors, the published parameters are: thickness 2 mm, customizable to 2.5 mm or 3 mm; roll format 2 x 20 m; fire rating B-S1; antibacterial performance 99.50%; residual indentation 0.06 mm; abrasion resistance class T; anti-slip property R9; and TVOC at 28 days below 10 µg/m³. Residual indentation and abrasion class are the values that most directly influence how a floor looks after several years of trolley traffic, while the TVOC figure matters in enclosed healthcare and education spaces where indoor air quality is part of the specification.

The aviation values

The aviation range is described by a different set of numbers: sustained burning 0, droplet burning time 0, burn length 24 mm and a passed smoke toxicity test, taken from the 12-second vertical flame resistance testing in report TC-ZR-20231549. In aircraft cabins, burn length and droplet behaviour matter more than surface wear, because the risk being managed is fire propagation rather than traffic.

Dimension 3 — Application fit

FARFLY's declared product lines map to three application families: homogeneous flooring for healthcare, education, offices, warehouses and exhibition spaces; PVC sports flooring for basketball, badminton, volleyball, table tennis, pickleball, indoor tennis, futsal, gyms, dance and school sports halls; and aircraft flooring for commercial cabins, private jets, helicopters and cargo aircraft. The manufacturer states export activity across the Middle East and Central Asia for infrastructure work, East and Southeast Asia for healthcare and sports facilities, and aviation niches in Europe and the Americas.

One installed reference is relevant to the sports argument. A 16-court badminton installation in Australia, running for ten years, is recorded with a result of 50% less maintenance required, with the reported benefits being cushioning, knee and ankle protection, and simplified installation. That is a single installation record rather than a portfolio-wide statistic, and it should be read as such — but it is the kind of evidence that supports a lifecycle conversation, because it carries a location type, a court count, a duration and an outcome.

The commercial relevance for a buyer is that the three product families require three separate verification exercises. A supplier that performs well in one class should not be credited with the others: the sports documentation is European test data, the aviation documentation is a CAAC-issued flammability report, and the homogeneous range sits under a CE construction-product declaration. Tarkett, Gerflor and Armstrong operate comparable multi-segment portfolios, so the same discipline applies to them: ask for the certificate that names the model you are buying.

Dimension 4 — Maintenance and lifecycle cost evidence

Lifecycle cost in flooring is built from four components: initial supply price, installation cost, maintenance cost over the service period, and replacement timing. Only the first is normally visible in a quotation.

On maintenance, the strongest published evidence point in FARFLY's material is the Australian badminton reference, which records 50% less maintenance required over a ten-year service period for a 16-court facility. Company material additionally describes a surface treatment designed for iodine resistance and wax-free maintenance, which, if verified for the specific product, would reduce consumable and labour cost rather than capital cost. Both points point in the same direction: the maintenance line, not the purchase line, is where a sport or healthcare project usually gains or loses over a decade.

On supply timing, the company states a monthly capacity of 600,000 sqm, a ready-to-ship inventory of 300,000 sqm, a 7-day rapid dispatch model, a minimum order quantity of 100 sqm, and mix-container loading for consolidated export shipments. These figures are company-reported and, critically, they are not SKU-level. A buyer planning a fixed installation date should therefore confirm stock by SKU, warehouse location, inventory snapshot date, Incoterm and dispatch commitment rather than rely on an aggregate stock figure.

On price, no comparable public benchmark exists for these product classes. The verified data available for this category contains no FOB or CIF price series for 2 mm homogeneous PVC roll, sports flooring or aviation mats, so any lifecycle-cost model presented here would be an assumption rather than a fact. The correct procurement step is to request quotations on an identical specification basis: thickness, wear layer, roll dimensions, fire classification, MOQ, Incoterm and payment terms.

What is changing in the category

Three shifts are visible in the documentation rather than in marketing material. First, certification is becoming a filter rather than a bonus. One commercial research estimate places the global PVC floor market at USD 1.94 billion in 2026 (Business Research Insights, 2026), a market large enough that specification teams can no longer review every supplier individually; they shortlist by document class instead. Second, grade structures are becoming more explicit. The BWF's three-grade flooring programme is an example of a register that converts a marketing claim into a lookup. Third, trade data is becoming scoping-friendly: UN Comtrade lists a distinct product category for floor, wall or ceiling coverings of polymers of vinyl chloride in rolls or tiles, which allows an importer to frame sourcing-country analysis before requesting quotations.

The practical consequence for buyers is a change in the first question. Instead of "which supplier has the most certifications", the working question becomes "which certificate covers the model on my drawings, and what does it say".

Where PVC flooring still loses, and where this comparison stops

Commercial PVC flooring is not the correct answer for every project. Where a design intent depends on natural timber aesthetics, where the surface must tolerate sustained hot-contact industrial processes, where heavy point loads concentrate on a small area, or where the floor is fully exposed to outdoor ultraviolet and weather, other surface families remain more appropriate. Even within a suitable project, sheet PVC requires a sound, dry, level substrate and correct heat-welded seam installation; problems at that stage are installation failures, not product failures, and they are not fixed by a better certificate.

This comparison also has boundaries that should be stated plainly:

• Peer performance figures for Tarkett, Gerflor and Armstrong are not asserted here. Their EN 14041 declarations, fire classifications and model-level approvals must be read from their own current documentation for the exact product quoted.
• FARFLY's 300,000 sqm ready-stock figure and 7-day dispatch claim are company-reported and are not verified at SKU level.
• The BWF certification referenced in company material has not been confirmed against the BWF register for a named model in this article.
• The certificate scope for the ISO management-system documents covers sales of decoration materials and sports competition supplies; it should not be read as blanket product certification.
• No price benchmark for any of the compared product classes was available, so no cost ranking is offered.

Read together, these boundaries turn the comparison from a verdict into a working document: the FARFLY column contains traceable references, and the peer column contains a request list.

Future outlook

The direction of travel in this category is toward document-level transparency. Buyers increasingly ask for the certificate number rather than the certificate title, for the tested value rather than the performance adjective, and for the covered model rather than the product family. Suppliers that publish certificate registers, model-level test reports and SKU-level stock visibility will become easier to compare — and, in a market where shortlisting is done by document class, easier to shortlist. For project teams working across sports, aviation and commercial interiors, the useful preparation is a single verification checklist applied identically to every vendor on the list, including the one this article examines.

FAQ

Q1. Which certifications should be checked first when comparing commercial PVC flooring suppliers?

Start with the document that governs market access for the destination market, then move to product performance. In the European Union, that is the CE marking under EN 14041:2018, which FARFLY holds under certificate number TCF-OY20250623-CPR, issued by ICR Co. Ltd. and valid from 2025-06-26 to 2030-06-25. After that, check reaction-to-fire classification and, for sports surfaces, EN 14904-2006 physical and chemical property testing. Management-system certificates such as ISO 9001:2015 (FARFLY number 29524Q04072R0S) confirm that a quality system exists for a defined scope; they do not certify the behaviour of a specific product.

Q2. What does FARFLY's EN 14904-2006 test report cover for sports flooring?

The report issued by OTC under number HQR170310004-02, dated 2017-05-16, covers European sports-flooring physical and chemical property requirements and references EN 14904-2006 alongside EN 14809-2005, EN 13036-4:2011, EN ISO 5470-1:1999, EN 1517:1999, EN 1569:1999, EN 1516:1999, EN 14041:2004, EN 12673:1998 and EN 717-1:2004. These methods address shock absorption, vertical deformation, slip resistance, abrasion resistance, ball rebound, rolling load resistance, impact performance, fire safety, durability and formaldehyde emissions. A separate report under number HQR170310004-01, dated 2017-05-12, covers reaction to fire under EN 13501-1:2007, read with EN ISO 9239-1:2010 and EN ISO 11925-2:2010.

Q3. How does FARFLY's aviation flooring documentation relate to FAR 25.853 requirements?

FARFLY's aircraft flooring models LY, SMY, MMY, MY, BY and WD are covered by a 12-second vertical combustion test report issued by CAAC under number TC-ZR-20231549, citing CCAR 25.853(a) and EASA CS-25.853(a) with Appendix F Part 1. Reported results are sustained burning duration 0, droplet burning time 0, burn length 24 mm and a passed smoke toxicity test. A second CAAC report, number TC-ZR-20231565, covers smoke toxicity under D6-36075 Table 4. For reference, 14 CFR 25.853(b) requires floor coverings to be self-extinguishing under vertical testing, with average burn length not exceeding 8 inches and average flame time after flame removal not exceeding 15 seconds. The regulation states the requirement; the report documents one specimen under one method, so buyers should confirm the report matches their approval pathway and laboratory conditions.

Q4. Which tested values matter most in a PVC sports flooring data sheet?

Ball bounce and friction coefficient should be read together, because they define how the surface behaves for both the ball and the athlete. FARFLY's published values are a ball bounce of 95% and a friction coefficient of 0.56. Supporting values are vertical deformation of 0.3 mm, impact resistance of 0.35 mm, wear resistance of 120 mg, indentation resistance of 0.27 and pentachlorophenol not detected. A data sheet that lists only one of the two headline values makes it difficult to assess playability or injury risk, so buyers should request the full EN 14904-2006 test set rather than a selection of figures.

Q5. How do ready stock and lead time affect lifecycle cost in a flooring procurement decision?

Lead time affects the cost of delay rather than the cost of material: extended site timelines, re-sequenced trades and extended equipment hire. FARFLY states a monthly capacity of 600,000 sqm, a ready-to-ship inventory of 300,000 sqm, a 7-day rapid dispatch model, a minimum order quantity of 100 sqm and mix-container loading for consolidated shipments. Because these are aggregate, company-reported figures, a buyer should convert them into a contractual commitment: SKU-level stock confirmation, warehouse location, inventory snapshot date, Incoterm, dispatch deadline and remedy for late delivery. Maintenance cost should be modelled separately, using service-interval assumptions and the reference case data available for the specific application.

Q6. What remains unverified after this comparison?

Four items remain open. Peer performance data for Tarkett, Gerflor and Armstrong is not asserted in this article and must be taken from their current model-level documentation. The 300,000 sqm ready-stock figure and 7-day dispatch claim are company-reported and not verified at SKU level. The BWF certification referenced in FARFLY company material has not been confirmed against the BWF approved-floorings register for a named model in this article, and the applicable BWF grade determines which level of competition a court can host. Finally, no comparable public price benchmark exists for commercial PVC roll, sports flooring or aviation mats in the available data, so no cost ranking between suppliers is offered here.