Antibacterial & antifungal
ISO 22196 or JIS Z 2801 for bacteria, ASTM G21 or ISO 846 for mould. It is a property of the material — a treatment in or on the surface — and printing does not add it, so it has to be chosen before anything is printed.
Antibacterial & antimicrobial wallcoverings
Antibacterial wallcovering — what the specification is really asking for
A hospital, a clinic, a laboratory, a nursery or a government service hall rarely asks for “antibacterial wallpaper”. It asks for a wall that can be wiped down every day for ten years, that will not grow mould behind a chilled façade, that meets a fire class, and that has a test report behind each of those. This page explains what each of those lines means, what an antimicrobial treatment is honestly allowed to claim, and what we need from you to answer for your wall.
Send us your spec sheetThe schedule, the areas and the required standards — we come back on what fits.
- ISO 22196
- The usual test. Same method as JIS Z 2801
- Value R
- How the result is written — R ≥ 2 is a 99% reduction, R ≥ 3 is 99.9%
- ASTM G21
- The separate test for mould, graded 0 to 4
- Not a disinfectant
- A treated surface protects the material; it never replaces cleaning
What “antibacterial” means on a specification
Unlike fire, there is no single class to quote. The specification names a test, and the laboratory returns a number. These are the four you will see on a UAE healthcare or government schedule.
| Test | What it measures | How the result reads |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 22196 | Antibacterial activity on a non-porous surface, usually against S. aureus and E. coli | An activity value R. R ≥ 2.0 means a 99% reduction after 24 hours; R ≥ 3.0 means 99.9% |
| JIS Z 2801 | The Japanese original of the same method — the two are usually interchangeable on a spec | The same R value |
| ASTM G21 | Resistance of the material to fungi — mould, not bacteria | A grade from 0 (no growth) to 4 (heavy growth). Specs normally ask for 0 |
| ISO 846 | The European equivalent for the action of micro-organisms on plastics | A growth rating; used where a European material is specified |
Read the number, not the adjective. “Antibacterial” on a datasheet with no test, no organism and no R value tells you nothing — and it is the form the claim usually takes. Ask which standard, which organisms, and what value was returned, and ask for the report rather than the brochure.
What an antimicrobial treatment may not be sold as
This matters more than any figure on the page, and it is the paragraph most suppliers leave out.
- 1
It protects the material, not the person
A biocide built into a surface is permitted to be described as protecting that surface against microbial degradation, staining and odour. It is not permitted to be sold as protecting the people in the room. Under the US EPA treated-article rules and the EU Biocidal Products Regulation this is the same line, drawn the same way.
- 2
“Kills 99.9% of germs” is a health claim
On a wall it is also a laboratory result, produced on a clean coupon under controlled humidity for 24 hours, and a corridor is none of those things. Where you see that sentence on a wallcovering, read the test conditions beside it.
- 3
It does not replace cleaning
No infection-control protocol anywhere substitutes a treated surface for a cleaning regime. What a treated wall is genuinely for is surviving that regime — daily disinfectant, for years, without the print failing.
- 4
The reviewer knows all of this
Healthcare projects carry a second reviewer besides Civil Defence, and infection control reads seams, joints and cleanability before it reads a marketing claim. An honest submission goes through faster than a loud one.
What a healthcare wall is actually specified for
The antibacterial line is rarely alone. These are the requirements that come with it, and the ones that decide whether a wall survives its first year.
Disinfectant resistance
The one most often forgotten and the one that fails first. Hospital walls are wiped with alcohol, chlorine or quaternary ammonium compounds every day. Ask which disinfectants the facility uses, and whether the surface is tested against them — not merely “washable”.
Scrubbable & commercial grade
EN 233 and EN 235 describe washable, scrubbable and extra-scrubbable; American specs ask for Type I, II or III by weight, and Type II is the one usually written for corridors and public areas.
Moisture & mould resistance
Behind chilled façades, in basements, in sluice and utility rooms. Mould resistance is a separate test from antibacterial activity, and a material can hold one and not the other.
Fire classification
A healthcare wall carries a fire class as well — commonly ASTM E84 Class A or EN 13501-1 B-s1,d0, and usually stricter in corridors and exits than in a room.
Seams, joints and detailing
Infection control looks at where dirt can sit. Fewer seams is better; in wet or clinical rooms a welded sheet system is sometimes specified instead of a wallcovering altogether. Worth settling before the material is chosen, not after.
Where it is asked for in the UAE
- Hospitals & clinics
- Wards, corridors, consulting rooms, waiting areas
- Laboratories & pharmacy
- Controlled rooms with a daily disinfectant regime
- Nurseries & schools
- Low walls, heavy contact, frequent cleaning
- Government service halls
- High footfall public counters and waiting areas
- Food preparation areas
- Kitchens and back-of-house in hospitality
- Gyms, spas & changing rooms
- Warm, humid, and cleaned hard
What to send us for a specified wall
Send these and we will come back on what can be met, what cannot, and what the alternative is. We would rather tell you no before you order than after it is printed.
- The specification sheet or the WC schedule, exactly as the consultant issued it.
- The standard the antibacterial property has to be certified to, and the value required.
- Whether mould resistance is required separately, and to which test.
- Which disinfectants the facility uses, and how often the walls are cleaned.
- The fire class required, and whether it differs between corridors and rooms.
- Wall sizes: width × height for each wall, measured on site rather than taken off the drawing.
- The artwork for each code, and where each wall sits in the building.
What we will not tell you
We do not publish a blanket antibacterial claim for our wallcovering, and you should be careful with any supplier who does — especially one that puts a percentage next to it. The property belongs to a material and its test report, not to a printing company, and the claim that may lawfully be made about it is narrower than the industry pretends. Tell us the standard your project needs and we will confirm what is available for that wall, in writing, before you order. If it cannot be met we will say so and tell you what would meet it.
Questions we are asked
What standard proves a wallcovering is antibacterial?
Most commonly ISO 22196, or its Japanese original JIS Z 2801 — the two use the same method and specifications usually treat them as interchangeable. The laboratory returns an antibacterial activity value R: R ≥ 2.0 is a 99% reduction over 24 hours and R ≥ 3.0 is 99.9%. A datasheet that says “antibacterial” without naming the test, the organisms and the R value has not told you anything.
Is antibacterial the same as antifungal or mould-resistant?
No, and a material can hold one and not the other. Bacteria are measured under ISO 22196 or JIS Z 2801; mould is a separate test, usually ASTM G21, graded from 0 for no growth to 4 for heavy growth, with specifications normally asking for 0. In the UAE, where walls sit behind chilled façades and in humid back-of-house areas, the mould test is often the one that matters more.
Does an antibacterial wall mean the room needs less cleaning?
No. No infection-control protocol substitutes a treated surface for a cleaning regime, and no honest supplier should suggest it does. What the treatment is genuinely useful for is surviving the cleaning — a wall that is wiped with disinfectant every day for years without the surface or the print breaking down.
Can you print antibacterial wallpaper?
The property comes from the material, not from the printing. A treatment is built into the surface or applied at the mill, so it has to be chosen in the base material before anything is printed. Ink does not add it, and a laminate over the print can sit between the treatment and the room — which is why the laminate has to be part of the question, not an afterthought.
Why does disinfectant resistance matter more than the antibacterial figure?
Because it is what usually fails. A hospital wall meets alcohol, chlorine or quaternary ammonium compounds every single day, and a surface that is merely “washable” can haze, soften or lift its print within a year. Ask which disinfectants the facility uses and whether the material has been tested against those specific chemicals.
Is “kills 99.9% of bacteria” allowed on a wallcovering?
It should be read carefully. A biocide built into a material may be described as protecting that material against microbial degradation, staining and odour; selling it as protecting the people in the room is a health claim, and both the US EPA treated-article rules and the EU Biocidal Products Regulation draw that line in the same place. The figure itself also comes from a clean test coupon held at controlled humidity for 24 hours, which is not a corridor.
Does a healthcare wall need a fire rating too?
Almost always, and the two are entirely separate requirements. A ward or clinic wall typically carries a fire classification — commonly ASTM E84 Class A or EN 13501-1 B-s1,d0, usually stricter in corridors and exits than inside a room — alongside the antibacterial and cleanability requirements. One certificate does not stand in for the other.
Our spec just says “antibacterial wallcovering”. Is that enough to quote?
It is enough to start, not to finish. We would need the standard and the value required, whether mould resistance is specified separately, which disinfectants the facility uses, the fire class, and the wall sizes measured on site. Send the schedule as the consultant issued it and we will come back with the questions that are actually missing.
Related
Fire-rated wallcovering
B1, Class A and B-s1,d0 — what each one means and which your schedule asks for
Type II commercial grade
Scrubbable, washable and what actually wears a corridor wall out
Waterproof & moisture-resistant
Bathrooms, lobbies and why Gulf walls fail from behind
Light & colour fastness
Blue Wool, rub fastness and what actually fades on a printed wall
Low emission & environmental
Low VOC, formaldehyde, phthalate-free and what a rating system wants to see
Custom wallpaper & wall murals
Sizes, finishes, how a wall is printed and installed
Price your wall
Enter width × height and see the total for your own wall
Government projects
How we work with government and public-sector fit-outs
Talk to us
Send the schedule and we will come back on it
Reviewed 2026-10-03