Airport Walkway Pole: Passed Dry, Failed Wet
A grey painted pole on an outdoor walkway at a Queensland airport, tested against the broom-finished concrete around it in October 2026.
- Sector: Aviation
- Location: Queensland
- Element: Grey painted pole against broom-finished concrete
- Conditions: Outdoors, direct sun, tested dry and wet
- Equipment: Konica Minolta LS-110 on a tripod at 1.6 m
The brief
A flooring contractor working on an airport walkway asked us to test whether the painted poles along the path had enough luminance contrast against the paving, in both dry and wet conditions.
What we did
With the meter on a tripod at 1.6 m, we took five readings on the pole and five on the adjacent concrete in direct sun. We then wetted the concrete and repeated the readings.
Results
| Condition | Pole (cd/m²) | Concrete (cd/m²) | Contrast | Minimum | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry | 90.58 | 149.14 | 39.26% | 30% | Pass |
| Wet | 91.64 | 106.1 | 13.70% | 30% | Fail |
What it shows
- Light grey on light grey is marginal. Dry, the pole cleared the 30% minimum by about nine points. That is not much headroom for a mid-grey paint on pale concrete.
- Water darkens concrete, not paint. Wetting the concrete dropped its luminance by almost a third while the pole stayed the same, so the contrast collapsed to 13.7%.
- The fix is usually simple. A darker paint colour, or a contrasting band on the pole, typically resolves this. We can retest after the change.
A dry-only test would have reported a pass. If an outdoor element will often be seen on a wet surface, it's worth asking for a wet test as well.
Client, builder and venue names are withheld. Results apply only to the elements tested, on the day, under the conditions recorded in each report. They are shown as general information about our work and are not a statement about any other element, product or building.
Read more about LRV testing and how on-site contrast testing works, or ask for a quote.