This dataset provides friction data from ring-shear tests (RST) for two types of foam glass beads and a mixture of foam glass beads with quartz sand (“G12”; Rosenau et al., 2019). These materials have been used in analogue experiments in Helmholtz Laboratory for Tectonic Modelling (HelTec) at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam and in the Analogue laboratory of the Institute of Geosciences of the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena (FSU Jena). The materials have been characterized by means of internal friction coefficients µ and cohesion C. According to our analysis the materials show a Mohr-Coulomb behaviour characterized by a linear failure envelope. Peak friction coefficients µP of all tested materials range between 0.70 and 0.75, dynamic friction coefficients µD between 0.52 and 0.55 and reactivation friction coefficients µR between 0.60 and 0.62. Peak cohesions CP of all materials are negative indicating that they are cohesionless. All materials show a minor rate-weakening of ~1% per ten-fold change in shear velocity v. Further information about materical characteristics, measurement procedures, sample preparation, the RST (Ring-shear test) and VST (Velocity stepping test) procedure, as well as the analysed method is proviced in the data description file. The list of files explains the file and folder structure of the data set.