What Is the Function of Rubber Pellets in Synthetic Turf? | Keystone Sports Construction (2024)

Synthetic turf fields are a common sight nowadays in sports fields, community parks, and playgrounds.

There are several components to these fields: the synthetic fibers meant to replicate blades of grass, the backing material the fibers are connected to, and the base material, or infill, that stabilizes the fibers and ensures they remain upright. A variety of infill materials are available on the market, but the most common is crumb rubber, used by over 98% of all synthetic turf sports fields in the world.

Here’s a closer look at this essential component of a quality artificial turf field: crumb rubber, the small black rubber pellets you find mixed into the synthetic grass.

Crumb Rubber

Crumb rubber is a material made from grinding up used tires. It is a recycling process that repurposes an estimated 30 million used tires each year, providing an environment-friendly use for tires that would otherwise sit in a landfill.

All the steel and fiber components are removed during the recycling process, and the resulting rubber pellets are sorted by size. The recommended sizes for use on synthetic turf range from one-sixteenth to one-quarter of an inch in diameter.

Quality Fields

It remains true that crumb rubber is an important component in quality artificial turf. One of the biggest advantages artificial turf has over natural grass is its safety in regards to preventing injuries — the rubber infill helps tremendously in cushioning the impact of players hitting the ground.

Additionally, an artificial turf field is more durable and resilient than grass, allowing hours of heavy play year-round, no matter the weather conditions. The cost of maintenance is also significantly lower than a grass field, and in the event that the fibers wear down or the infill levels run low, an artificial turf maintenance service is merely a click away.

If you are looking to experience the benefits of an artificial turf field, contact Keystone Sports Construction today to experience our excellent services and build the best turf field for your facility.

What Is the Function of Rubber Pellets in Synthetic Turf? | Keystone Sports Construction (2024)

FAQs

What Is the Function of Rubber Pellets in Synthetic Turf? | Keystone Sports Construction? ›

It remains true that crumb rubber

crumb rubber
Crumb rubber is recycled rubber produced from automotive and truck scrap tires. During the recycling process, steel and tire cord (fluff) are removed, leaving tire rubber with a granular consistency.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Crumb_rubber
is an important component in quality artificial turf. One of the biggest advantages artificial turf has over natural grass is its safety in regards to preventing injuries — the rubber infill helps tremendously in cushioning the impact of players hitting the ground.

What is the purpose of rubber pellets in turf? ›

SYNTHETIC TURF FIELDS AND RUBBER GRANULATE

Rubber infill is spread across the stabilising sand layer, and granules lie between and support the grass blades, providing the right resistance and shock-absorption for the ball to roll and bounce naturally. Infill granulate also protects players from getting injured.

What is the rubber under artificial turf? ›

Crumb rubber is used frequently as infill on artificial and natural turf playing fields, where it fills in-between the turf fibers or grass to provide numerous benefits to athletes and groundskeepers.

What are rubber granules for artificial grass? ›

GEZOFILL® is a foamed rubber granule material that was specially developed for use on artificial turf. Foaming gives the granules more elasticity and outstanding anti-slip properties, which substantially reduces the risk of injury to the athletes.

What are the rubber balls in turf called? ›

A new artificial turf system was developed in the early 2000s based on "crumb rubber." The black crumbs are small pieces of styrene-butadiene rubber made from grinding up old vehicle tires. The tire crumbs are poured in between the artificial grass blades, giving the artificial fields more cushion and support.

What is the black rubber in turf for? ›

The rubber on turf fields is usually crumb rubber, an infill for artificial turf that's used to create cushion and keep the field ready for activity. It is created from ground-up recycled tires and is the most economical infill option you will find.

What are the pellets in AstroTurf? ›

The rubber pellets are one of many options of Infill. The function of all Infills is three fold. They help stand the fibers upright. It also acts as a ballast as artificial turf is only secured at the perimeters.

What is best to put under artificial turf? ›

CMB: Made of recycled asphalt or concrete and a ¾ inch mixture of sand, gravel, or sand, a crushed miscellaneous base is an ideal option to lay between the ground and your artificial turf.

How much rubber is on a turf field? ›

Crumb rubber is typically applied at a rate of two to three pounds per square foot of field surface.

Do you need membrane under artificial grass? ›

If you want a clean, even-looking lawn, a membrane is just what you need underneath. Doing this prevents any damage that might be caused if you or a member of your maintenance team try to remove unwanted plants by hand.

What are rubber granules? ›

Sometimes rubber granules are made from repurposed rubber such as recycled tires or other types of scrap rubber materials. Oftentimes, the recycled rubber tires will go through a cleaning and grinding process that produces granulated rubber pieces for different types of safety surfacing.

What are the granules for synthetic turf? ›

High-quality infill granules made of EPDM are the most important factor for the performance of a modern artificial turf pitch and guarantee the optimal sport-functional properties.

What can you put under artificial grass to make it softer? ›

Foam underlays give fake grass a luxuriously soft feel underfoot that makes your lawn feel like you are walking on air. While artificial grass by itself is soft to walk on, anyway, a foam underlay will provide additional softness.

What are rubber pellets used for? ›

Crumb rubber pellets are exactly what they sound like – tiny bits of rubber that are scattered across artificial grass to serve as both infill and a shock absorber. If you or your children have ever played soccer on such a field, you're probably familiar with finding your cleats filled with those darn little pellets!

What is the point of rubber in turf? ›

It remains true that crumb rubber is an important component in quality artificial turf. One of the biggest advantages artificial turf has over natural grass is its safety in regards to preventing injuries — the rubber infill helps tremendously in cushioning the impact of players hitting the ground.

What are the rubber bits on AstroTurf? ›

Rubber crumb is produced from used tyres, often referred to as end-of-life tyres (ELTs) that are processed and recycled into rubber crumb granules for use as infill. allowing the boot studs to penetrate the surface and gain traction yet, like natural soil, also allowing the foot to slide.

Why are there pebbles in artificial turf? ›

The pebbles are also referred to as “crumb rubber,” made of pieces of old tires. The technology is used as infill to make the fake fields softer. Often when a player slides or falls on a synthetic surface, the black pebbles are seen flying up in the air and spreading about.

What are the black pellets in football turf? ›

It's called crumb rubber, it's a mix of styrene and butadiene compounds that were introduced to NFL stadiums in 2003 and soon became the popular field surface. The reason is the crumb rubber is spread between the blades of the artificial grass to offer support and cushioning.

Is crumb rubber turf safe? ›

The available research suggests exposures from crumb rubber are very low and will not cause cancer among soccer players. The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who enjoy soccer continue to play regardless of the type of field surface.

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