What Should Be Considered When Selecting a Turf Field?

Fibers & Fiber Design

Not all artificial turf systems are created equal. Not all Fibers are created equal either. There is a tremendous amount of research, testing, and science that goes into the manufacturing and design of field fibers.

The main reason for the fiber difference is ball roll and playability. The major manufacturers want to engineer fields to play like natural grass. Baseball and soccer fields are different than football and rugby fields. Likewise, field hockey fields are different than Lacrosse fields. The fiber type impacts ball roll, resistance, and durability.

Slit Film Fibers

Consists of wider fibers designed to lay? over and encapsulate the infill, while absorbing heavy use from kicks, drags, tackles and slides. These fibers were designed to withstand the highest use and provide durable, long-lasting fields and have the longest-running tenure of fibers on the market. (The fiber is one blade)

Mono-filament

Individual monofilament fibers designed to stand upright. These are designed primarily for grass-like aesthetics and proper ball-roll. (There are multiple fibers tufted to make for a “grass-like” appearance.)

Slit Film & Mono-Filament or Combo/Hybrid

This is a combination of monofilament fibers and a slit-film fiber in the same stitch, or tuft as well as in alternating rows adjacent to each other known as “AB thread up”. These are attractive if you want infill encapsulation, durability, and ball roll.

Infill

The infill is the equivalent to the earth of a natural grass playing surface. The goal is to have the infill feel and perform like the “earth” of a natural grass field. The infill will determine how firm or fast a field plays, how the ball bounces and rolls, and infill impacts how safe the fields are. The amount of infill needed is determined by how tall the fibers are, whether or not there is a shock pad being used, the gmax implications, and the sport being played. Read more about the different types of infill here.