A quotation marked 4G invites a fair question: what exactly is the buyer paying for? The label promises a step beyond 3G, yet no governing body owns the term, and two suppliers rarely mean the same thing by it.
A 4G football pitch is a short-pile, densely tufted artificial turf system built to play without sand or rubber infill. We tuft artificial grass rolls on our own line, and generation labels arrive in enquiries every week. What follows covers the ladder behind the label, the trade-offs and the checks that matter before an artificial turf installation is signed off.
Why the 4G Label Causes Confusion
Third-generation systems sit inside an established testing framework, while 4G is a name that migrated from brochures into tender documents without a standard behind it. Two quotes marked 4G arrive, the carpets differ in pile, density and backing, and nobody can reconcile it from the label. Compare construction, not terminology.
What Defines a 4G Football Pitch
The working definition is consistent across the industry. A 4G football pitch uses short, dense synthetic grass, typically around 30 mm of pile, with no sand and no rubber performance infill. Stability comes from the carpet itself: high tuft density, resilient yarn geometry and a backing engineered to hold every fibre upright.
Most use polyethylene monofilament yarn, with pile weights that can reach around 3,000 g/m2. With no infill to prop the fibres, the carpet does that job itself, so density is the first spec line to read. Our sports artificial grass systems are tufted to a stated pile, density and backing spec, so the paper definition matches the roll that ships.
From 2G to 3G to 4G
Each generation answered a defect in the one before it. First-generation carpet arrived in the 1960s: short, dense nylon over a hard base, fast but unforgiving. Second-generation surfaces added sand infill and settled into hockey. Third-generation turf combined long polyethylene fibres, usually 40 to 60 mm, with sand and rubber crumb to reproduce the cushioning and ball behaviour of natural grass.
| Generation | Era | Typical pile | Infill | Ball behaviour | Usual role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1G | 1960s | Short nylon weave | None | Fast, high bounce | Early all-weather surfaces |
| 2G | Sand-dressed era | Short | Sand | True low roll, hard underfoot | Hockey and multi-use courts |
| 3G | Current standard | 40 to 60 mm | Sand plus rubber crumb | Grass-like cushioned bounce | Football and rugby at all levels |
| 4G | Emerging | Around 30 mm | None | Quick roll, higher bounce | Training, community and indoor play |
The table shows why the debate is really about infill: every generation before 4G filled the space between the fibres with loose material, and 4G removes it. Pitches tested under international football-turf programmes earn quality marks, and that testing framework covers infilled systems. No equivalent dedicated category exists for unfilled 4G surfaces, a fact to hold onto when a 4G football pitch quotation leans on the label.
How Unfilled Short Pile Technology Works
Density does the work that infill used to do. In a filled system, sand and rubber prop the fibres upright and absorb impact. In an unfilled one, the yarn supports itself through its shape, its resilience and the closeness of its tufting. Curled yarn mixes tufted between the straight monofilaments help the carpet recover after each session.
A strengthened primary backing with a secure tuft lock keeps fibres anchored. The factory shows where quality is decided: twisting sets the yarn’s memory, tufting sets its density, and coating locks the construction in place. We run those steps in sequence on our own line, so an unfilled specification is one we hold tightly. The payoff arrives in maintenance: no topping up, no decompaction calendar.
Performance Trade-Offs You Should Weigh
A 4G football pitch plays differently, and honesty about that separates a supplier from a brochure. Without rubber to cushion it, the carpet feels firmer and faster underfoot, and players report a quicker ball roll with a slightly higher bounce. Coaches often read that as a benefit for training and small-sided play; match play is another matter.
Cushioning comes from the layers beneath: the shock pad and the engineered base. Decide it early, not as an afterthought. The trade is not one-sided: removing rubber crumb takes away the material most often named in microplastic concerns, and nothing loose tracks into boots or changing rooms.
Common Mistakes When Buying 4G Systems
Most disappointments trace back to decisions made before the roll was ordered. Four errors account for most of them.
Mistake 1: Treating the Label as a Tested Standard
No dedicated certification category exists for 4G surfaces under the international governing bodies, so the word on a quote is not evidence of anything. Ask what the system has been tested for and by whom. A supplier who can only repeat the generation number has answered the question.
Mistake 2: Expecting Competitive Match Approval
Governing bodies have not recognised unfilled 4G surfaces for official competition, so a pitch built on one may be barred from league fixtures. If affiliated matches sit on the calendar, an infilled system tested under the established football-turf programme is the route.
Mistake 3: Leaving the Shock Pad Out of the Quote
With no rubber infill to absorb impact, the pad beneath the carpet carries player safety. Quotes pricing the carpet alone look cheaper than they are, because pad and base are not optional on an unfilled system. Compare complete builds, not carpets.
Mistake 4: Assuming Zero Maintenance
No infill means no topping up, no decompaction and no migration to manage. It does not mean no work: brushing keeps the pile upright, debris clears off after storms, and seams and edges need periodic inspection. Skipping those routines shortens the life of any artificial turf installation, whatever the generation.
Maintenance a 4G Surface Still Needs
The maintenance calendar for an unfilled pitch is shorter, not empty. Regular brushing keeps the pile standing and the surface even. Debris comes off after storms, and seams, edges and drainage outlets are inspected on a routine the facility sets. What disappears is the material side: no infill deliveries, no top-up labour, no decompaction machinery.
That shift moves spending from materials to labour hours, which is easier to schedule and forecast. For a manager running several artificial turf installations, it turns an unpredictable line item into a plan.
Why Pay for Rubber Top-Ups Every Season?
Infill top-ups and decompaction quietly drain a training budget. We tuft short-pile rolls to your density, colour and backing spec, priced factory-direct from the line that makes them.
Checklist Before You Confirm a Specification
A 4G quotation is only as good as the lines written into it. These four checks apply to any artificial turf installation quoted under that label.
| Spec line | What to demand on a 4G quote |
|---|---|
| Pile height | Around 30 mm, stated in millimetres |
| Tuft density | A stated figure, not an adjective |
| Yarn type | Polyethylene monofilament, named |
| Pile weight | Around 3,000 g/m2 in dense builds |
| Backing | PP+Net or PU, named in the quote |
| Roll width | 2 m, 4 m or 5 m by 25 m, or custom |
Check 1: Put the Pile Specification in Writing
Ask for pile height in millimetres, tuft density, yarn type and pile weight as stated figures, not adjectives. Our customisation service builds rolls to a written brief, including PP+Net or PU backing.
Check 2: Decide the Shock Pad and Base Together
On an unfilled system the pad is part of the playing surface, not an accessory. Agree its thickness and the base construction before the carpet is priced.
Check 3: Match Roll Width to the Pitch Layout
Rolls come in 2, 4 and 5 metre widths at 25 metres long, with custom widths possible. Wider rolls mean fewer seams, which matters more on an unfilled carpet where every joint stays visible. Review the roll construction and widths before fixing a layout.
Check 4: Test a Sample Before You Commit
Free 20 by 20 cm samples, usually three to four pieces, ship by DHL or FedEx in 4 to 6 days with courier freight covered by the buyer. Judge pile density, colour and stiffness in daylight on the site itself. Request turf samples before you sign, not after.
Where a 4G Pitch Is the Wrong Choice
Some briefs should not be answered with an unfilled surface. A club ground hosting affiliated league fixtures needs a system the governing bodies recognise, which points to an infilled pitch tested under the established programme.
A 4G football pitch earns its place on artificial turf installations built for training rather than competition. It suits grounds where sessions repeat daily, indoor and low-access facilities where infill mess is a real cost, and community sites where low upkeep matters more than match approval. Weigh the surface against the calendar it will serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a 4G pitch approved for competitive football matches?
No. Unfilled 4G surfaces have no dedicated category under the international governing-body programmes, so affiliated fixtures need an infilled pitch tested under the established football-turf programme instead.
How tall is the pile on a 4G pitch?
Typically around 30 mm. That is far shorter than the 40 to 60 mm common on 3G fields, because dense tufting replaces the infill that supports longer fibres.
Does a 4G pitch use any sand or rubber infill?
No sand and no rubber performance infill. The carpet stays stable through high tuft density, resilient yarn geometry and a backing that holds each fibre upright.
Is a 4G pitch cheaper to maintain than a 3G pitch?
It removes infill top-ups and decompaction from the budget, but brushing, cleaning and inspection remain. No artificial surface is maintenance-free, whatever the brochure says.
What sits underneath a 4G pitch?
A shock pad and an engineered base. Without rubber crumb in the pile, those layers provide the cushioning and drainage, so specify them together with the carpet.
How do we check the turf before ordering?
Order free 20 by 20 cm samples, usually three to four pieces. They ship by DHL or FedEx in 4 to 6 days, with courier freight paid by the buyer.
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