A competitive field is not a carpet purchase. Synthetic turf systems stack fibre and backing, infill, an elastic layer in many builds, a stone base, drainage and a compacted subgrade. Each layer answers a different demand from match play, and a shortcut in any one of them shows up underfoot.
We build the surface layer itself, so our team sees where a specification holds and where it fails. On our line, the same pile tufted at two densities leaves the coating stage behaving like two different products. That is why this guide ranks decisions by what a player can feel, not by what a brochure promises.
How a Synthetic Turf System Is Layered
Start from the bottom and the logic becomes obvious. The subgrade carries load, the base spreads it and moves water, the elastic layer controls impact, infill supports the fibres, and the carpet presents the playing face. A strong carpet above a weak base still plays badly.
Buyers usually control five observable parameters: pile height, stitch density, yarn weight, infill type and load, and backing construction. Those five decide ball speed, grip under studs, surface hardness and how quickly the field recovers after rain.
Synthetic turf systems differ mainly in how those layers are matched to each other. A tall pile over shallow infill fights itself, while a dense carpet over a soft base wastes both.
The layers above the base are the ones our line controls. Compounding, extruding, twisting, tufting, coating, drying, perforating and rolling up run in sequence, so drainage perforation is punched before a roll is wound.
Speed and behaviour are not properties of the carpet alone. Two fields can share one carpet and play completely differently once the infill load, the elastic layer and the base change. That is why synthetic turf systems are specified layer by layer, with each decision written down before the surface is ordered.
Pile Height and Density for Match Play
Pile height splits the market into three working bands. Long pile runs about 40 to 70 millimetres for football, Australian rules and rugby. Short pile sits near 13 to 19 millimetres for tennis, hockey and multi-use courts. Below 13 millimetres, unfilled surfaces suit cricket wickets and wet hockey.
| Sport | Pile band | Infill approach | What play demands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior football | Long pile, 40–70 mm | Sand plus rubber | True ball roll and clean stud release |
| Rugby | Long pile, 40–70 mm | Deeper rubber share | Landing cushion under contact |
| Hockey | Short pile, 13–19 mm | Sand dressed or water-based | Fast, low-friction ball travel |
| Tennis | Short pile, 13–19 mm | Sand filled | Predictable bounce and grip |
| Multi-sport | Short pile, 13–19 mm | Sand plus rubber, moderate | Durability across several codes |
Density is the number buyers underweight. Stitch rate counts tufts packed into each square metre. On our line, a 50 millimetre pile tufted at a recreational rate and at a match rate leaves coating with visibly different fibre support.
Yarn weight, usually quoted as dtex, grades the filament itself. Heavier yarn resists wear for longer, and it only pays off when the density behind it can hold that fibre upright. Our own dtex figures are quoted on request, because the right band depends on your density target.