A padel turf quote is read twice: once for what each number means and once for what each number hides. Pile height without its sand assumption, density without its gauge and stitch rate, and dtex without its edition all look precise and still mislead. Two quotes for the same 12 mm carpet can disagree on every other line. Page one of the search results lists ranges without ever teaching the verification.
We run extrusion, tufting, coating and outgoing inspection on our own line. That bench view is how we read a padel court turf specifications sheet: name the parameter, name the unit, name the verification move. Every range below belongs to a named source with a stated scope.
Why Spec Sheets Mislead Before They Inform
The units themselves split before the numbers do. Face weight is quoted in ounces per square yard in the North American market and in grams per square meter elsewhere. Density is quoted straight as tufts per square meter by one page and derived from gauge and stitch rate by another. A buyer who compares the numbers without converting the units compares two different currencies.
The bands do not agree either. The SAPCA v3 code bands yarn weight at 9,000 to 10,000 dtex. A buyer guide prints 6,600 to 11,000 dtex as its own typical padel band. Neither figure is wrong; each belongs to a different document with a different scope, and neither announces which one it is.
The trade knows this happens. A turf glossary warns that some suppliers exaggerate dtex on quotation sheets, and that the figure cannot be checked without professional equipment. A padel court turf specifications sheet deserves the same suspicion a price does: read it, then cross-check it.
Pile Height: the Number That Sets the Bounce
Pile height opens every padel court turf specifications sheet, and the SAPCA v3 code bands it at 10 mm to 15 mm. One manufacturer guide calls 10 to 15 mm the usual range, with about 12 mm the popular choice among padel court clubs. The same guide explains the reading: lower pile suits control-oriented play, while higher pile speeds up bounce and roll. Pile height is measured from the top of the backing and excludes the backing itself, so the number is pure fiber.
Another vendor specifies textured monofilament turf at 10 to 12 mm, which sits inside the code band. One flooring guide then recommends polyethylene turf at 19 to 24 mm, a figure that sits well above it. That recommendation is a vendor claim, treated here as a claim and never merged into a typical value.
When a quote prints a pile number, ask which document the band comes from and what sand assumption sits behind it. A pile height without its infill assumption is half a specification. Our pile height guide for artificial turf reads the parameter the same way across sports.
DTEX: Yarn Weight and the Exaggeration Problem
Dtex is the weight of the yarn in grams per 10,000 meters, so it measures linear density rather than thickness alone. The SAPCA v3 edition bands it at 9,000 to 10,000. The 2023 v10 edition widened the threshold to above 8,000 and added textured yarn to the accepted types. Two editions, two bands; a number quoted without its edition is half a number.
Other documents print other bands. One manufacturer guide puts padel fiber thickness at 8,000 to 10,000 dtex, and the buyer guide from above spans 6,600 to 11,000. A live datasheet row keeps the number grounded: Mondo’s Supercourt XN lists 8,610 dtex. None of these bands agree, because each carries a different scope.
Manufacturers explain that a higher dtex means a thicker, more wear-resistant fiber. That is how they explain the number, not a universal law. For padel court turf specifications, the verification move is to pair every dtex figure with its document and edition. An unexplained jump between two quotes is a question the supplier has to answer, not a feature.
Density, Gauge and Stitch Rate: One Number, Three Sources
Gauge, stitch rate and density are the three readings padel court turf specifications quote in different places, and they are one number seen from three sides. Gauge is the distance between two stitched rows. Stitch rate is the stitches along a mete