Infill
Infill is not one material
Infill describes a function in an artificial turf system — not a single material.
Artificial turf surface with rubber infill visible
Lamiot, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsShredded tyre rubber
Shuki, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPile of fine sand of the type used as stabilising infill
W.carter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Two different functions
Stabilising infill
Holds the carpet in place and keeps the fibres upright. Usually a mineral material such as quarried, river, silica or quartz sand, sometimes recovered and cleaned sand from an earlier field.
10 records
Performance infill
Determines playing characteristics such as shock absorption and rotation. Can be rubber, thermoplastic, organic/vegetal, engineered mineral, bio-based or a blend.
62 records
Material families
Sand / mineral
Rubber / thermoset
- ELT/SBR granulate from end-of-life tyres
- Coated ELT/SBR granulate
- Latex-coated ELT granulate
- Polyurethane-coated ELT granulate
- Acrylic-coated ELT granulate
- Virgin EPDM granulate
- Recycled EPDM granulate
- Non-tyre recycled rubber granulate
- NBR granulate
- Other thermoset rubber
- Mixed rubber granulates
- Coated rubber, coating type unknown
- Recycled rubber, origin unknown
Thermoplastic
Organic / vegetal
- Cork granulate
- Cork blends
- Coconut fibre
- Coconut fibre + cork
- Wood / timber granulate
- Wood fibre
- Bark
- Processed olive stones
- Olive pits / olive cores
- Nut shells / nut husks
- Kernels
- Corn husks / maize-based material
- Sugar cane fibre
- Cellulose-based infill
- Other plant fibres
- Other vegetal granulates
- Mixed organic infill
- Biodegradable organic infill
Mineral performance infill
Bio-based / biodegradable
Blends
Unclassified
Why particle size matters
The value and reuse potential of recovered infill depends on far more than the material name. Two loads of the same material can have completely different destinations.
- Particle size
- Sieve curve
- Purity
- Moisture
- Contamination
- Density
- Particle shape
- Wear
- Coating
- Origin
A tonne of infill is not a tonne of one material.
Material, specification, contamination and quality together determine what can actually be reused or recycled.