Infills

Synthetic turf infill is the material spread between the fibers or blades of artificial grass to provide support, cushioning, and stability, as well as to aid with drainage.

It's the key to an effective turf system, plain and simple. In fact, infill has a greater impact on turf system performance than any other component. It acts as your system's ballast and footing, and it provides shock absorption that's outright essential to performance and safety for all who use your turf system, whether that's athletes on a sports field or children and pets in the backyard.

In the late 1990s, synthetic turf system owners switched from using raw sand products as infill to adopting the use of crumb rubber. After two decades of playing on these surfaces, though, many field owners realized that crumb rubber didn't meet all of their needs for safety or performance. The quest for a better athletic experience — combined with the rising popularity of artificial turf in home landscaping applications — has brought meaningful advancements to the field, including infill, pad, and turf options that can be designed specifically for your geography, sport, space, and maintenance expectations.

So, what is the best infill for artificial grass today? It depends on your turf system's use, location, and needs. Let's take a closer look at Envirofill and our natural infill Safeshell, both leaders in their categories, to understand the advantages of each.