Artificial Grass for Playgrounds
Soft, green and safe underfoot. Playground artificial grass pairs a hard-wearing surface with an impact-absorbing shockpad, so children land on a cushioned base beneath play equipment.
A playground surface has one job above all others: to protect children when they fall. Around swings, climbing frames and slides, the ground needs to absorb the impact of a fall from height, not simply look tidy. That is what sets playground artificial grass apart from a decorative lawn. It is a safety surface first, with a shockpad engineered into the build beneath the grass you see.
The result is a surface that looks like grass, stays clean and usable in all weathers, and cushions falls where equipment demands it. It avoids the loose fill, scattered bark or hard tarmac of older playgrounds, giving a continuous, even surface that is easy to supervise and accessible to wheels and buggies. For school grounds more broadly, meaning break-time lawns and EYFS gardens rather than equipment zones, see our schools and nurseries page.
Impact-absorbing shockpad
A cushioning foam or rubber shockpad is laid beneath the grass to absorb the energy of a fall and reduce the risk of injury.
Specified to fall height
Systems can be built to suit the Critical Fall Height of your equipment, so protection matches what each item actually requires.
All-weather and clean
Free-draining throughout, so the playground clears quickly after rain and stays usable where loose bark or sand would not.
How playground safety surfacing works
The grass is only the visible part of a playground system. Underneath sits a shockpad, a layer of cushioning foam or bonded rubber, which does the real safety work by absorbing the energy of a fall. The grass is laid over the top, with infill brushed in to keep the fibres upright and add resilience.
The thickness and grade of that shockpad is what determines how far a child can safely fall onto it. A low kerb needs far less protection than the top of a tall climbing frame, so the system is built to suit the equipment it surrounds rather than to a single fixed depth.
Critical Fall Height and impact standards
Critical Fall Height (CFH) is the maximum height from which a fall onto a surface is unlikely to cause a serious head injury. Every piece of play equipment has a free height of fall, and the safety surface beneath it should provide a Critical Fall Height at least equal to that figure.
Playground surfacing systems can be specified and built to meet the relevant impact-attenuation standards for this purpose. In the UK and Europe the applicable standard is commonly EN 1177. The appropriate shockpad depth depends on the equipment, so the requirement should be established and confirmed for your specific project rather than assumed. We will not quote test figures or claim compliance we cannot substantiate; instead we specify a system suited to the fall heights on your site and confirm the detail in writing.
Why it beats bark, sand and wet-pour
Traditional loose-fill surfaces have real drawbacks that a grass-and-shockpad system avoids:
- Loose bark and sand scatter, get kicked out of fall zones, hide hazards and need constant topping up to keep their protective depth.
- Wet-pour rubber performs well but can look stark and gets very hot in sun.
- Tarmac and paving offer no fall protection at all.
A grass system stays put, keeps its protective depth, looks natural, drains freely and provides a smooth surface that buggies and wheelchairs can cross. The trade-off, as with any synthetic surface, is a higher upfront cost and the fact that it warms in strong sun.
Benefits and considerations
Benefits
- Cushioned fall protection beneath play equipment
- Shockpad systems specified to suit equipment fall heights
- A continuous, even surface with no scattered loose fill
- Free-draining, so the playground stays usable after rain
- Accessible to buggies and wheelchairs
- A natural green look that keeps its shape and protective depth
Worth considering
- Shockpad depth must be matched to each item's fall height, not assumed
- Impact performance should be specified to the relevant standard (such as EN 1177) and confirmed for your site
- The surface warms in direct summer sun and can be cooled with water
- Upfront cost is higher than loose fill, though it needs far less topping up
How a playground is surfaced
A safety surface is built from the ground up, with the shockpad matched to your equipment.
Survey & fall heights
We assess the site and the free height of fall for each piece of equipment to establish what protection is required.
Groundwork
A stable, free-draining sub-base is built and levelled to take the shockpad and grass.
Shockpad
An impact-absorbing shockpad is laid to the depth suited to the fall heights across the area.
Grass & infill
The grass is laid over the pad, joined, secured at the edges and infill brushed in.
Sign-off
We confirm the specification in writing so you have a clear record of what was installed.
What playground surfacing costs
Playground projects are priced individually because the shockpad specification drives much of the cost, and that depends entirely on the equipment and fall heights involved. The grass itself sits in the usual installed range of roughly £50 to £90 per square metre, higher in London and the South East, with the shockpad and any specialist groundwork added on top. We quote each project clearly and itemise the safety build.
Key cost factors
- The shockpad depth required by your equipment's fall heights
- The total area and how it is zoned around equipment
- Groundwork, levelling and drainage
- The grade of grass specified over the pad
- Edge detailing and transitions to other surfaces
- Site access and segregation during works
Frequently asked questions
Critical Fall Height is the maximum height from which a fall onto a surface is unlikely to cause a serious head injury. Each piece of equipment has a free height of fall, and the surface beneath should offer a Critical Fall Height at least matching it. The shockpad depth is specified to achieve that.
Systems can be specified and built to meet the relevant impact-attenuation standard, commonly EN 1177 in the UK and Europe. The right requirement depends on your equipment and fall heights, so it is established and confirmed for your project. We specify a suitable system rather than quoting test figures or claiming compliance we cannot substantiate.
It depends on the highest fall on the equipment it protects. A low item needs only a thin pad, while a tall climbing frame needs a much deeper one. We assess the fall heights on your site and specify the pad accordingly. There is no single correct thickness for every playground.
Each has its place, but a grass-and-shockpad system stays in position rather than scattering like bark, keeps its protective depth without topping up, looks natural and drains freely. Wet-pour performs well but can look stark and heats up in sun. Loose fill is cheaper upfront but higher maintenance.
This page is about safety surfacing under and around play equipment, where impact protection is the priority. Our schools and nurseries page covers general grounds, meaning break-time lawns and EYFS gardens, where durability and all-weather use matter more than fall protection.
Related services and guides
A safer surface under every climbing frame
Send us details of your playground and its equipment, and we will specify an impact-absorbing system with an itemised quote.