Brushing Up on Turf Terms
Author: DigitalTurfDealer | Filed under: Artificial Grass, Artificial Turf, UncategorizedThe entire synthetic grass manufacturing process encompasses several materials and intricate components that make up each product. With that said, it is easy to confuse or misunderstand various industry terms used to describe each component. Whether you are new to the artificial grass industry or are a seasoned veteran, it is important to brush up on these terms to possess the most accurate knowledge about the turf industry and its state-of-the-art products.
Tuft bind- the force required to pull a tuft from turf backing; large factor in determining artificial grass industry standards of strength and durability
Compaction rate- measurement of how hard the rock base is below artificial grass
Cross section- the shape of an individual filament when cut at right angles to its axis
Pile height- the height of pile measured from the back surface to the top of the pile, which doesn’t include the thickness of the back
Urethane backing- the black coating on the back of turf products; different products have thicker or thinner backings depending on traffic
Latex Backing- backing placed behind the urethane backing that adds rigidity to turf while fixing grass piles; this backing is perforated for drainage
Mini Tapes- extruded fibers that are cut into blades; tend to change shape molecularly during heat or high traffic, which is the negative aspect of this type of extrusion
and why most of the industry has converted to pure monofilaments
Recovery- the ability for turf strands to stand up again once they have been hit with traffic
Extruded yarns- individual fibers pulled from the spinneret; each yarn is molded individually to create a variation of cross sections
Mylar- film used to aid in spreading glue that seams artificial grass together
Monofilaments- polypropylene or polyethylene fibers extruded in somewhat larger fibers with a larger denier as opposed to smaller fibers in multifilaments
Colorists-additional tinting elements added to yarns in order to enhance color of turf
Denier-the unit of measurement that describes the fineness or thickness of a single yarn strand; the larger the yarn, the higher the denier; the smaller the yarn, the lower the denier
Turf lean- the angle to which artificial grass blades will lean; the amount and type of infill can affect this
Anti-static- the ability for fibers to give off electrostatic charges to minimize the build-up of static electricity
Polymer- in the turf industry, it is the chemical unit in which fibers are made
Stitch count- the measurement of stitches usually within a 3 square inch area of turf
