If you’re looking for the best artificial sports turf, it can be a daunting task to find the best company or brand. This review will be a great starting point to see who these companies are and why their sports turf is the best in the business.
Best Synthetic Turf Suppliers
1. AstroTurf
One of the original and oldest manufactures of artificial turf, Astroturf defined the sports industry. They were the very first to create artificial grass and came directly from the scientists and engineers of Monsanto. Back at that time it was called ChemGrass and would be installed at the famous Houston Astrodome in 1966. Because it was such a high-profile job for them, Monsanto rebranded their new product calling it AstroTurf.
Since then, the company has gone through many internal changes of hand and is now owned by SportGroup. For the last 40 years, SportGroup has acquired Astroturf along with several other artificial turf manufacturing companies. SportGroup is also owned by its parent company Equistone, which now is a supplier to over 70 countries with more than 7000 sports fields and 16,000 athletic tracks.
AstroTurf currently offers 10 various brands of turf that are meant for a wide range of sporting fields. Many of the brands include special features that allow for long-lasting recovery cycles and grip. On top of that, the addition of infill systems and pads helps create an underlayer upon which the turf sits upon. These give further stability to reduce pad wrinkling, rippling, or slippage. Here are the main brands of turf they currently offer:
AstroTurf 3D1
This is the newest turf that uses Tronic Fibers that is a stronger innovation in the artificial turf industry. This mixes a process of chemically bonding polyethylene and nylon that produces a material that is 50% more resistant to wear and tear. The unique shape mimics the spine of a grass blade giving it more spring back power. On a microscopic level, each strand allows a sharkskin-like grip, giving it higher levels of grip.
RootZone 3D series
This system was developed to give a simulated root system and has high traction ability. Two types of RootZone are offered including the RootZone 3D3 blend and the RootZone 3DSF. These specialized roots also incorporate infill systems to help stabilize the turf.
Green Series NRG
This system is also called the NIKE Grind series, which is a select type of turf that allows ground-up rubber to infiltrate into this turf’s root system. This was developed to work specifically with the NIKE Grind infill.
Diamond Series
This is a turf that is best used for baseball and softball and helps to recreate all of the conditions meant for these sports.
LigaTurf series
This turf is very grass-like and is best for soccer fields where the surface helps reduce joint fatigue. It forms a reliable playing surface over a course of time and is preferred by top sports associations and are also FIFA certified.
Conversion series
These are turf systems that have been created to remain one entire playing field. Among the solutions offered include Magic Carpet 2, AstroHopper II system, AsftroLift system, and the AstroMod system.
Classic series
The classic series is dedicated to field hockey and has 6 different systems. This includes AstroTurf 12, Poligrass Platinum, Tokyo GT, The Green Series DT, PGPN, and RootZone 3DSF HD.
Rhino series
This universal turf is meant for soccer, football, rugby, field hockey, and select fields with similar sporting activities. Two variants include Rhino SF and Rhino Blend.
2. Tiger Turf
Tiger Turf is one of the largest artificial turf manufacturers in the world, but they’re relatively young in the fake turf game. They started out in 1981 based out of Auckland, New Zealand, and have a parent company that produces many of their supplemental materials and products. Together with TenCate Grass, they have spent the last 40 years supplying high-quality turf to FIFA, World Rugby, ITF, and FIH sports fields and stadium facilities.
They not only specialize in sports fields, and have extended their services to commercial and residential landscaping, and schools and parks. They have a unique approach to their turf construction and actively recycle old turf backings. This gives them the ability to reuse and give new life to turf that is worn out. Not to mention that their turf has a visual realism that looks more like real grass than other sport turf brands.
Among the top sports field turf that Tiger Turf specializes in will include soccer, field hockey, rugby, cricket, tennis, bowling greens, and multi-sports. Each one of these playing surfaces will need infill or pads to allow the top turf pad to have adequate cushioning. Here is what each of their turf surfaces will offer for each selected sport:
Soccer turf
There are eight different versions of field turf used for soccer fields of all playing levels. The best that is used for FIFA-level events is Endurance Play and Atomic Pro 40. Their other six variants include Greenfields MX Elite, Endurance 40, Endurance 50, and Endurance 60 that are excellent for professional leagues. They also offer Atomic Pro 50 and 60 which are both great playing surfaces for recreation up through professional level football.
Field hockey turf
One of the big advantages of this turf is that the choice of colors is a big plus and includes shades of green, blue, white, and red. They do offer the Atomic Pro 40 which is FIFA and FIH certified. Though this turf has taller blade strands than all the others, some field hockey athletes will find this a fine surface for field hockey games. They also offer Trophy, Evo Pro, and Wett Pro which are all tight-knit surfaces.
Rugby turf
This turf is rated for FIFA and IRB level competition criteria but isn’t certified specifically. Two versions include Endurance 60 and Atomic Pro 60 which are perfect for professional level league games. This lush and deep turf surface is very grass-like is perfectly suited for training pitches, league fields, and mini football fields.
Cricket turf
Cricket fields are always well-trimmed and tightly cropped fields. Tiger Turf offers three variants that include First Class, Premier, and TigerTest. All of these are perfectly fine for professional-level play but aren’t certified for pro league games. They are all-weather wickets and will hold up well under continuous play or practice games.
Tennis turf
Just like the traditional tight and compact grass courts, you can find 9 different versions of tennis turf available. These include Clay turf, Volley Pro, Elite, Tournament, Tournament 1000, Classic, Advantage, Trophy, and Evo Pro. The best versions for pro surfaces include Clay Turf, Volley Pro, Advantage, and Trophy.
Bowling green turf
There is only one brand that is offered here and it’s called Tigerweave. This is essentially a tightly weaved material that is ideal for bowling greens. It’s an all-weather material that works very well in wet or dry weather. There are three colors of green available.
Multisport turf
If you’re a fan of volleyball, basketball, pickleball, or Bocce ball, these multi-sport fields where markings are used will enjoy these turf surfaces. These will include Trophy, Atomic Pro 40, Evo Pro, Tournament, Tournament 1000, Classic, Advantage, TigerPlay, Endurance Play, and Elite.
3. Hatko Sport
Hatko Sport is another supplier and is pretty new to the turf business, but is listed as being the 10th largest manufacturer of artificial sports grass. They are also FIFA certified with additional licenses for FIH, ITF, and IAAF. Amazingly, they’ve installed over 400 FIFA football field pitches across 100 countries throughout 4 continents! Despite their ranking, they are ambitious and offer a product that includes innovative artificial grass products.
HybridGrass
This is a new type of synthetic grass matt that allows for real grass seed to help anchor plastic turf onto the soil. The advantage of this type of grass doesn’t need to clean up divots or have collapsed grass spots. It also gives any grass showing through look less fake because of the grass that grows out of the mesh.
Non-infill football grass
Most of the sports field turf products seen here will all need sand and rubber to allow the grass blades to remain standing. This design won’t require rubber filler and can rely solely on silica sand. The secret is from an under-layer of plastic moss roots that will help the grass stand tall.
Omega XL
Omega XL blades have a concave shape with a spine down the middle of their shaft. This design is approved by FIFA and will require sand and infill. It’s available with or without a shock pad. There are also 4 different types of infills.
Omega Turf
Omega stadium turf does look similar to the Omega XL since they are both concave-shaped. This version leaves out the spine along each shaft. These will also need sand and infill to remain steady while it sits on a shock pad or not.
Invicto
This blade design is different since the shape is a dual solid concave shape, a lot like an oval with sharp points at the top and bottom. It has plenty of durability and resilience despite the needed sand and infill.
Maxima
This is another great innovation for Hatko since this blade has cross-sections on both sides like a cross. This allows these blades to have maximum recovery when bent over or trampled. It will need a shock pad, sand, and infill.
Spine turf
Just like Maxima, Spine turf is a thicker and fuller version of the latter. This will give this type of artificial grass better bounce and performance. Because this is thicker than the Maxima, this version will hold up longer.
Nova
This blade offers a characteristic C-shape so it will bounce back when bent over. This turf is best used for budget-oriented projects. Just as you will expect, this needs to have sand and infill. This is offered with or without a shock pad.
Performa
This is among the newest fibrillated turf grass that does have a realistic appearance. It’s not exactly the best for professional football pitches but will be perfect for little league up through professional leagues.
DuoGrass
Another upgrade is DuoGrass, which is really just the thicker version of Performa. It’s the same fibrillated fiber, except it will be fuller and better suited for more aggressive soccer field games.
Multi-Sport
This is slightly thicker plastic turf and resembles flat pasta. It’s meant for sports fields where all-purpose sports can be played. Just like you can expect for general sports, it’s best for any sport that isn’t performance-based including soccer, football, or rugby.
4. Shaw Sports Turf
An interesting fact about Shaw Sports Turf is how they got into the turf industry. In 1946, Shaw Industries began as a company that specialized in dyed rugs. They expanded their services into the rug industry and soon began to produce and modernize rug manufacturing. They were among the first in North America to produce the stain-resistant rug in 1980. With the acquisition of many manufacturer-based companies, Shaw would also have control of Amoco’s polypropylene production factory in 1992 making them a leading producer in rug production.
This eventually led to the purchase of Sportexe Construction Services in 2009 and expanded their services in the sports turf industry. Sportexe Construction Services was a leading producer of sport turf products. By 2016, they launched ShawGrass which is now their proprietary sports turf formula. They have 18 worldwide locations that sell their sports turf and carpet products as a result.
Shaw Sports Turf currently offers turf for baseball, softball, football, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey. The types of synthetic grass they offer all have different levels of firmness and springiness. Here’s a list of what types of turf fiber they offer:
Slit Film
Two variants use this material called Strenexe and Strenexe XD. The first version is often added to other strands to give them a better spring back. It will need to have sand and infill to keep these fibers standing tall. Strenexe XD comes in dual colors for a more realistic look.
Monofilament
There are two types of synthetic fiber which include their Diamond and Bolt Monofilament. The diamond-shaped fiber is designed to spring back like natural grass. The bolt version is zigzagged and gives this blade design so it bounces back much faster for higher endurance play.
Thatch Fibers
These are located at the bottom of synthetic fiber groups and help support sand within the turf base material. This thatch material is useful since it needs simple sand instead of infill rubber. When sand is added within thatch fibers, it helps the feature synthetic fibers keep standing.
5. Matrix Turf
Matrix Turf is a relatively new company that’s been producing top-quality turf for the last decade. They’re an American-based company that produces their turf products in Dadeville, Alabama. They also have production facilities in Chatsworth, Georgia. What makes their turf product worth listing here is their dedication to high-quality sports turf. Their produce is aggressively tested also, giving a better performance to specific needs.
Matrix Turf
This turf is a concave oval-shaped blade that helps in quick recovery no matter how it gets bent over. This turf is suitable for football soccer, baseball, lacrosse, and field hockey. There are two different blade sizes among this turf to give better bounce and surface performance.
Matrix Real
This turf is a combination of blade types includes diamond-shaped blades mixed with two types of C-shaped strands. Among the specific sport, this is best used for is soccer. The combination of these blade shapes gives this surface more of a glasslike appearance that enhances soccer performance.
Matrix softball/baseball
This turf is perfect for baseball and softball and has a natural grass look and feel. These blades are rounded oval shapes that don’t have sharp edges on any blades showing. There are also two different sizes of blades giving it a natural appearance. It can also be easily replaced when it gets too worn.
Matrix Aerial
This twisted and highly compacted turf is best used for field hockey. Each of the blade shapes has uniformly diamond shapes. They’ve been melted and twisted so that the playing texture is tight and compact. This allows the field hockey ball to travel over the surface faster without being slowed down.
Fusion-h XP2
This is a slit film resin-coated material that appears as a rounded oval shape. The tops of each strand are also split at the top so it gives each fiber more traction ability. This is why it’s ideal for football, baseball, soccer, and lacrosse stadium fields. It’s specially developed for high traction and wear and tear.
Fusion
This is nearly the same as Fusion-h XP2 except it doesn’t have any resin coating, but is the same shaped blade. The sports that are recommended include for this turf are football, soccer, and lacrosse. This version will act like freshly mowed grass with excellent high traction for numerous field players.
Velocity XP2
Another resin-coated artificial turf is the Velocity XP2, which is best meant for football, baseball, lacrosse, and soccer. Each of these grass blades is totally flat and has split ends along the leading edge of each blade. Because they are resin coated, this prevents blades from splitting further and losing adequate grip.
Velocity
Even though this version doesn’t have resin-coating, this turf offers exceptional grip and multisport abilities. Sports activities such as football, soccer, and lacrosse are favorites for professional league players. It’s an economical choice for sports fields that are on a specific budget or offer recreational playing fields.
6. Field Turf
Lastly, on our list is Field Turf, which has FIFA quality, World Rugby, and FIH standards meant for official tournament and field pitch requirements. While their production facilities are located in Germany and France, they’re a global supplier for worldwide artificial turf applications. They produce turf meant for football, soccer, rugby, field hockey, and multi-sporting activities.
Core
This innovation is a multi-layered dual-polymer material that is diamond-shaped. The outside of each fiber has vertical ridges that allow for an expert grip on athletes’ shoes. it also features exceptional softness and high durability.
360XL
This blade design has no internal core but does resemble the Core version with its diamond shape. It mimics natural grass while allowing less friction when players slide on the surface. This monofilament fiber is long-lasting and offers excellent softness.
Quattro
This design is nearly the same as the 360XL, so the skin friction is the same as natural grass. It gives interaction for any ball on the field surface great resilience to hold up over the years.
XM7
This turf is nice and dense and also allows for great playing surfaces with a natural healthy grass appearance. While this is more budget-friendly, it’s best suited for multi-sport activities. This gives local leagues up through professional regional leagues greater access to the turf.
Vertex Core
This variant features the Core blade design combined with the addition of slit-film fibers attached to the outside of each strand. This gives a higher version which will prevent fibers from becoming worn out.
Vertex 360
This is the same variant as Vertex core except it doesn’t offer the core inside each strand It’s obviously cheaper compared to Vertex core but is still higher quality than 360XL blade monofilament.
RGF XM7
This combines XM7 with the slim-fit fiber and will be an upgrade of the XM7 fiber. This helps the strands to last much longer with the help of infill and sand. Because it will have optimal encapsulation, it allows it to be more durable.
Classic HD
This is a slit-film yarn that features excellent UV stabilization so it doesn’t break down in the sun. This version of slit-film yarn doesn’t require so much infill as other slit-film yarns. It also features high resistance and returns to its natural shape very easily.
Optimal XT
This is another variant of the slit-film yarn that is much stronger than Classic HD slit-film. It’s preferred on tennis courts and field hockey fields. It’s also UV stabilized to resist breaking down in outdoor fields.
Purefield Ultra Series
This turf is designed for football, soccer, and multi-sport applications, so each monofilament blade is mixed with slim-film fibers. It can include any combination of fiber blades chosen with the Classic HD slim-film fibers.
Hockey Gold Series
These are fields that are specially trimmed to a length that is optimal for field hockey and lacrosse. It will not be compact enough for bowling greens, but sports such as cricket will be exceptional. Unlike other fake turf products, this high-end version has excellent durability.
