ASTM Standards for Safe Sports Surfaces & Injury Prevention
Sports are physically demanding, and the risk of injury is always a concern. One of the most effective ways to reduce sports injuries is assuring that athletes play on the right sports playing surfaces. ASTM standards play a vital role in assuring sports playing surfaces are safe, reliable, and fit for play. Whether evaluating synthetic turf or natural grass, these testing methods help stakeholders make informed decisions that protect athletes and extend field life.
Types of Sports Playing Surfaces
Sports playing surfaces vary widely, from natural grass and clay to synthetic options like acrylic hard courts, artificial turf, rubberized tracks, and modular tiles. Harder, consistent surfaces (like synthetic turf or hardwood) generally allow for faster movement and higher, more predictable ball bounce, while softer, natural surfaces offer more shock absorption. Essentially, each of these sports playing surfaces offer different performance (speed, bounce, shock absorption) for sports like tennis, basketball, soccer, or track and field.
How Does the Playing Surface Impact Sports Performance?
Sports playing surfaces directly impact athletic performance by influencing speed, traction, injury risk, and energy expenditure. Sports playing surfaces with high rotational traction (i.e., a measure of the force needed to rotate the foot against the surface) for example, may increase the risk of lower limb injuries for certain movements; sports playing surface hardness (i.e., how much “give” a surface has under pressure) can impact the musculoskeletal system—potentially elevating injury risk.
As such, it is paramount to assure safe and proper playing surfaces to enhance athletic performance, build player confidence, and ensure long-term facility durability.
Why ASTM Standards Matter for Sports Playing Surfaces
Sports playing surfaces present unique challenges affecting player’s biomechanics, performance, and risk of injury. Since athletes frequently experience falls, tackles, and sudden directional changes that place stress on their bodies, the sports playing surface plays a major role in how those impacts are absorbed—or transferred to the player.
Meeting ASTM standards for playing surface systems helps assure fields perform as intended throughout their lifecycle.
Key ASTM Standards for Sports Fields
Player safety and field performance are critical considerations in the design, installation, and maintenance of football fields. To help assure consistent quality and reduce the risk of injury, various ASTM standards evaluate how playing surfaces perform under real-world conditions. ASTM standards for sports fields, such as ASTM F1936-19, ASTM F355-23, ASTM F1015-03(2017), and ASTM F1702-10(2018) focus on measuring impact attenuation, abrasiveness, and surface performance to enhance player safety and field quality under real-world conditions.
ASTM F1936-19: Standard Specification for Impact Attenuation of Turf Playing Systems as Measured in the Field
ASTM F1936-19 establishes an in situ test method and maximum impact attenuation value for all types of turf playing systems and for a number of sport-specific field layouts. This standard provide guidelines for measuring if a field is too hard, assuring that surfaces—particularly synthetic turf—reduce the risk of impact-related injuries. ASTM F1936-19 also includes a protocol for determining test point locations on fields that are lined for multiple sports.
ASTM F355-23: Standard Test Method for Impact Attenuation of Playing Surface Systems, Other Protective Sport Systems, and Materials Used for Athletics, Recreation and Play
ASTM F355-23 details a test method that measures the impact attenuation of surface systems and materials, specifically the peak impact acceleration (“impact shock”) and calculates the Head Injury Criteria produced under prescribed impact conditions. This test method is applicable to surface systems intended to provide impact attenuation, made of naturally occurring or synthetic materials.
ASTM F1015-03(2017): Standard Test Method for Relative Abrasiveness of Synthetic Turf
ASTM F1015-03(2017) measures the relative abrasiveness of synthetic turf playing surfaces. This test method that is applicable to both laboratory and field measurement of synthetic turf surfaces used for sports.
You can learn more about ASTM F1015-03(2017) in our blog post: ASTM F1015-03(2017): Abrasiveness of Synthetic Turf.
ASTM F1702-10(2018): Standard Test Method for Measuring Impact-Attenuation Characteristics of Natural Playing Surface Systems Using a Lightweight Portable Apparatus
ASTM F1702-10(2018) is the test method used to determine the impact-attenuation characteristics of natural turfgrass and soil playing surface systems with a lightweight portable apparatus. This test method can be used to compare the impact attenuation characteristics of natural playing surface systems, as well as assessing the effects of management practices on the impact attenuation characteristics. ASTM F1702-10(2018) also can be used to assess the compactibility of natural playing surfaces by recording g-max values or penetration of successive impacts, or both.
Where to Find ASTM Standard for Sports Playing Surface Systems
By understanding and applying the ASTM standards for sports playing surface systems, facility managers and designers can create playing surfaces that perform consistently and keep players safer at every level of the game.
You can find ASTM F1936-19, ASTM F355-23, ASTM F1015-03(2017), and ASTM F1702-10(2018) on the ANSI Webstore.
