Playground Soft Fall Options: Is Synthetic Grass the Safest Choice?

Last updated 28 August 2026 · 10 min read

What a Specifier Actually Needs to Know

• 600mm is the threshold. Below a 600mm free fall height, well-maintained grass or mulch is accepted. Above it, you need tested impact-attenuating surfacing.
• 1.5m minimum impact area. Measured from the perimeter of fixed equipment with a platform 0.6m to 1.5m above ground, and it increases for higher platforms.
• Two standards, two jobs. AS 4685:2021 covers playground equipment and AS/NZS 4422:2016 covers the surfacing test method. Both are cited in the A1SGS childcare specification.
• Critical fall height belongs to the system, not the product. A turf sample tested in a lab and the same turf over a different sub-base are not the same surface.
• Surface heat is the underdiscussed risk. Synthetic surfaces reached 70 to 75 degrees on hot Western Sydney days against 37 degrees for irrigated natural grass.
• Loose fill moves, and moving loose fill loses performance. Bark and mulch need depth maintained, not just topped up when it looks thin.

The Numbers That Govern Playground Soft Fall

Two heights have to be compared, and they are not the same thing. Free height of fall belongs to the equipment. Critical fall height belongs to the surfacing system. The surface is adequate when its critical fall height meets or exceeds the equipment's free height of fall.

The NSW Department of Education's design framework for new playground equipment in schools sets out figures that are useful well beyond schools:

Figures from the NSW Department of Education design framework for new playground equipment in schools. Confirm the current requirements for your own setting before specifying.

The 1.5m impact area is the figure most often missed. It is easy to specify a compliant surface and then lay it only under the equipment footprint, which leaves a child landing outside the treated area onto whatever is beyond it.

The Two Standards

AS 4685:2021 is the playground equipment series. It covers equipment safety, installation, inspection, maintenance and operation, and it is where free height of fall is defined.

AS/NZS 4422:2016 is the surfacing standard. It specifies the requirements and test method for impact-attenuating playground surfacing, which is how a critical fall height is established for a system.

A1SGS states that its childcare synthetic grass installations meet AS 4685:2021 and AS/NZS 4422:2016 and include a certified shock-absorbing underlay. For any project, ask for the test documentation that applies to the specific system being installed, not to the turf alone.

Is Synthetic Grass a Safe Playground Soft Fall Option?

Yes, when it is specified as a system with an appropriate shock pad. No, if it is landscaping turf over a normal base. That distinction is the entire subject.

A playground synthetic grass system has four parts, and all four affect the result:

1. A prepared and compacted sub-base that drains and holds its level under use.
2. A shock pad specified for the critical fall height the equipment above it requires.
3. Turf suited to the application, dense and short enough to wear well under concentrated traffic.
4. Installation that matches the tested system, including how the pad is jointed and how the turf is secured.

Pile height does not establish impact performance. A deeper pile does not make a surface safer to fall onto, and a turf marketed for playgrounds is not by itself evidence of compliance. The number that counts is the tested critical fall height of the installed system, and it comes from the pad and the base far more than from the grass on top.

A tested product and a tested installation are not the same thing. Laboratory testing is done under controlled conditions on a defined build-up. If the sub-base, pad thickness or jointing differs on site, the result can differ too. This is why documentation should describe the system as installed.

How Does Synthetic Grass Compare With Rubber and Loose Fill?

The honest summary is that synthetic grass and rubber are close on safety and different on everything else. Both can be specified to the same critical fall height. They differ on appearance, on how they clean, and on how they age.

Loose fill is the one with a different risk profile. Bark and mulch can perform well at depth and lose that performance quietly, because the material migrates out of exactly the high-traffic areas beneath swings and slide exits where it is needed most. A loose fill playground that looks fine can be underperforming at the landing points.

Accessibility is worth weighing early. Loose fill is difficult for wheelchairs, walkers and children who are unsteady on their feet, which matters in an inclusive play space and often decides the specification before impact performance does.

Surface Heat in Play Areas

This applies to rubber softfall as well as synthetic grass. Both are dark, dense, non-evaporating surfaces.

What to do about it at design stage:

• Shade over the surfaces children sit and land on. Shade sails or trees over the equipment zones do more than any product specification.
• Keep some natural or cooler surfacing in the areas that are not required to be impact attenuating.
• Orientation. Where there is a choice, put the hard-play zone where it gets afternoon shade.
• A hose point nearby. Wetting the surface before a hot afternoon session is simple and effective.
• A supervision rule. Staff checking the surface by hand before releasing children onto it on a hot day costs nothing.

Choosing a Soft Fall System for Your Site

Work through these before asking anyone to quote, because the answers determine what is even eligible:

1. Measure the free height of fall from every piece of equipment. The tallest one sets the requirement for its zone.
2. Map the impact areas, including the 1.5m minimum extent and any larger run-out zones for swings and slides.
3. Check the existing ground and drainage. A site that holds water will undermine any installed system.
4. Decide the accessibility requirement. If wheeled access into the play space is needed, that narrows the options immediately.
5. Assess sun exposure across the day and identify where shade is going or already exists.
6. Be realistic about maintenance capacity. Loose fill needs someone to rake and replenish it, on a schedule, for the life of the playground.
7. Ask for system documentation, not product brochures. The test result should describe the build-up you are buying.
8. Plan the inspection regime before handover, not after the first incident.

Specifying by Zone, Not by Playground

Using one surface everywhere is the most common and most expensive mistake. It means overspending where safety performance is not required and underspecifying where it is.

A1SGS specifies by zone across childcare centres and schools, selecting turf, pile height and drainage per area rather than laying one product throughout.

What Does Playground Soft Fall Cost?

There is no useful rate per square metre for soft fall, because the shock pad specification changes with fall height and the groundwork changes with the site. Two playgrounds of identical area can differ substantially once equipment heights and drainage are accounted for.

What drives the number:

• The tallest equipment on site, which sets the shock pad specification for its zone
• Total impact area, including the run-out zones rather than just the equipment footprint
• Excavation depth and spoil removal
• Drainage, and whether the site currently holds water
• Removing the existing surface, which is significant where old loose fill or bonded rubber has to come out
• Access, since many childcare and school yards can only be reached through a building or a narrow gate
• Staging, because centres and schools usually cannot close the whole yard at once
• Edging and transitions between zones and surface types

Compare whole-of-life, not installation price. Loose fill is cheaper to install and needs replenishing on a schedule for as long as the playground exists. Installed systems cost more up front and shift the ongoing effort to cleaning and inspection. Over ten years the ranking often reverses.

For larger institutional sites, commercial artificial grass installation covers site preparation, drainage, access and staging. Smaller residential play areas are a different job again, covered by residential installation.

Frequently Asked Questions