Choosing a Surfacing Material
The consumer shall provide playground surfacing materials under and around commercial play equipment that conforms to the
recommendations of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Public Playground Safety Handbook publications #325. A copy
of the section relating to surfacing materials is included in the installation instructions. Free copies of this handbook are available on line at
www.cpsc.gov or by contacting the CPSC Publications Office in Washington D.C. 20207.
The entire use zone, around and underneath the play structure, must have adequate impact attenuating surfacing material. The surfacing
material provider should have a specified Critical Height Value for the surfacing material. The Critical Height rating should be at least the
height of the highest designated play surface on the equipment. The Rainbow Play Systems Commercial Play Structures have a
Critical Fall
Height of 6'
. Determine adequate surfacing based on ratings in accordance with A.S.T.M. Standard F1292. Contact the American Society
for Testing and Materials (ASTM) by calling 610-832-9585, or their website at ww.astm.org to receive a copy of the A.S.T.M. Standard F1292.
There are two primary options available for surfacing public playgrounds: unitary and loose-fill materials. If unitary options are used, contact
the manufacturer for the critical height rating for their products. If loose-fill materials are used, refer to Table 2 of the CPSC Public
Playground Safety Handbook for critical height values of suggested materials. Rainbow Play Systems recommends a minimum of
12 inches
of loose-fill material. It is recommended to use containment, such as digging out around the perimeter and/or lining the perimeter with
landscape edging for surfacing materials.
The following information is intended to assist in comparing the relative shock-absorbing properties of various materials. No particular
material is recommended over another. However, each material is only effective when properly maintained. Materials should be checked
periodically and replenished to maintain correct depth as determined necessary for your equipment. The choice of a material depends on the
type and height of your playground equipment, the availability of the material in your area, and its cost.
Table 3.1 from Tips for Public Playground Safety publications #324 from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has been provided
below. This table lists the maximum height from which a child would not be expected to sustain a life-threatening head injury in a fall onto
four different loose-fill surfacing materials if they are installed and maintained at depths of 6, 9, and 12 inches. However, it should be
recognized that all injuries due to falls cannot be prevented no matter what surfacing material is used.
Commercial Design C Data
Package # Set Dimensions (W x L x H)
Play Zone
Critical Fall
Height
Number of
Children
Maximum
Combined Weight
3A, 3B, 3C
30 1/2' x 38' x 13 1/2'
42 1/2' x 50'
5'
44 - 50
6750 lbs.
*Note: Unit's height without wood roof is approximately 8 1/2'.
TABLE 3.1 Fall Height in Feet From Which a Life Threatening Head Injury Would Not Be Expected
Type of Material
6 in. depth
9 in. depth
12 in. depth
Double Shredded Bark Mulch
6 ft.
10 ft.
11 ft.
Wood Chips
6 ft.
7 ft.
12 ft.
Fine Sand
5 ft.
5 ft.
9 ft.
Fine Gravel
6 ft.
7 ft.
10 ft.
This table can be found at: http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/Playfct.pdf
TABLE 2. Minimum Compressed Loose-fill Surfacing Depths
Inches
of
Loose-Fill Material
protects to
Fall Height (feet)
6*
Shredded/recycled rubber
10
9
Sand
4
9
Pea Gravel
5
9
Wood mulch (non-CCA)
7
9
Wood chips
10
*Shredded/recycled rubber loose-fill surfacing does not compress in the same manner as other loose-fill
materials. However, care should be taken to maintain a constant depth as displacement may still occur.
This table can be found at:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/325.pdf
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