Playground surfacing calculator
CPSC publishes a table of loose-fill materials, depths and the fall heights they are listed for. Enter your area and a height to see the depth the table lists and how much material that is.
Playground surfacing calculator
Enter the area to cover and a fall height in feet, or prefill the height from a product. For each loose-fill material in CPSC's table you will see the smallest listed depth for that height, the volume it takes and, where a bag size is cited, the number of bags.
CPSC on compression
Loose-fill materials will compress at least 25% over time due to use and weathering. This must be considered when planning the playground. For example, if the playground will require 9 inches of wood chips, then the initial fill level should be 12 inches.
Enter the area and a fall height to see the depths and volumes.
CPSC on a swing's fall height
The fall height for swings is the vertical distance between the pivot point and the protective surfacing beneath it.CPSC source
Depths and heights are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's loose-fill table (Table 2 of its Public Playground Safety Handbook), linked below. They are minimum depths after the material has compressed, so the volumes and bag counts are at that compressed minimum; CPSC's note on compression is quoted above the result, and no allowance is added here. A product's figure is its maker's stated platform or deck height, which is not necessarily the fall height CPSC defines. Swing sets are not offered: CPSC measures a swing's fall height from the pivot point, as quoted with the calculator. Bag sizes are the makers' own. Volumes are arithmetic on these figures (area × depth); they add nothing for settling, spillage or the edges of the area.
For informational purposes only. The figures on this page are the makers' and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC), cited where they appear, and the results are arithmetic on those figures. Climberoo has not tested these products and gives no safety advice of its own. Follow the maker's manual and CPSC's playground safety handbook when you choose, install and use play equipment. Climberoo accepts no liability for decisions made from this page; see our terms.
Sources
- CPSC loose-fill surfacing table (Table 2. Minimum compressed loose-fill surfacing depths, p. 11) — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Rubberific: Shredded/recycled rubber bag size — Rubberific