Low vs High Quality Artificial Turf – What’s the difference?

It’s not always easy to understand what the characteristics of high quality artificial turf are. When customers come into our showroom, they obviously want to get the best bang for their buck. Sometimes they’ll be looking into our SX-50 product, because it’s the cheapest. While it is by no means a bad product, it isn’t the most versatile. It is actually designed for athletic purposes, so if you’re looking to get cost-effective sports turf, it’s perfect. If you’re looking for a home landscaping product, it may be more practical to examine some of our other products.

Chinese Turf – The Positives and Negatives

As of a recent study, more than 80 percent of the world’s artificial turf comes from China. Chinese turf is generally more affordable, and is carried by many big box stores like Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Costco. Unfortunately, with the Chinese turf we’ve seen, the quality is very inconsistent. We have seen drainage issues, which allow water and other liquids to pool beneath the surface of the turf. This causes the turf’s backing to deteriorate quickly, giving it a far shorter lifespan. Despite this, and other quality related problems, we have also seen some excellent turf come from overseas. The quality control can also be quite good, like in the FIFA certified artificial turf.

For us, dismissing all Chinese turf as technologically inferior is short-sighted, however we choose to only stock American-made turf, because the quality is much more consistent.

American Turf – The Positives and Negatives

Due to the fact that we’re an American company, of course we want to stock American made turf. Most American turf is produced in Dalton, Georgia at factories formerly used to create carpeting. The machines for turf manufacturing are very similar to carpeting machines, and Dalton has historically been home to several textile mills. In the present day, much of the American high quality artificial turf is produced there, and shipped all over the world.

When considering the negative aspects of buying American made turf, the biggest sticking point is the price. Chinese turf can be under $1 per square foot; American turf is frequently more expensive. To be honest, that’s the only real drawback to getting American made turf. The biggest positive aspect of buying American is that you know you’ll be getting high quality artificial turf. And with American made products ranging in warranties, some up to 15 years, it’s a deal you can’t get with Chinese turf. If you want to know more about the benefits of getting American turf, come on down to our warehouse in San Jose, or give us a call. We’re excited to chat with you about your next turf project!