Many buyers understand that a shockpad is important, but they often judge it only by thickness. In reality, thickness alone does not determine shock absorption. The more important indicator is compression set, also known as compression permanent deformation.
Why It Matters
Compression set measures how well a shockpad recovers after long-term pressure. A low-quality pad may look thick and soft when new, but after repeated use, the foam cells can collapse. Once this happens, the field becomes harder, less comfortable, and less protective.
A collapsed shockpad can cause:
- Reduced impact absorption
- Harder underfoot feel
- Increased joint stress
- Uneven surface performance
- Shorter field life
- Higher renovation cost
For sports fields, school playgrounds, and high-traffic training surfaces, the shockpad must maintain its structure under repeated compression.
Recommended Technical Reference
For high-quality sports turf systems, compression set should be carefully controlled.
A practical reference range is:
- Standard performance reference: compression set should generally be ≤10%
- High-quality target: premium closed-cell shockpads can reach ≤5%
- Low-grade product risk: poor recycled foam pads may exceed 30%, meaning the pad can collapse significantly after relatively short use
Vivaturf Technical Approach
Vivaturf uses a customized closed-cell PE shockpad engineered for long-term resilience. The cell structure is carefully controlled to balance cushioning, support, drainage, and shape recovery.
Vivaturf’s shockpad system can achieve compression set performance around ≤5%, helping the field maintain consistent cushioning over years of use. This supports stable impact absorption, controlled vertical deformation, and a more consistent playing experience.
For sports and school applications, this is especially important because users need a surface that does not become noticeably harder after repeated use.
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