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Guides · Turf products and specs

Turf products and specs: what each line of the sheet measures

What the numbers on a turf spec sheet mean, and which ones change how a yard looks, feels and wears.

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Products · the guides

Six questions, each answered up front.

Each short answer is right here. Open a guide for the full explanation and its sources.

  1. Guide

    Artificial Turf Face Weight: What the Ounces Mean

    What face weight should artificial turf be, and is heavier always better?

    Face weight counts only the yarn, not the backing, and most landscape turf carries 40 to 100 ounces per square yard. More yarn usually wears better under dogs and traffic, but heavier isn’t always better: a label number may be total weight, a taller pile weighs more without being denser, and more ounces cost more. Firestone requires at least 70.

    Inside

    1. What is face weight, and how is it different from total weight?
    2. Why can the number in a turf’s name mislead you?
    3. How do pile height and density change what the ounces mean?
    4. Does more face weight help under snow and dogs?
    5. When is a heavier face weight not worth paying for?
    6. 1 more section

  2. Guide

    Artificial Turf Infill Types for Northern Colorado

    Does artificial turf need infill, and which kind: silica sand, coated sand, organic, rubber or cooling infill?

    Most turf does. Infill weighs it down, holds the blades upright and limits movement as temperatures swing; only products built without it, such as some knitted dog turf, go bare. In Northern Colorado’s dry, windy, freeze-thaw weather, rounded silica or acrylic-coated sand asks the least of you. Light cork and coconut infills need moisture this dry climate rarely leaves.

    Inside

    1. Does artificial turf need infill?
    2. What are the main kinds of infill?
    3. Silica sand or coated sand: what’s the difference?
    4. How do cork, coconut and other organic infills handle Northern Colorado weather?
    5. Where do rubber and cooling infills fit?
    6. 2 more sections

  3. Guide

    Artificial Turf Pile Height: Blade Length by Use

    What pile height (blade length) should I get for my yard?

    It depends on the use. Most lawn turf runs 1.5 to 2 inches: longer looks more natural, shorter stands up better to traffic and snow. Dog runs and play areas usually go shorter, and putting surfaces far shorter. Firestone’s town code requires 1.75 to 3 inches. Infill fills the bottom of every pile.

    Inside

    1. What does pile height measure?
    2. How tall is most lawn turf, and what do Northern Colorado rules require?
    3. Does a longer pile look better, and what does snow do to it?
    4. What pile height suits dogs, play areas and putting greens?
    5. How does infill change the height you see?
    6. 1 more section

  4. Guide

    Artificial Turf Spec Sheet Checklist for Colorado

    What should a turf spec sheet say for turf that will hold up in a Northern Colorado yard?

    It should name the exact product and give pile height, face weight, yarn, backing and perforations, tuft bind, drainage, UV lab results, heavy-metal and flammability tests, infill and country of origin, each with its test method. Firestone’s town code sets minimums for several of these lines. Statewide, installing turf with intentionally added PFAS has been barred since 2026.

    Inside

    1. Which lines should a turf spec sheet carry?
    2. What does Firestone’s code require of the product itself?
    3. What should the paperwork say about PFAS?
    4. How do altitude sun and hail change what to ask about coverage?
    5. Which lines matter most for dogs, kids or a front yard?
    6. 1 more section

  5. Guide

    Home Depot or Costco Turf vs Installer Turf

    Is Home Depot or Costco artificial turf good enough, or do I need installer-grade turf?

    Some store rolls are. Costco’s 80-oz PreGra roll clears Firestone’s 70-oz face-weight floor; its lighter rolls don’t. Read the spec sheet, not the store name. The bigger gap is coverage: PreGra’s term runs 4 years instead of 10 when you lay it yourself, and none of the three makers' terms pays for labor.

    Inside

    1. Do Home Depot and Costco rolls meet a real turf spec?
    2. What does a store listing leave out?
    3. What does the maker’s coverage actually cover on a store roll?
    4. Who lays it, and what does that change?
    5. Will an installer lay turf I already bought?

  6. Guide

    What Makes Artificial Turf Look Real, Not Like Carpet

    What makes artificial turf look real instead of like green carpet?

    Turf reads as carpet when every blade is one bright green, it shines in low sun and its grain leans away from you. Realistic turf blends two or three greens over a tan thatch yarn, uses blades shaped to cut shine, and leans toward your usual view. Winter is the hard test: nearby lawns go brown, turf doesn’t.

    Inside

    1. Why does some artificial turf look like green carpet?
    2. What does thatch do, and why is it tan?
    3. Which greens fit a Northern Colorado lawn?
    4. What happens in winter, when the lawns around it go brown?
    5. Why does turf shine, and which way should the grain run?
    6. 2 more sections

Other topics

More questions, sorted by topic.

Each topic has its own page of short answers. All 102 guides are listed on the guides page, with a box to search them.

Every guide, by topic

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