Playground safety tile FS "Brick red"
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This product is currently unavailable.
/ - 0.67 Piece / m²
- (29.89 kg / Piece)
EAN: 4251469352629 | Item no.: 5262
These 50 × 50 cm playground safety tiles are suitable for indoor and outdoor areas where children and teenagers play, run and romp about. They are used wherever a durable, low-maintenance impact-absorbing safety surface is required. The handy format is a clear advantage during installation: the tiles are easy to carry, quick to align and can be laid with minimal waste even on complex playground layouts. If a tile is damaged, the affected tile can simply be replaced without having to hire a specialist contractor – a clear plus when calculating overall cost efficiency.
Typical applications
Playground safety tiles are installed on play areas and in zones around play equipment, for example in the fall zone around swings, slides, see-saws, climbing frames, climbing towers, platforms and play structures with access points and transitions – wherever falls are to be expected and defined impact absorption is required. Balance trails and ride-on toy tracks can also be equipped safely and durably with playground safety tiles. Indoors, playground safety tiles are used in playrooms, indoor playgrounds or climbing halls, with the appropriate product variant selected to match the required fall height.
Material & construction
Playground safety tiles are made from PU-bound rubber granules. They are either manufactured entirely from ELT granules (ELT = end-of-life tyres, processed tyre rubber granules) or produced as a two-layer tile with an EPDM wear layer on an ELT base. EPDM, a modern rubber, provides a UV-resistant surface that is low in harmful substances and permanently colour-stable – useful when a defined colour effect is required over the long term. A characteristic feature of the underside is a structure in the form of inverted pyramid stubs. This stabilises the playground safety tile, improves its impact-absorbing properties and increases service life.
Connection and installation
Installation is carried out in a staggered bond on a solid, load-bearing base, for example on concrete, asphalt, block paving, roof membranes, sheet metal or tiles, as well as on properly installed plastic grass grids or gravel grids. Installation on grit, sand or loose gravel is not recommended for playground safety tiles with a strongly structured underside. Plastic connectors link each playground safety tile with the tiles in the preceding and following row. A perimeter edging – for example rubber edging kerbs, a low border or an adjoining lawn area – prevents the tiles from shifting. In some cases, bonding is advisable to further improve positional stability.
In-service properties
The surface of the playground safety tiles is grippy and slip-resistant. The elastic structure absorbs impacts and vibrations and provides fall protection certified to EN 1177. Thanks to the open-pore structure and the strongly profiled underside, water drains away well – the playground remains usable even in rainy weather. Compared with loose-fill safety surfacing such as play sand or wood chips, regular topping up, smoothing or cyclic cleaning is no longer necessary. Playground safety tiles are not kicked away or carried off and are less attractive to animals as a “toilet”. In addition, no hollows or dug-out spots develop, as is typical with loose-fill materials.
Care & maintenance
Fine dirt is largely rinsed away outdoors by rainwater. Heavier soiling can be washed off or swept away; a pressure washer can be used for deep cleaning. As playground safety tiles are durable and can be replaced individually in the event of damage, maintenance effort remains manageable. If plans change, the safety surface can often be lifted and relaid elsewhere.
Product Highlights
Characteristics
Product Details – Material and Structure
Comparative values
The number of tiles required for an irregular area can be calculated manually or determined using the digital laying planner.
For irregular areas, a scaled laying plan on graph paper is recommended. For the manual calculation method, draw the area on graph paper at a scale of 1:100, where 1 cm corresponds to 1 m. Place the tile grid over the drawing and draw the tiles within the area according to their laying dimensions. The drawing shows where offcuts will be required and allows the required number of tiles to be counted.
The online laying planner determines the quantity required more quickly than the manual calculation method. It is available for every product in the online shop. Once the area dimensions have been entered, the tool automatically calculates the number of tiles required and displays a suitable laying pattern. On the product page, simply click ‘Plan installation’. The planner works directly in the browser, is free of charge and does not require registration.
Formation level and edge restraint are part of installing impact-absorbing surfacing in mat or slab form correctly: the substrate, connection system, fall zone, fall height and drainage must suit the intended use. This applies to outdoor impact-absorbing surfacing in gardens as well as to public play areas.
Under play equipment, the tested critical fall height of the selected product and installation must be at least equal to the equipment’s free fall height. The required dimensions of the impact-absorbing surfacing area depend on the individual item of play equipment.
On concrete or asphalt, the mats and slabs can be installed directly. Rainwater passes through the water-permeable surfacing to the supporting layer, from which it drains towards an open edge or outlet by means of the fall.
On grass or soil, direct installation is not appropriate. A loose layer of sand, chippings or gravel is also unsuitable as a substrate because loose material shifts over time.
After the turf has been removed, plastic honeycomb panels are laid on a thin laying course of chippings and filled with chippings to their upper edge. The mats or slabs are then installed above them. Rainwater passes through the complete construction and can drain into the underlying ground. Where loads are higher or ground conditions are unfavourable, a properly designed sub-base of compacted frost-protection material is also required beneath the laying course.
Further installation depends on the connection system. With mats using an interlocking system, the interlock of one mat is pressed down from above into that of the adjacent mat already in place. This stable joint usually requires neither bonding to the substrate nor edge restraint.
Slabs with plug-in connectors are installed in a half-bond pattern. They require edge restraint to prevent lateral movement. On a bound sub-base, bonding may be specified instead of edge restraint, depending on the installation situation.
During installation, the slabs should be at a uniform temperature of no more than approximately 17 °C and should not have been heated by direct sunlight. A rubber mallet assists with fitting the slabs, while a circular saw assists with cutting them. Where the impact-absorbing surfacing ends within a hard-surfaced area, a fixed ramp is used to avoid trip hazards at the transition.
Visible jigsaw interlocks, plastic connectors and concealed jigsaw interlocks differ in their edge profile, joint appearance, available laying patterns and whether the tile area requires bonding or a perimeter restraint. Three variants are used for tiles made from rubber granules: visible jigsaw interlocks, plastic connectors and concealed jigsaw interlocks. With visible jigsaw interlocks, the toothed edge engages with the adjacent tile over the full tile thickness. Depending on the range, the teeth are dovetail-shaped or rounded, and are formed during pressing or cut from the tile at the factory after several days of curing. How clearly the tooth pattern remains visible across the surface depends on the edge design and colour. Where all four sides have the same tooth pattern, tiles can be laid in any direction; where the side profiles differ, the laying direction is fixed. This is the most stable of the three systems and holds the tile area together without bonding or a perimeter restraint.
Where bonding or a perimeter restraint is required, tiles with plastic connectors have straight edges and are joined by cylindrical plastic connecting pins inserted into factory-made holes in the tile sides. They are laid row by row in a half-bond installation. Each tile connects to four neighbouring tiles, with two in the preceding row and two in the following row; tiles within the same row are not connected. The plastic connector fittings limit movement across the pin axis, while tiles can still move along that axis. The tile area therefore needs bonding or a fixed perimeter restraint acting along the pin axis. An existing parapet or wall can often provide this restraint, as can an adjacent lawn at the same level, holding the tiles laterally.
Unlike the straight edges used with plastic connectors, concealed jigsaw interlocks place the toothed profile in a step on the underside, outside the visible edge area. Two tile sides carry the projecting profile, with the matching profile on the two opposing sides, which determines the laying direction. The interlock is not visible from above and the joints run in straight lines. Tiles can be laid in a stack bond or a one-third offset. Because the interlock sits within the step, the joint does not extend down to the sub-base, which remains fully covered.
The thickness of playground safety mats and playground safety tiles must be selected according to their tested critical fall height, which must at least match the free fall height of the playground equipment. The greater the potential fall height, the thicker the mats or tiles need to be.
Thickness alone does not indicate the fall height a product can accommodate. Construction, density and elasticity also affect shock absorption.
As a broad guide for free fall height, the following thicknesses apply: - Up to 100 cm: 3 cm - Up to 150 cm: 5 cm - Up to 200 cm: 7 cm - Up to 300 cm: 10 cm
For shock absorption, the decisive value is always the critical fall height stated for the relevant product in its BS EN 1177 test report.
Playground safety mats and playground safety tiles can be used up to the critical fall height stated in the test report in accordance with BS EN 1177. This is the lowest height at which the HIC value reaches 1000 or the gmax acceleration reaches 200 g. Depending on the product version, the critical fall height is approximately 100 to 300 cm.
up to 100 cm: for example low playhouses, balance equipment
up to 150 cm: for example low climbing elements
up to 200 cm: for example climbing nets, climbing frames, multi-play units
up to 300 cm: for example tall climbing towers and large play structures
These equipment examples are provided for guidance only. The decisive factor is the free fall height of the specific item of playground equipment in accordance with BS EN 1176. The stated critical fall height must be at least equal to that free fall height.
Rubber tiles and mats made from rubber granules typically last 10 to 15 years under normal conditions, and often longer. They are intended for long-term indoor and outdoor use.
Their actual lifespan depends on the intensity of use, the location and weather conditions. On playgrounds, wear occurs mainly in heavily used areas, such as beneath swings and at slide exits. UV radiation and freeze-thaw cycles also contribute to the ageing of rubber granules.
Impact-absorbing surfacing should be inspected regularly for wear and signs of ageing. Where necessary, individual rubber tiles can be replaced without renewing the whole area, which makes maintenance easier and can extend the service life of the overall surface. The surface is easy to maintain.
