School playground surfacing
Safety surfacing is the part of a playground nobody notices until it fails. It decides how far a child can safely fall, whether the area can be used in winter and how much you spend every few years on repairs.
This page compares the main school playground surfaces, the fall heights they are tested to and what they cost per square metre.
£49.70 to £145
wetpour per m², by depth and colour, laid on an existing base
Time to look at surfacing if
- Your inspection report flags worn, split or shrinking wetpour.
- Grass under equipment is bare and compacted.
- Bark has been kicked away and the depth is no longer known.
- Puddles sit on the surface after rain.
- You are adding taller equipment and need deeper surfacing.
Surfacing prices per m²
| Item | Guide, before VAT |
|---|---|
| Wetpour, 15 mm Tested to 0.5 m. Black, or coloured at £83 | £49.70 |
| Wetpour, 40 mm Tested to 1.3 m. Black, or coloured at £95.10 | £62.20 |
| Wetpour, 60 mm Tested to 1.9 m. Black, or coloured at £104.90 | £72.70 |
| Wetpour, 80 mm Tested to 2.6 m. Black, or coloured at £114.40 | £82.40 |
| Wetpour, 100 mm Tested to 2.7 m. Black, or coloured at £124.30 | £92.40 |
| Bonded rubber mulch Laid on a prepared base | £40 to £60 |
| Artificial grass Add a tested shock pad where there is a fall height | About £85 |
Where these figures come from
Wetpour rates are from a published UK price list, June 2026: supply and lay onto an existing suitable base, before VAT, standard rate from 60 m². Small areas carry a one-off addition (Under 16 m² £967, 17 to 40 m² £419, 41 to 59 m² £246). A new base adds to the cost. Mulch and artificial grass figures are from published UK contractor price guides, 2024. A guide, not a quote.
How the main surfaces compare
Wetpour
Rubber granules bound with resin and poured in place over a base. Seamless, accessible for wheelchairs, any colour. Thickness is set by the fall height. Needs repairs at seams and edges as it ages.
Bonded rubber mulch
Shredded rubber bound with resin. Looks natural, drains well and is tested to high fall heights. Softer feel than wetpour; check the depth on the test certificate.
Rubber grass mats
Open rubber mesh laid over grass, which grows through. Low cost and green, for low to medium fall heights where the grass is healthy.
Loose bark or wood chip
Cheap to lay and good for high falls at enough depth, but it moves. Council guidance commonly specifies 300 mm plus about 100 mm to allow for displacement, and it needs regular raking and topping up.
Artificial grass with shock pad
Green all year and clean. Only impact-absorbing with a tested shock pad underneath; the pad thickness is set by the fall height.
Grass and topsoil
Acceptable for low fall heights in BS EN 1176-1, but wears quickly under heavy school use.
Critical fall height, in plain English
BS EN 1177 sets the test for how well a surface absorbs a fall. The result is the critical fall height: the greatest height a child could fall onto that surface without a likely serious head injury. Your surface must be tested to at least the free height of fall of the equipment above it, across the whole impact area.
Below 600 mm, no impact-absorbing surface is required; that is why low trails and early years pieces can sit on grass.
Surfacing repairs often fit into a half-term. Get prices before the next inspection.
Get free quotesHow surfacing is replaced
Survey
Measure the area, check each piece’s fall height and the base underneath. A failed base means digging out, not just a new top.
Specify
Choose the surface and the depth for the highest fall height in each area, and colours or graphics if wanted.
Lay
Remove the old surface, repair or lay the base, then pour or lay the new surface. Wetpour needs dry weather and a day or two to cure.
Check
The installer should give you the test certificate for the depth laid, and the area should be inspected before use.
Questions schools ask
How much does school playground surfacing cost?
Wetpour runs from about £49.70 per m² for 15 mm black to £145 for 130 mm coloured, laid on an existing base, on a published June 2026 price list. Bonded rubber mulch is about £40 to £60 per m².
How thick does wetpour need to be?
It depends on the fall height and the product. On the published list we use, 40 mm is tested to 1.3 m, 60 mm to 1.9 m and 80 mm to 2.6 m. Always check the certificate for the product you are buying.
Is grass a safe playground surface?
For low fall heights, yes, while it stays in good condition. Under heavy school use it wears to bare earth, which is why most schools use mats, mulch or wetpour under equipment.
How long does wetpour last?
Commonly 8 to 12 years before it needs a new top layer, depending on use and how well the base was laid. Patch repairs extend its life.
What is the impact area?
The area round a piece of equipment that must be surfaced: at least 1.5 m on every side, more for higher fall heights and for moving equipment such as swings.
Do schools pay VAT on playground equipment?
Installers charge VAT at 20%. Maintained schools and academies can usually reclaim it, so budgets are normally set before VAT. PTAs that are separate charities usually cannot, so a PTA-funded project should budget the full amount. Check with your finance lead.
Get prices for playground surfacing
Three short steps: where the school is, what you have in mind, and how to reach you. It takes about two minutes.
This is a free matching service, not a play equipment installer. We tell you which installer we have found before they see your brief.
Thanks, your enquiry is in.
- Within one working day we email or phone with the name of a play equipment installer working in your region.
- The brief goes to them once you confirm.
- They visit, talk through the space and give you a design and a fixed price. No marketing from us, ever.