Tufting
A mechanical process by which units of fiber are uniformly inserted into a suitable woven backing fabric.

Primary Backing
Consists of woven polypropylene and/or other fabrics into which the pile is tufted. Quality of backing can be measured by the weight of the material and how many layers it consists of. A triple backing system means that you will have exceptional tuft bind.

Secondary Backing
Consists of impermeable, inert urethane compound applied to the underside of the primary backing. When treated with heat it fuses the tufts of pile fabric to the primary backing. To measure how good the backing is try pulling on the fiber and see if you can pull one out. If you can, you need to look at another system. Weak backings can contribute to your field "balding" over the years as more and more fibers are pulled out during play. Backing strength and tuft bind can be measured by looking at how many ounces per square yard there are and, of course, the higher the better.

Infill Material
Consists of recycled rubber granules measuring from .5 to 1.5 mm in diameter. Some companies maintain their position of mixing sand and rubber as the infill material. The higher the rubber granules layer, the better the shock absorption will be.

G-Max
A measurement used to determine energy absorption of materials. Low G-Max figures mean more energy absorption. The ideal G-Max rating is between 90 and 120.

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