Poured in place rubber cost
$9 to $18 a square foot
This is the installed price. Source: adventureturf.com.
| Play area | Poured in place rubber, $9 to $18 a sq ft |
|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $9,000 to $18,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $22,500 to $45,000 |
Installed poured in place rubber cost averages 13 dollars per square foot, with a range from nine to 18 dollars. A separate surface price guide lists an average installed cost between 10 and 15 dollars per square foot.
This surface cost covers just one portion of your budget. Along with the ground surface price, your committee must budget for the play structure, shipping, and installation.
Other Published Prices for Poured in Place Rubber
Average installed price
Price: $10 to $15 per sq ft, says robertsonsurfaces.com.
Base of crushed stone under poured rubber
Price: $3 to $6 per sq ft, says robertsonsurfaces.com.
Price from a second installer, on average
Price: $13 per sq ft, says adventureturf.com.
Base Layer Costs and Price Per Square Foot
Adding an aggregate base, the ground layer beneath the rubber, costs three to six dollars per square foot. How many children play at once determines your total area. Virginia child care rules require 75 square feet of ground area for each child playing at once, and our playground cost estimate uses that figure to create a full price range.
Budgets by How Many Children Play
Surfacing for 15 children requires 1,125 square feet. You need 2,250 square feet for 30 children, 3,750 square feet for 50 children, and 6,000 square feet of ground cover for 80 children.
| Children Playing at Once | Poured Rubber Ground Alone | Full Playground Total |
|---|---|---|
| 15 children | $10,100 to $20,300 | $31,100 to $42,800 |
| 30 children | $20,300 to $40,500 | $62,300 to $85,500 |
| 50 children | $33,800 to $67,500 | $103,800 to $142,500 |
| 80 children | $54,000 to $108,000 | $166,000 to $228,000 |
Equipment, Shipping and Installation Prices
Full project budgets cover the play structure, playground installation, and freight, meaning the shipping fee from playground equipment manufacturers. Freight to US sites runs about 15 percent of the equipment price, and GameTime figures about $1,000 in equipment per child playing at once. Playworld places installation at 25 to 35 percent of what the equipment costs.
- About $15,000 covers equipment for 15 children, with installation at $3,800 to $5,300 and freight at $2,300.
- About $30,000 covers equipment for 30 children, with installation at $7,500 to $10,500 and freight at $4,500.
- About $50,000 covers equipment for 50 children, with installation at $12,500 to $17,500 and freight at $7,500.
- About $80,000 covers equipment for 80 children, with installation at $20,000 to $28,000 and freight at $12,000.
How Do Prices for Other Playground Surfaces Compare?
Different ground materials will significantly alter the final price. Each option changes the surface budget and full project total for a playground serving 30 children over 2,250 square feet:
- The ground alone comes to $7,900 to $12,400 with playground woodchips, also called engineered wood fiber, at 3.5 to 5.5 dollars installed for each square foot. The full total runs $49,900 to $57,400.
- For rubber tiles, material runs five to eight dollars per square foot, so the surface alone costs $11,300 to $18,000 and the full project reaches $53,300 to $63,000.
- Material for rubber mulch runs six to 12 dollars per square foot, so ground alone is $13,500 to $27,000 and the full total is $55,500 to $72,000.
- Artificial grass, also called turf, has material costs of six to 20 dollars per square foot, resulting in $13,500 to $45,000 for ground alone and $55,500 to $90,000 total.
In our playground grants finder, churches, schools, preschools, towns, nonprofits, and HOAs can find state programs they can apply for. Playground equipment dealers and manufacturers' representatives will quote the site's equipment, surfacing, and installation after one short request through our playground quote form.