Playground turf cost
$6 to $20 a square foot
This is the material alone, before anyone lays it. Source: adventureturf.com.
| Play area | Turf, $6 to $20 a sq ft |
|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $6,000 to $20,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $15,000 to $50,000 |
For artificial grass material, expect a playground turf cost of six to 20 dollars per square foot. At some suppliers, the cost for just the turf material is also three to eight dollars per square foot. Your dealer quote includes the extra cost to lay rubber tiles, rubber mulch, or turf, since the surface figure covers material alone.
Planning a playground for a school, church, town, nonprofit, preschool, or homeowners association means the surface is just one budget item. For the equipment, we advise committees to set aside about $1,000 for every child playing at once, then add the cost of the ground surface.
Other Published Prices for Turf
Playground turf material
Price: $3 to $8 per sq ft, says greatmats.com.
How Much Turf Does Your Playground Need?
One number helps you estimate your play area size: the count of children playing at the same time. Following the Virginia child care rule, our playground cost estimate reserves 75 square feet of ground space for every child playing at once.
| Children Playing at Once | Turf Ground Surface Alone | Total Project With Turf Material |
|---|---|---|
| 15 children on 1,125 sq ft | $6,800 to $22,500 | $27,800 to $45,000 |
| 30 children on 2,250 sq ft | $13,500 to $45,000 | $55,500 to $90,000 |
| 50 children on 3,750 sq ft | $22,500 to $75,000 | $92,500 to $150,000 |
| 80 children on 6,000 sq ft | $36,000 to $120,000 | $148,000 to $240,000 |
The Full Budget for a Playground, Beyond Its Ground Surface
The turf surface, the play equipment, the labor to install everything, and shipping all sit inside your full project budget. GameTime puts equipment costs at about $1,000 for each child playing at once. Shipping from the manufacturer, called freight, adds about 15 percent to the equipment price for US deliveries. Playworld estimates playground installation costs an extra 25 to 35 percent over the equipment price.
- Equipment costs about $15,000 for 15 children playing at once, with installation at $3,800 to $5,300 and freight at $2,300.
- Freight is $4,500 and equipment is about $30,000 for 30 children playing at once; installation runs $7,500 to $10,500.
- Equipment costs about $50,000 for 50 children playing at once, with installation at $12,500 to $17,500 and freight at $7,500.
- Freight is $12,000 and equipment is about $80,000 for 80 children playing at once; installation costs $20,000 to $28,000.
Turf Beside Other Ground Surfaces
Pick a different playground surfacing and the total budget changes, even if the play equipment stays the same. Playgrounds can use a woodchip surface called engineered wood fiber. It costs $3.5 to $5.5 a square foot installed. A rubber surface poured over the play area is called poured in place rubber. It costs nine to 18 dollars for every square foot, installed. Material for rubber tiles costs five to eight dollars per square foot. Material for loose rubber mulch costs six to 12 dollars per square foot.
Engineered wood fiber for a 2,250 square foot area with 30 children costs $7,900 to $12,400 for ground only, or $49,900 to $57,400 total. Rubber tile material brings that same 30-child project to $53,300 to $63,000, while rubber mulch material makes it $55,500 to $72,000. Poured in place rubber costs $20,300 to $40,500 for just the ground, while the whole project is $62,300 to $85,500.
How to Fund and Quote Your Project
Churches, schools, preschools, towns, nonprofits, or homeowners associations can use our playground grants finder to see programs they can apply for in their state. As you plan your space, you can also review playground equipment manufacturers. Once you are ready, one short quote request reaches manufacturers' representatives and playground equipment dealers, who will quote your equipment, surfacing, and installation.