Artificial turf terms explained: face weight, infill, thatch, stimp

Artificial turf terms explained

This glossary defines the terms that show up on a Florida turf quote or spec sheet, grouped by product, base, installation, putting greens, pets and law, from face weight and denier to drip line and PFAS. A putting green quote and a sports-turf bid tend to use the widest mix of these terms in one document, which is where a glossary like this earns its keep.

Synthetic Turf Council performance guidelines lists the full set of test methods manufacturers use.

Product terms

• Face weight. How much yarn sits on a square yard of backing, in ounces; heavier generally means denser and longer-wearing turf.
• Pile height. How tall the blades stand, from about 0.4 in on a putting surface to 2 in on a full, plush lawn. The full by-use table breaks this down by application.
• Gauge. The spacing between tufted rows, commonly 3/8 to 5/8 in; a tighter gauge packs more yarn into the same area.
• Denier. The thickness of a single yarn fiber; a higher denier resists matting and holds its shape longer under sun and traffic.
• Tuft bind. The force needed to pull one tufted blade out of the backing; low tuft bind shows up years later as bald, thinning patches.
• Thatch. Curled fiber tufted in at the base of the blades to add body and a more natural look, similar to dead grass mixed into a real lawn.
• Backing. The material the yarn is tufted into; a primary backing holds the tufts, and a secondary coating locks them in place.
• UV stabilization. Additives built into the yarn that slow color loss and brittleness from sun exposure, the difference between a lawn that fades in years and one that fades in a decade or more.

Base and drainage terms

• Subgrade. The native soil beneath the base rock; Florida's 2026 rule requires it not be compacted so hard that it hurts percolation.
• Base rock. Washed, open-graded crushed rock or crushed concrete laid under the turf; "washed" means fines have been rinsed out so the material doesn't bind into a crust.
• Compaction, in lifts. Compacting base material in more than one thin layer rather than one thick pass, which produces a firmer, more even base.
• Percolation. How well water moves down through soil; a subgrade compacted too hard percolates poorly and can pool water under the base.
• Permeable backing. A backing perforated to let water pass through rather than pool on top; required under the state's 2026 material standard.
• Positive grade. A slope, typically 1-2%, that carries water away from the house instead of toward it.
• Weed barrier. A fabric layer sometimes placed under the base to slow weed growth; usually skipped under pet turf because it can trap urine against the base.

Installation terms

• Seam. The joint between two turf panels, joined with tape and adhesive and matched for grain direction so the join disappears into the pile.
• Grain direction. Which way the blades lean on a roll of turf; mismatched grain across a seam shows up as a visible line or color shift.
• Perimeter anchor. Nails, staples or a bender-board edge securing the turf's outer edge; Florida's rule requires anchoring at all edges and seams to withstand wind or flooding.
• Infill. Granular material brushed between the blades to hold the backing down and keep fibers standing; limited to natural or coated sand on a Florida lawn.
• Silica sand. The standard, natural infill material for a lawn; rounded silica grains help fibers stand without excess heat retention.
• Zeolite. A natural mineral infill that helps neutralize pet-urine odor between rinses, common in pet-turf builds.
• Coated sand. Silica sand with a functional coating, such as an antimicrobial or cooling treatment; the coating has to be non-toxic to comply with the state rule.

Putting green terms

• Stimp speed. A measurement of how far a ball rolls on a green; most home greens land in the 8-10 range, slower than a tournament green. The putting green cost guide has more on what shapes a home build.
• Cup and flag. The actual hole and marker set into a green, priced separately from the turf and base beneath it.
• Fringe / collar. The longer-pile turf bordering a putting surface, transitioning it visually into the surrounding lawn.
• Contouring. A shaped subbase built to add slope and break to a green's roll, priced separately from a flat installation.
• Chipping pad. A separate turf zone with a taller pile than the putting surface, built for a wedge to interact with the way it would on real fairway grass.

Pet terms

• Odor-control infill. Zeolite or an antimicrobial coated sand chosen specifically to manage ammonia buildup between rinses. The pet turf page covers the full build.
• Flush-and-drain. Rinsing a pet area thoroughly enough that liquid moves through the backing and base rather than sitting on the surface.
• No weed barrier. A deliberate choice on pet-turf builds, since a fabric layer under the base can trap urine against it instead of letting it drain through.

Law and paperwork terms

• Drip line. The ring on the ground beneath a tree's outermost branches, used to estimate its protected root zone. This page covers how it applies to turf.
• Setback. A required distance from a feature, such as the 10-foot setback Florida's rule sets from a lake, pond or canal.
• PFAS. A class of manufactured chemicals; Florida's 2026 rule bars any intentionally added PFAS in turf, backing or infill.
• Certified arborist. A tree-care professional credentialed to certify that a specific project, such as turf near a drip line, won't harm a protected tree.
• ARC. An architectural review committee, the HOA body that approves visible exterior changes; the HOA rules page covers what it can and can't require.
• Rule 62-308.100. Florida's DEP synthetic turf standard, effective May 19, 2026, setting minimum material and installation requirements for single-family lots of one acre or less.
• Local business tax receipt. A county or city tax registration for operating a business locally; not a skills license, but worth checking before hiring.

A worked example

Say you have a quote that lists "80 oz, 1.75 in, C-shape blade, coated silica infill" for a 900 sq ft backyard. That's a face weight of 80 ounces per square yard, a 1.75-inch pile height, a curved blade profile sold for a fuller look, and infill that's silica sand carrying a functional coating, most likely for odor control or a mild cooling effect. Reading a spec sheet this way turns four glossary terms into an actual picture of what's going down in the yard, rather than four numbers to take on faith.