Executive Summary
The synthetic turf industry is filled with performance claims. What separates a credible claim from a marketing statement is one thing: independently verified, accredited, published test data. This article takes viewers inside Act Global’s testing process, explaining what is tested, who does the testing, what the results mean, and why this matters for every field owner, architect, and athlete who depends on a synthetic surface.
Act Global’s testing framework covers four categories of performance: ASTM safety testing, NFL field performance, environmental testing, and third-party performance verification through internationally accredited labs.
Key Testing Areas to Cover
ASTM Safety Testing
The American Society for Testing and Materials establishes the baseline safety standards for synthetic turf in North America. Key metrics include:
- g-max (impact attenuation): Measures field hardness and resistance to impact. A g-max value above 200 is generally considered unsafe; Act Global’s systems are tested and published against this threshold.
- HIC (Head Injury Criterion): Measures the risk of head injury from falls or contact with the surface. Modern Act Global systems with long fibers, infill, and shock-absorbing pads are tested for this parameter directly.
- Rotational Resistance: The most important safety metric for lower extremity injury risk. Measures how much resistance a surface applies when a cleat is twisted, too much resistance means cleats don’t release, transmitting torque to the knee and ankle.
- Vertical Deformation, Force Reduction, Energy Restitution: Each measures a distinct dimension of how the surface responds to athletic load.
NFL Field Performance Testing
NFL installations are tested to ASTM F1936 Gmax field standards across all zones of the field — not just at the center. The NFL’s injury research (Mack et al., 2019) identified rotational traction as the primary biomechanical mechanism for lower extremity injury, and NFL field performance testing is specifically designed to verify this parameter meets required thresholds.
Environmental Testing
Independent environmental testing covers heavy metals, PAHs, and PFAS migration from Act Global systems. Results are published transparently because environmental transparency is not optional for a company that builds fields where children play.
Who Does the Testing (and Why It Matters)
Act Global’s test reports carry authority because they are produced by the world’s most credible independent testing laboratories:
Firefly Sports Testing (Hooksett, NH): North America’s largest recreational surface testing firm. The only US-based lab with indigenous ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for both lab and field testing. Has tested Super Bowl fields and NFL stadiums. Tests over 1,000 surfaces annually.
Labosport (Global; France, UK, USA, Canada, China, Italy, Portugal): Global leader in sports surface testing since 1993. Official FIFA Research Institute since 2001. Developed the LISPORT wear testing system — the global standard for turf durability.
Sports Labs (Scotland/Nordic/International): FIFA-approved Research Institute, UKAS ISO 17025 accredited. Pioneered automated rotational resistance testing. Holds the broadest sports surface accreditation scope in the UK.
When these lab names appear on a test report, it signals something no competitor can manufacture: real, independent, accredited data from the labs that govern the global standards.
What Act Global Publishes vs. What It Protects
Act Global’s approach to transparency is deliberate. The company publishes all performance results, g-max values, HIC scores, rotational resistance readings, LISPORT durability outcomes, and environmental test results.. It protects proprietary formulation data: fiber polymer composition, infill ratios, backing specifications, and manufacturing parameters. This balance, publish the proof or protect the recipe, is the foundation of the Test Report Center.
Act Global Perspective
Testing is not a marketing activity. It is an engineering discipline. At Act Global, independent test reports are our most valuable credibility asset because they represent the only claim in this industry that no one can fabricate: actual numbers, from accredited labs, on real fields. When we say “Bringing Science to the Surface,” the test report center is the proof. Every score, every threshold, every pass/fail determination is published so that architects, engineers, and field owners can make decisions based on data not on sales pitches.
