The short answer
Artificial grass is made from synthetic plastic fibres tufted into a backing and usually finished with a sand infill. The blade-like yarn is most often polyethylene (soft, used for the longer green fibres) and polypropylene (stiffer, used for the curly brown thatch). Some sports surfaces use harder-wearing nylon. These fibres are stitched into a woven primary backing, then locked in place from underneath with a secondary backing of latex (SBR) or polyurethane, which is perforated with drainage holes. Once installed, most lawns are dressed with kiln-dried silica sand that weighs the grass down, supports the fibres and keeps them standing upright. So a single roll combines several plastics, a flexible coated backing and a mineral infill.
Artificial grass looks like one material from the surface, but it is really a layered product. Knowing the parts — and which plastic does which job — explains why one grass feels soft and natural while another looks shiny and flattens quickly.
Artificial grass materials at a glance
- Main yarn fibresPolyethylene and polypropylene
- Hard-wearing yarn (sports)Nylon
- Primary backingWoven polypropylene
- Secondary backingLatex (SBR) or polyurethane
- Typical infillKiln-dried silica sand
The yarn: the part you see and touch
The visible blades are called the yarn or pile, and they are extruded from molten plastic into thin strips that are then tufted into the backing. UK lawn grasses almost always blend two or three fibre types:
- Polyethylene (PE): the most common yarn for the long green blades. It is soft to the touch, has a natural matt sheen and recovers reasonably well from being walked on, which is why it suits domestic lawns.
- Polypropylene (PP): a stiffer, cheaper plastic. It is mainly used for the short, curly, brown-and-tan thatch fibres that sit at the base to mimic real lawn dead-grass and to help the longer blades stand up.
- Nylon (polyamide): the hardest-wearing and most heat-resistant fibre, but stiffer underfoot. It is generally reserved for high-traffic sports pitches, putting greens and commercial areas rather than family lawns.
Manufacturers vary the shape of each blade in cross-section — flat, C-shaped, V-shaped, diamond or spine-reinforced — to change how upright and resilient the grass stays. A spine or rib down the blade adds stiffness so the pile springs back rather than lying flat.
The backing: what holds the blades together
Turn a roll over and you will see the backing — the part that anchors every tuft of yarn. It is built in two layers:
- Primary backing: a woven sheet, usually polypropylene, that the yarn is stitched through. This gives the grass its grid of stitch rows and its basic dimensional stability.
- Secondary backing: a coating applied to the underside to lock the tufts so they cannot be pulled out. This is most commonly SBR latex, though premium and some pet-friendly grasses use a fully polyurethane (PU) backing, which tends to be more stable and faster-draining.
The backing is then punched with regularly spaced drainage holes so that rainwater passes straight through to the sub-base below. Drainage rate is one of the practical differences between products: a perforated latex backing drains through its holes, while a fully permeable PU backing can let water through across its whole area.
| Layer | Typical material | Job it does |
|---|---|---|
| Long green yarn | Polyethylene | Soft visible blades |
| Curly thatch yarn | Polypropylene | Supports blades, hides backing |
| Primary backing | Woven polypropylene | Holds the tufts in rows |
| Secondary backing | Latex (SBR) or polyurethane | Locks tufts, carries drainage holes |
| Infill | Kiln-dried silica sand | Weighs down, supports the pile |
Indicative make-up of a typical UK domestic artificial lawn. Materials vary by product.
The infill: the hidden mineral layer
Most installations are finished with an infill brushed down between the blades after laying. The standard choice for UK lawns is kiln-dried silica sand — fine, rounded, dried sand that flows easily into the pile. It does several jobs at once: it adds weight so the grass lies flat and resists wrinkling, it protects the backing and cools the surface slightly, and it props up the base of the fibres so they stay upright for longer.
For lawns used by dogs, some installers use a specialist zeolite infill instead of or alongside the sand, because its porous structure absorbs ammonia from urine and reduces odour. Sports surfaces such as 3G pitches use a deeper infill that can include rubber crumb, but that is a different application from a garden lawn. The amount of sand needed depends on the pile height and density — taller, denser grass needs more to support it.
How the parts come together in manufacture
Understanding how a roll is made explains why the materials are chosen the way they are. The process runs roughly as follows:
- Extrusion: raw plastic pellets — polyethylene, polypropylene or nylon — are melted with colour pigments and pushed through shaped dies to form continuous fibres. The die shape is what gives each blade its cross-section (flat, C-shaped, V-shaped or spined), and the pigment mix is what produces the blend of green and brown tones.
- Tufting: the fibres are stitched through the woven primary backing on a tufting machine, a bit like a giant sewing machine, creating the rows of blades. The spacing of the needles sets the gauge and the stitch rate sets the density, which together decide how full the finished grass looks.
- Coating: the underside is coated with the secondary backing — SBR latex or polyurethane — which is cured to lock the tufts permanently in place. Drainage holes are then punched through.
- Finishing: the grass is inspected, the pile is dressed, and it is rolled into the standard widths (commonly around 2m and 4m) that you buy by the linear metre.
Because several different plastics and a coated backing are combined, artificial grass is genuinely a composite product. That combination is also why colour, softness and durability vary so much between brands — small changes in the fibre recipe, blade shape, density and backing add up to noticeably different lawns. When you compare two grasses, you are really comparing the sum of all these manufacturing choices, which is why a physical sample tells you more than any single headline figure.
Frequently asked questions
Is artificial grass recyclable?
It can be, but it is not straightforward. The mix of different plastics in the yarn and backing, plus the sand infill, makes separation difficult, so much of it has historically gone to landfill or energy recovery. A growing number of manufacturers now offer fully polyethylene or polyurethane-backed grass designed to be easier to recycle at end of life. Check with the supplier whether a take-back or recycling route exists.
Does artificial grass contain harmful chemicals?
Quality domestic grass from reputable UK suppliers is made from stable plastics and is generally tested to be lead-free and non-toxic. The fibres, latex or polyurethane backing and silica sand infill used in garden lawns are inert in normal use. If this matters to you, ask the supplier for confirmation of independent testing and any certification the product carries.
Why does cheap artificial grass look so shiny and fake?
Shine usually comes from a high proportion of stiff polypropylene yarn and a single flat green colour with little or no brown thatch. Better products blend softer polyethylene blades in several green tones with a curly thatch layer and a matt finish, which scatters light and reads as more natural to the eye.
Sources & further reading
Figures on this page are typical UK ranges drawn from published cost guides and are intended as guidance, not a quotation.