Architect’s Corner

Helping Architects Design Better Places to Play

Technical resources and expert support to help architects turn their design vision into well-specified synthetic turf systems. Explore guidance on drainage, impact performance, sustainability, and long-term value—from early planning through final specifications.

Start With the Shock Pad

Most synthetic turf specifications focus on fiber type, pile height, and infill weight. But the performance of a field is determined by the entire system.

The shock pad creates a consistent performance layer beneath the turf and can play an important role in impact attenuation, drainage, surface consistency, and long-term performance.

Brock shock pads are engineered specifically for synthetic turf applications, with different products designed for different field requirements. When combined with the appropriate turf and infill, the goal is a complete system engineered around the athletes who will use it.

Design From the Ground Up—with Athlete Safety in Mind.

Typical Properties & Specifications

Designing the Complete System

Think Beyond Day One

A synthetic turf field is a long-term capital investment. The specification shouldn’t address only how the field performs when it is commissioned—it should consider how the system is intended to perform throughout its service life. That means evaluating the components beneath the visible turf as carefully as the turf itself.

Impact Performance

The layer beneath the turf influences how the playing surface responds underfoot. Brock shock pads are engineered to provide a uniform foundation while balancing the firmness athletes need for running with compliance during higher-energy impacts.

Surface Consistency

The layer beneath the turf influences how the playing surface responds underfoot. Brock shock pads are engineered to provide a uniform foundation while balancing the firmness athletes need for running with compliance during higher-energy impacts.

Drainage

Drainage requirements should be considered at the system level. Brock offers shock pad designs for both lateral and vertical drainage strategies, allowing the pad to be selected according to the field’s base design and drainage requirements.

Long-Term Performance

Turf will eventually be replaced. A properly designed shock pad can remain an important part of the field system beyond a single turf lifecycle. Considering the pad separately from the turf allows owners and designers to think beyond the first installation when evaluating long-term performance and value

Sustainability

Material selection extends beneath the turf. Brock offers recyclable shock pad technologies and BrockFILL, a renewable organic wood infill manufactured from southern pine grown, harvested, and replanted in continuous cycles in the United States.

Specification Resources

Download Brock product data sheets, system profiles, technical specifications, and installation information, or visit our CADdetails resource center for drawings and design details.

Need help determining which system fits your project?

Brock’s technical team can help you evaluate the application, turf system, drainage approach, performance objectives, and other project requirements before you finalize the specification.

CONTACT THE BROCK TEAM

PowerBase/YSR
Shock Pad

PowerBase/PRO
Shock Pad

ShockPad Series
SP14XL

ShockPad Series
SP15XL

ShockPad Series
SP17XL

ShockPad Series
SP20XL

PowerBase/PLAY50
Playground Shock Pad

PowerBase/PLAY80
Playground Shock Pad

BrockFILL
Organic Wood Infill

Technical Specifications

PowerBase/YSR
Shock Pad

PowerBase/PRO
Shock Pad

ShockPad Series
SP14XL

ShockPad Series
SP15XL

ShockPad Series
SP17XL

ShockPad Series
SP20XL

PowerBase/PLAY50
Playground Shock Pad

PowerBase/PLAY80
Playground Shock Pad

BrockFILL
Organic Wood Infill

Related Resources

Product and technical information to support your specification process.

CADdetails

Cradle-to-Cradle

Projects Map

Transition Wedge

BrockFILL Benefits

3 Points of Safety

Frequently Asked Questions for Specifiers

A shock pad creates a dedicated performance layer beneath the turf rather than relying solely on the turf and infill to manage impacts. It can contribute to impact attenuation, surface consistency, drainage, and the overall response of the playing surface.

For the designer, this also provides an opportunity to define performance at the system level rather than evaluating individual components in isolation.

The performance experienced by an athlete comes from the interaction of the turf, infill, shock pad, and supporting base. For that reason, designers should consider how those components perform together.

Brock can help evaluate the proposed turf, infill, and shock pad combination so the specification reflects the intended performance of the complete field system.

That depends on the application and field design.

PowerBase/PRO is engineered for high-performance applications where a firm, responsive surface and impact performance are priorities.

PowerBase/YSR is designed for schools, recreational fields, and systems using organic infills and incorporates lateral drainage channels.

The Brock ShockPad Series provides several thickness options and is designed for applications where vertical drainage is appropriate. It can also be well suited to field replacements where a functioning drainage base is already in place.

Brock’s technical team can help identify the appropriate product based on the sport, turf selection, drainage design, performance objectives, and project requirements.

Drainage should be considered as part of the overall field design.

PowerBase products incorporate channels that move water laterally beneath the playing surface toward the field’s collection system. Brock’s ShockPad Series has an open-pore structure designed to allow water to drain vertically through the pad.

The appropriate solution depends on the project’s base construction and drainage strategy.

Brock shock pads are designed as components of complete synthetic turf systems and have been used with turf products from multiple manufacturers.

Because turf construction, pile height, infill, and other variables influence system performance, the proposed combination should be evaluated as a complete system rather than assuming every turf-and-pad combination will perform identically.

A good athletic surface should not simply be “soft.” Athletes need a surface that is firm and responsive for running, cutting, and accelerating while also managing higher-energy impacts.

Brock engineers its shock pads around this balance between firmness under normal athletic loads and compliance during impacts.

Field performance cannot be described by a single number.

Depending on the project and sport, designers may need to consider multiple characteristics, including impact attenuation, Head Injury Criterion (HIC), Gmax, firmness underfoot, traction, ball-surface interaction, and drainage.

The goal should be to define the performance characteristics important to the athletes and intended use of the facility and then evaluate the complete system against those objectives.

Gmax is an important impact measurement, but it does not describe every aspect of surface performance.

Brock’s approach considers multiple testing methods because different impacts and athletic movements place different demands on a playing surface. Designers should evaluate the appropriate combination of impact and performance criteria for their particular project rather than relying on a single metric.

Not necessarily. One advantage of treating the shock pad as a durable component of the field system is the potential for it to remain in place when the turf reaches the end of its useful life, provided the existing pad is evaluated and determined suitable for reuse.

This should be considered during the initial design because it can affect long-term planning and lifecycle value.

Both are engineered performance layers for synthetic turf, but they address different system designs.

PowerBase/YSR is a molded panel system with integrated drainage channels and engineered geometry.

The ShockPad Series uses an open-pore polypropylene structure and is designed for vertical drainage applications. It is available in multiple thicknesses so the pad can be paired with the selected turf and desired overall system performance.

BrockFILL is an engineered organic wood infill made from southern pine grown and processed in the United States. BrockFILL™ has achieved Cradle to Cradle® (C2C) Material Health Gold (v4.1) status.

It was developed to address several performance and environmental concerns associated with conventional rubber infill, including field heat, traction, and end-of-life considerations. Its particles are manufactured through a multi-step process to achieve the shape and characteristics needed for synthetic turf applications.

BrockFILL should be evaluated as part of the complete turf system rather than simply as a one-for-one material substitution.

BrockFILL does not require an irrigation system for cooling. The wood particles are naturally hydrophilic and can absorb moisture from rainfall and condensation and release that moisture over time.

Actual field temperatures will vary with environmental conditions, turf construction, moisture, solar exposure, and other factors.

Brock provides sustainability information and supporting documentation for its products. Brock’s PowerBase™ has been recognized with C2C Certified® Material Health Bronze (v4.1) and C2C Certified® Circularity Bronze (v4.1), and BrockFILL™ has achieved C2C Certified® Material Health Gold (v4.1).

Additional product-specific sustainability documentation can be requested for use during project evaluation and specification.

Yes. CAD details, technical documents, product data, and installation information are available through Brock and CADdetails.

For projects requiring additional assistance, Brock’s team can work with architects, landscape architects, consultants, engineers, and owners to help evaluate system options and provide technical information during design and specification.

Yes. Involving Brock during the design phase allows the team to review factors such as the intended sport and level of play, selected turf, infill, drainage approach, base construction, performance objectives, and project-specific requirements.

Connect With Our Team Before You Specify