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Playground Surfacing Calculator

Check whether a loose-fill surfacing material meets CPSC depth requirements for your equipment fall height, then work out how much to buy. Based on CPSC Publication 325, Table 2. Runs entirely in your browser.

ADoes this material qualify?
Surfacing material
Equipment fall height (ft)
Highest accessible play surface, not the equipment's total height.
Status
Qualifies
Min. compressed depth
9 in
Install at (with compression)
12 in
Safety notice

This tool is a planning reference based on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Public Playground Safety Handbook (Publication 325, most recently revised 2025). It is not a substitute for professional impact-attenuation testing to ASTM F1292 or for inspection by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI). Loose-fill surfacing compresses over time and must be topped up and maintained. Depth ratings assume proper installation over an adequate base. For public playgrounds, confirm compliance with CPSC, ASTM F1292/F2075, and any state or local requirements before installation. Last verified: July 2026.

BHow much do I need?

The fall zone extends at least 6 ft in every direction from stationary equipment; swings and slides need more in the direction of travel. Measure the full surfaced area, not just the footprint under the equipment.

Bag size (optional, for bagged material)
Cubic yards (bulk, rounded up)
8 cu yd
Volume
200 cu ft
Bags
100 bags
Embed this calculator
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CPSC Table 2: loose-fill surfacing depths

Material Min. compressed depth Protects to fall height
Shredded / recycled rubber 6 in 10 ft
Wood mulch (non-CCA) 9 in 7 ft
Wood chips 9 in 10 ft
Sand 9 in 4 ft
Pea gravel 9 in 5 ft

Never use less than 9 inches of loose-fill, except shredded/recycled rubber (6 inches). Do not use CCA (chromated copper arsenate) pressure-treated wood. Source: CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook, Publication 325, Table 2.

How fall height is measured

Fall height is the distance from the highest designated play surface a child can stand, sit, or climb on, down to the surfacing below, not the equipment's overall height. A slide platform 6 ft off the ground has a 6 ft fall height even if the slide's ladder or the top rail reaches higher, since those are not surfaces meant to be occupied. Measuring this correctly matters because it is the single number that determines which surfacing materials qualify at all.

Why depth is tied to fall height

Playground surfacing works by absorbing the energy of a fall so less of it reaches a child's head, which is what impact attenuation testing (ASTM F1292) actually measures. A given material and depth combination can only absorb so much energy. Below a certain depth, a material simply cannot cushion a fall from a given height adequately, no matter how good the material is in general. That is why CPSC Table 2 pairs each material with both a minimum depth and a maximum fall height it has been tested to protect at that depth, not just a depth on its own.

Why loose-fill needs extra depth up front

The depths in CPSC Table 2 are compressed depths, the depth the material settles to after use and weathering. Loose-fill materials compress at least 25 percent over time, so installing exactly the minimum compressed depth means it will be under that minimum almost immediately. The standard practice is to install about a third more than the compressed figure (a 1.33x multiplier) and expect it to settle down to the required depth, then keep topping it up as it continues to compress and displace, especially under swings and at slide exits where traffic concentrates the wear. Shredded and recycled rubber is the exception: it does not compress the way wood, sand, and pea gravel do, so its 6 inch figure is already the depth to install and maintain, without the extra allowance.

The 6 ft use zone

Surfacing has to cover more than just the ground directly under equipment. CPSC guidance calls for the surfaced fall zone to extend at least 6 ft in every direction from stationary equipment like climbers and playhouses. Moving equipment needs more: swings need extra surfaced distance in front of and behind the seats to cover where a child launches off or lands, and slides need extra distance beyond the exit. Measuring only the footprint of the equipment itself, without the use zone around it, is a common way playground surfacing projects come up short.

Why some materials cap out lower than others

Sand and pea gravel are both rated only to modest fall heights (4 ft and 5 ft respectively) at their tested 9 inch depth, well below wood chips and rubber, both rated to 10 ft. This is not a flaw in the calculator's math, it is what the tested data actually shows for those materials, and it does not change by adding more depth beyond what has been tested. If your equipment's fall height exceeds what your preferred material is rated for, the honest answer is to switch materials, not to guess at a deeper number that has not been tested.

The CCA warning

Do not use wood surfacing made from CCA (chromated copper arsenate) pressure-treated lumber. CCA was phased out of most residential wood treatment specifically because of arsenic exposure concerns, and it has no place in a surface children will be in constant contact with. Use wood mulch or chips sold specifically as playground surfacing rather than repurposed construction lumber scraps of unknown treatment.

What this tool is, and is not

This calculator is a planning reference for comparing materials and estimating quantities against CPSC's published tables. It is not a substitute for impact-attenuation testing to ASTM F1292, ongoing compliance testing to ASTM F2075, or an inspection by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI), and it does not account for state or local requirements that may be stricter than the federal guidance. For a public playground, treat this as a starting point for your budget and material comparison, then confirm the finished installation with proper testing and inspection.

For the landscaping around a playground rather than the fall zone itself, the mulch calculator uses the same area-and-depth approach for decorative, non-safety beds. If you are considering rubber mulch specifically, note that this page and the rubber mulch calculator are not interchangeable: this page applies CPSC fall-height depth requirements for safety surfacing, while the rubber mulch calculator is scoped to decorative landscape depth only and should not be used to plan a fall zone.

Frequently asked questions

How deep should playground mulch be?

Per CPSC Table 2, wood mulch and wood chips need a minimum compressed depth of 9 inches, which protects to a 7 ft fall height for wood mulch (non-CCA) or 10 ft for wood chips. Because loose-fill compresses at least 25 percent over time, install about 12 inches initially so it settles to the required 9 inches, and top it up as it compacts.

How much mulch do I need for a playground?

Measure the fall zone in square feet (it should extend at least 6 ft in every direction from stationary equipment, more for swings and slides), multiply by your initial installed depth in inches, then divide by 12 for cubic feet and by 27 for cubic yards. A 200 sq ft fall zone at a 12 inch initial depth needs 200 cubic feet, about 7.4 cubic yards, rounded up to 8 for ordering.

What is the best playground surfacing material?

There is no single best material, it depends on the fall height you need to protect and your budget and maintenance capacity. Wood chips and shredded rubber both protect to a 10 ft fall height at CPSC-tested depths, the highest of the common loose-fill options. Sand and pea gravel cap out lower, at 4 ft and 5 ft, so they only work under shorter equipment. Poured-in-place rubber and other unitary surfaces are not loose-fill and are not covered by this calculator.

How much rubber mulch do I need for a playground?

Shredded and recycled rubber needs a minimum depth of 6 inches, which protects to a 10 ft fall height, the highest rating of the common loose-fill materials. Unlike wood, sand, or pea gravel, rubber does not compress the same way over time, so the 6 inch figure is used directly without adding the 25 percent compression allowance.

What depth of wood chips is needed under a swing set?

The same 9 inch compressed depth (about 12 inches installed) applies under a swing as anywhere else in the fall zone, but swings need a larger use zone since children can be launched forward and back, not just fall straight down. CPSC guidance extends the use zone under swings well beyond the standard 6 ft, so plan for a longer surfaced area in the direction of travel, not just a wider one.

Can sand be used under tall playground equipment?

Not according to CPSC Table 2. Sand is only rated to a 4 ft fall height at its tested 9 inch depth, and there is no published depth that extends that rating higher, adding more sand does not make it safe for taller equipment. For equipment with a fall height above 4 ft, use a material rated higher, such as wood chips or shredded rubber, both rated to 10 ft.

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