What Happens if Artificial Grass Catches Fire?

Fire is a serious concern among those who own natural grass lawns, especially in hot climates. And if you’re considering artificial turf for your backyard, play area, or any other part of your home, you may be wondering what’ll happen if turf is exposed to direct heat. We’re explaining that and more , along with some tips for fireproofing your lawnscape.

Realturf Artificial Grass Won’t Burst Into Flames

At Realturf, we  apply our FireProof technology to all of our products during manufacture. First, we use polymers in turf fibers that comply with the European standard EN 13501. As a result, Realturf artificial grass falls under the fire resistant Dfl-s1 category, which means they won’t spread flame if accidentally exposed to open flames.

During the manufacturing process, we also treat artificial grass blades with integral fire retardants that interrupt the combustion process. These chemical coatings combined with the turf’s synthetic composition means our artificial grass doesn’t burn like natural grass.

Localized Damage Possible in Extreme Heat

While artificial grass won’t burn or spread flames, it will melt when exposed to extreme radiant heat from large open flames. However, unlike dry natural grass which sustains rapid combustion, the melting plastic turf residue remains localized around the high heat source.

The liquefied synthetic fibers drip down into the turf backing, leaving an unsightly, but contained, plastic residue. And don’t worry if this happens to your backyard turf installation – it’s an easy repair that the Realturf team or our partners can take care of for you.

Toxic Smoke Emissions Are Highly Unlikely

What about respiratory hazards from smoke? The active fire-resistant chemicals are permanently bonded within the grass blade materials, not invisibly layered where they could vaporize into hazardous fumes. 

So while melted turf odors are unpleasant, toxic smoke inhalation is rarely a concern for Realturf artificial grass backyard, putting green, pet turf, and other products.

Protect Your Artificial Grass from Fire Hazards

While we can repair fire-damaged artificial turf, prevention is always better than cure:

• Be extremely cautious with all open flames, fireworks, cigarettes and similar direct high-heat sources around your artificial grass. 

• Ensure grills, fire pits, tiki torches and camp stoves stay a safe distance from your artificial turf. We recommend placing them a few feet away from the turf area and on hardscape if possible.

• Attend immediately to stray sparks, embers or smoldering debris that lands on the lawn to prevent sustained heat exposure.

Contact Realturf Today

At Realturf, we regularly invest in intensive R&D and rigorous lab testing to engineer superior fire safety into our products. This is just one feature of our RealTech Technical Artificial Grass system – learn more about it here.

Got more questions or looking for a Realturf specialist in your area? Call us at 773-517-7798 or send us a message to get started.