The growing practice of recycling old tires into useful new products is not only good for the environment, it has lead to the development of some terrific materials that can be used for many applications. Rubber Mulch is one of the most versatile materials that can be produced from recycled rubber. It has many uses ranging from soil amendments to playground surfacing and landscape applications. In each of its many uses, rubber mulch offers advantages in terms of safety, cost, and durability that other materials simply cannot match.

Rubber Mulch is available in several grades, particle sizes and in a variety of colors. While this material has hundreds of potential uses, our customers applications fall into three distinct usage categories; playground surfacing, equine arenas and as a replacement for organic mulch in landscape applications. Each of these categories has different requirements in terms of particle size, shape, color and degree of processing.

When rubber mulch is used in horse arenas it is referred to as "footing". For this application and when used as a soil amendment, rubber mulch is processed into small, (1/4" to 1/2") chunks. As part of the process, strong magnets are used to remove the steel wire that is present in most car tires. This material typically retains a small amount of the polyester fibers common to almost all tires. When processed to this state, the rubber mulch is commonly known as black & white or salt & pepper mulch. Further processing can remove most of the fibers. When processed this way, the material is identified as all-black mulch. Equine grade rubber mulch is typically the least expensive grade available. While this grade could be used for other applications further processing is usually needed for use in playground and landscape environments.

For most equine applications, the recycled rubber is mixed with sand in areas such as arenas, paddocks and training pens. The result is a soft yet firm surface that drains well, lasts for years and will not break down or compact the way organic footing materials will. Rubber mulch also greatly reduces dust and its resilient nature reduces stress on horses muscles and joints.

For landscape applications, most people prefer using rubber mulch that has been colored. Many also prefer the rubber mulch particles to be larger and often a different shape than those used in equine applications. The rubber particles produced by shredding the tire rubber as opposed to chopping or grinding it have a totally different appearance. These shredded pieces, (also known as buffings), are typically longer, wider and flatter than the the chunk variety which are also commonly referred to as "nuggets". The shredded rubber particles more closely resemble organic mulch. When colored in an earth tone, high quality landscape grade rubber mulch is nearly indistinguishable from its organic cousins. Rubber landscape mulch offers significant advantages over organic mulch however. It does not break down over time or attract insects, mold or fungus. In most cases, the colors will resist fading for many years. Since the rubber particles are heaver than water, they will not easily float away in a strong rain the way wood chips often do.

One of the most common uses for rubber mulch is as a shock absorbing surface, installed under playground equipment. A six inch thick layer of rubber playground mulch can offer protection against serious injury from a fall height of up to twelve feet. This is more than twice the impact protection offered by other types of play surfaces such as wood chips, sand or gravel. The fact that rubber mulch does not splinter or decay and does not attract insects or animals makes it far superior to many other playground surfacing options. This material is great for use in cold or wet climates because it drains extremely well and will not freeze in cold weather.

Rubber playground mulch requires a little more processing than the landscape grade and is therefore more costly. This grade material is run through the wire removal processing stage a second and often third or fourth time to make sure that as much of the metal wire as possible has been removed. While black playground grade mulch is available, most users prefer the colored material because it is cleaner and it tends to absorb less heat, especially the lighter colored versions. This material is offered in a variety of earth tones as well as several bright "kid colors" such as red, blue and green. Both nugget and shredded  versions are offered in playground grade rubber mulch. The more expensive shredded material is often used in facilities where handicapped access is required. Because the elongated shredded rubber particles lay flatter, the area can be compressed to the point where it offers wheelchair access without significantly reducing the impact protection offered. Colored playground mulch costs more than twice as much as the black material. Colored, shredded mulch costs about twice as much as the nugget grade.

At Diamond Safety Concepts we represent dozens of the best producers of rubber mulch, with manufacturing  and warehousing facilities located throughout North America. Because this material is heavy, shipping costs can often be an issue when making a purchase. We work with closely with our customers and try to match their product requirements with the supplier who can offer the best combination of quality, price and delivery costs.
 

In addition to offering rubber mulch in a wide variety of sizes, grades an colors, we also represent several manufacturers of landscape timbers and borders that can be used to contain rubber mulch in playground applications. These products are made from the same kinds of recycled materials that are used to produce the rubber mulch products we offer. Our timbers and borders come in a variety of thicknesses, heights and colors. For more information about timbers and borders, please click on the photo to the right.


To complete the perfect playground you may want to consider including a few of our Swing Pads. These are special pads made from the same recycled rubber material that most of our rubber playground tile products are constructed from. The 36" square pads are perfect for use under swings and slides. Swing Pads are available in Terra Cotta Red or black. They are 2 inches thick and have beveled edges on all sides. 

 

Examples Click image below for full size view	Grade	Colors*	Cash Price  per Sq. Ft** 6" Depth     4" Depth     2" Depth
	Large Nugget	Redwood, Green, Blue, Light Brown, Dark Brown, Cypress, Copper, Gray, Purple, Black***	$4.57 to $5.60 per sq. ft.	$3.05 to $3.74 per sq. ft.	$1.53 to $1.87 per sq. ft.
	Small Nugget	Redwood, Green, Blue, Light Brown, Dark Brown, Black***	$5.60 to $5.85 per sq. ft.	$3.74 to $3.90 per sq. ft.	$1.87 to $1.95 per sq. ft.
	Shredded	Redwood, Green, Blue, Brown, Black***	$7.62 per sq. ft.	$5.08 per sq. ft.	$2.54per sq. ft.

* Regional suppliers color options vary. Not all suppliers offer all colors.
** Packaged in 2000 pound Supersacks. Shipping charges. Price varies regionally.
*** Black material is not available in all regions. Uncolored black mulch may not be suitable for playground use.
 

About Rubber Mulch Coverage Rates The amount of rubber mulch needed to cover an area will vary depending on the size of the rubber particles and the depth of coverage required. Most equine footing applications require 1 to 2 two inches of material mixed with about three inches of sand. For playground applications the recommended depth of coverage will typically range from four to six inches, depending on the fall-height protection requirement. The larger rubber particles such as the 1/2" to 3/4" playground grade materials are somewhat heavier for a given volume than the smaller rubber particles or the shredded rubber grades. These larger particles will require more material by weight per square foot of area covered than the less dense materials. As a general rule of thumb, the recommended coverage rates range from 1.6 to 2.5 pounds per square foot for each inch of rubber mulch coverage. Each manufacturer of this type of material offers their own coverage recommendations. Inconsistencies in the recommended coverage ratios are common, particularly with the playground rubber mulch products. Please check with us for the manufacturer's recommended coverage rates when determining the amount of material that will be needed for a particular product.

Whether you need thirty tons of equine footing for a large arena or a few thousand pounds of bright blue shredded playground mulch for a backyard play area, we are here to help. No order is too large or too small. For more information or a free price quotation, please click on the information request button below and we will be happy to help you.