Not necessarily.

Traditional infilled turf contains substantial loose material that adds weight to the surface. This can provide additional restraint against small movements.

A non-infill system does not depend on this loose weight, so the backing, installation method, perimeter fixation, and substrate become more important.

This means that a properly engineered non-infill system can perform well without infill, but the installation process needs to be more carefully controlled.

The most important factors include:

Factor	Better Practice	Higher-Risk Condition
Backing	Dimensionally stable reinforced backing	Weak or unstable backing
Installation	Proper relaxation and tension control	Excessive stretching
Seams	Correct adhesive and seam construction	Uneven or poorly bonded seams
Substrate	Flat and stable	Uneven or weak substrate
Drainage	Effective water drainage	Persistent moisture underneath
Perimeter	Secure but movement-tolerant fixation	Excessive restraint
Temperature	Suitable installation conditions	Extreme heat or cold
UV resistance	UV-stabilized polymer	Poor weathering resistance

---

How Much Thermal Movement Can Artificial Turf Experience?

The exact thermal expansion coefficient depends on the polymer formulation, fiber geometry, backing structure, manufacturing process, and test method.

For this reason, manufacturers should ideally provide actual dimensional-stability test data rather than relying on a generic thermal expansion coefficient.

For example, a polymer component may experience measurable dimensional change over a large temperature range. However, the movement of the finished turf system is not necessarily equal to the thermal expansion of the individual grass fiber.

The backing, adhesive, reinforcement layer, tufting structure, seams, and substrate all influence the final dimensional behavior.

This is an important distinction when evaluating technical claims.

What buyers should ask suppliers for

For large projects, request test data covering:

• Dimensional change
• Thermal cycling
• Tensile properties
• Seam strength
• Tuft bind
• Backing stability
• UV/weathering resistance

For European and North American projects, the test method should also be identified clearly so that results from different manufacturers can be compared on an equivalent basis.