Baseball, Apple Pie, and ASTM

When it comes to sports flooring standards, ASTM F2772 is different than DIN and EN. Here’s why.

It’s official. On July 4th, the United States of America turned 250 years old. Depending on who you to talk to, this past Independence Day might have been a milestone worthy of special recognition or it could have been just another Fourth of July with the usual hot dogs and fireworks. In either case, it prompts us to reflect on our history—how the American experience has evolved since the colonial period ended.

Since that watershed moment in 1776, America has diverged in numerous ways. Our language, art, music, architecture have all changed into something unique. But, our discussion wouldn’t be complete without American sports. Americans invented baseball, basketball, and our own version of “Football,” which ironically involves the hands more than the feet. To go a step further, our system for athletic development is different. The role of competitive sports in society is different, and lastly, our athletic facilities are different.

If American sports have diverged from the rest of the world, why shouldn’t its standards for sports flooring be different, too? As a designer of athletic facilities, you may have seen architectural specifications referencing DIN-18032 or EN-14904. These standards were developed in Europe for European athletic facilities. Both are precise and meaningful ways to evaluate sports floors, accounting for safety and game performance in great detail. In fact, utilizing these standards is a perfectly acceptable way to insure a high quality court. However, as American sports have diverged from the rest of the world, so should its sports flooring standards. That’s where ASTM F2772 comes in.

ASTM F2772 is a comprehensive sports flooring standard that bears a strong resemblance to its DIN and EN counterparts. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel. Established requirements for force reduction, ball rebound, surface friction, vertical deformation are acknowledged in ASTM F2772 and are largely similar. But, there are a few key factors in which ASTM F2772 diverges from the European standards. The most noticeable difference is the organization of force reduction values into classes rather than specific percentages. It’s essentially a difference in scale. Where as an athlete could not tell the difference between 25% force reduction floor and 26%, the difference between Class 1 (10% to 21%) and Class 2 (22% to 33%) would be more noticeable. This simplification of force reduction properties is intended to be more inclusive. It avoids “splitting hairs” over percentages that no one will notice in the end. At the same time, it allows comparisons of other factors that might be important to your design.

Here’s a hypothetical. Floor A has a 26% force reduction value, but it has a deeply grooved linear surface embossing that is notoriously hard to clean. Floor B has 25% force reduction, but it has a nonlinear embossing that makes cleaning a breeze. What would your client notice more: the 1% difference in force reduction or an extra $1,000 a year in cleaning cost? In ASTM F2772, Floor A and Floor B are both Class 2, essentially equal when it comes to force reduction. In this case, using ASTM F2772 to specify sports properties increases the likelihood of finding a true sports floor that matches the other properties you want, like easy-to-clean embossing.

Of course, there are other differences between ASTM F2772 and the European standards. If you would like more information about the ASTM F2772 standard, contact Abacus Sports. We can help answer your questions. Abacus Sports is also an AIA Continuing Education Provider. We can provide a presentation that is accepted for 1 Learning Unit (LU) in Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW).