Artificial Grass Yarn Shapes

Not all artificial grass is the same. In fact, beyond the multitude of variations in colour, pile height, backing type, and overall weight and density, the type of yarn can also affect the look and feel of your grass, not to mention its realism and authenticity.

When we say yarn we are referring to the blades of grass and there are a few different ones to choose from; C-shaped, W-shaped and Flat, each of which takes it name from the profile of the blade.

Even the most basic of artificial grasses combine one of these various blade types with a mix of curled, brown, base fibres which mimic the look of the thatching you’ll see in real grass and help provide a more lifelike look. This is then combined with different blade lengths and blade colours to create today’s super-realistic products.

Flat blade shape artificial grass

This profile is the most basic and cheapest to produce and so, you will often find this blade type in more affordable grasses. The shape of the blade is completely flat, however, the grass may still combine different blade heights and Thatch which add authenticity, strength and spring to the blades. The flat profile gives a soft feel underfoot, and is generally softer than an equivalent C or W shape blade, however, a flat blade, particularly with a long pile height may be slightly more prone to flattening with heavy footfall.

A flat blade is certainly not a poor relation, however. Even the most affordable grasses are a far cry from the artificial grass of even just a few years ago, with huge leaps forward in terms of design, manufacture and realism.

C-Shaped artificial grass blades

This is one of the most popular blade types and has a similar structure to blades of real grass. The blades are curled across their width. This helps to add strength and assists the blades in springing back to their original shape after being stepped on. This type of grass also reflects light in a more natural way than a flat profiled blade, thus adding to a more authentic look. C-shaped grass also tends to feel softer, more pliant and springy underfoot.

Another thing to consider is the width of the blades. The thinner the blade itself, the softer the feel will be underfoot, however this is offset by the advantage of greater spring-back with a broader C-shaped blade.

W-Shaped artificial grass blades

This type of artificial grass, as the name would suggest, has a W shape profile across the width of the blades. One benefit of this is the ability to diffuse sunlight and thus retain a lower temperature in the grass. If you live in a hot climate, this shape is highly beneficial in keeping the grass cool in hot weather and will out perform flat-bladed grass by a wide margin in this respect.

The W shape, like C-shape blades, also add strength and spring to the blades to help them resist flattening when walked upon and allows them to return to their upright position. The W profile is the strongest of all profiles and resists flattening well. It is less soft underfoot, but is even more suited to heavy footfall or sports use.

Yarn shape summary

A flat profile provides the greatest softness. A C-shape is a compromise between softness and an ability for the blades to spring-back to an upright position when walked upon and a W-shape provides maximum spring-back, but with less softness underfoot. Other factors, however, such as blade density and the amount of thatch (the curled brown fibres at the base of the grass) can also have an impact on these factors.

There is certainly no substitute for seeing and feeling a particular grass close-up, which is why we recommend you order a few samples to compare and contrast colours, densities, yarn types and blade heights before making a decision.