Ground Protection Mats

Match the mat to the load and the ground

The first question is what is crossing, and the second is what it is crossing. A mat that carries a tracked excavator over soft clay is a different product from one that keeps festival visitors out of the mud.

Load figures are always conditional. A 12mm recycled HDPE access mat is rated to spread the load of plant up to 50 tonnes, but that rating depends on the ground beneath it. The mat spreads weight, it does not replace a sound formation, and on waterlogged or made ground a heavier mat or a double layer is the safer specification.

Sizes, and what they mean for handling

The common full-size board is 2.4m x 1.2m at around 34kg to 36kg, which two people can carry and lay by hand. That is the reason it is the standard: no lifting plant is needed to open a route. Longer mats at 3m x 1m cover ground faster but are heavier per piece, and the 1.8m x 0.9m size suits narrower access and tighter turns.

For repeat use, stillages are worth ordering with the mats. A stackable stillage holds 25 to 30 mats and a non-stackable one holds 50, which keeps them flat, clean and countable between jobs.

Single sided or double sided

A single sided mat has a tread pattern on the top face and a smooth reverse. The smooth face is the working one on hard standing, where you want the mat to sit flat and not mark the surface. A double sided mat is treaded on both faces and can be turned over when one side wears, which usually earns its extra cost on a long hire or a heavily trafficked haul route.

Joining mats into a trackway

Loose mats move under a turning wheel. Four-way connectors with washers and bolts lock the corners of four mats together into a continuous surface, and the washer size differs between mat types, so order the connector that matches the mat you are buying. Heavy duty trackway uses a threaded joiner bolt instead. Drag hooks let a tractor or telehandler pull a mat into position without lifting it.

Permanent and semi-permanent options

Not everything here is temporary. Rubber grass mats are laid so grass grows through the cellular structure and binds it, giving an anti-slip surface for a verge, slope or overflow parking area that can still be mown. Gravel grids interlock at 500mm squares and are filled with aggregate to build a permeable, load-bearing driveway or parking surface, with one grid covering 0.25m². GRP floor sheets at 4mm add a gritted, non-slip layer to walkways, ramps and stair treads and resist water, oil and chemicals.

For help choosing across the range, see our guide on choosing the right ground protection mat and the notes on laying and lifting mats properly.