Crumb Rubber
Crumb rubber is manufactured from clean scrap tires that are ground into smaller uniform granular rubber of various sizes, and by removing the tire wire and most of the fiber using magnets and air separators, respectively.
Depending on the application and end user’s specifications, the crumb rubber is classified by sifting screens. The crumb rubber is transported in bulk in covered trailers or in 2,000-lb sacks.
Crumb rubber is used in a variety of applications, including:
- Synthetic turf fields
- Molded Rubber Products
- Rubber Flooring
- Animal bedding
- Rubber-modified asphalt
Our crumb rubber is tested for particle size distribution and moisture following specific American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards using state-of-the-art equipment in our on-site laboratory to ensure the product meets the end user’s specifications.
Furthermore, our crumb rubber has been tested by an independent lab, Firefly Sports Testing in Hooksett, New Hampshire, and the results of their testing indicated the crumb rubber contains concentrations of certain metals well below concentration limits contained in ASTM F3188 (Standard Specification for Extractable Hazardous Metals in Synthetic Turf Infill Materials) and EN 71-3 (Safety of Toys – Part 3: Migration of Certain Elements).
Additional information regarding the physical, health, and environmental health hazards; protective measures; and safety precautions for handling, storing, and transporting our crumb rubber is provided on our Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
Commonly Asked Questions
What is the size of the crumb rubber?
BDS manufactures crumb rubber from whole scrap tires to custom sizes starting at four mesh (4.75 mm) to finely ground crumb rubber; the end-user’s specifications define sizing.
How is crumb rubber produced?
Crumb rubber is manufactured from clean scrap tires that are ground into smaller granular rubber of various sizes using a series of shredders and by removing the tire wire using multiple rare-earth drum magnets and removing most of the fiber using an elaborate fiber separator system. The smaller granular rubber goes through a triple-deck screener, simultaneously producing multiple-sized crumb rubber products. The screened rubber is conveyed to bagging stations where the crumb rubber is packaged in 2,000-lb sacks.
Is crumb rubber used in synthetic sports fields safe?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), launched a multi-agency research effort in February 2016. The research results support the premise that while chemicals are present as expected in the tire crumb rubber, human exposure appears to be limited based on what is released into the air or simulated biological fluids.
The research results are provided in the Synthetic Turf Field Recycled Tire Crumb Rubber Characterization Research Final Report (Part 1 -Tire Crumb Rubber Characterization), dated July 2019.