What turf is made of.

The yarn

Turf yarn is nylon, polyethylene (the most common) or polypropylene. Polyethylene quality climbs a carbon-chain ladder: a longer chain means a stronger, more UV-resistant, more resilient blade. Monofilament blades look most like living grass; slit-film blades are webbed, very durable, and hold infill in place.

Blade shapes are a trade-off, not a ladder

C blades stand up to heavy traffic. V blades have a stiff center spine that resists matting. W and wave blades spread heat and light for a natural look. Flat and diamond blades feel softest and look most real but wear fastest in traffic. Most good products blend two or three shapes.

The numbers that matter

Spec	What it tells you	Typical landscape range
Face weight	How much yarn is above the backing: the real density	about 47 to 72 oz
Total weight	Face plus backing and coatings, always the bigger number	about 53 to 125 oz
Pile height	Blade length. Shorter for pets and greens	about 1.35 to 2 in (pet about 1 to 1.5 in)
Gauge	Spacing between stitch rows	3/8 in on nearly all landscape turf
Drainage	How fast water passes through the backing	varies widely by backing type

Ask for both weights. A quote that shows only total weight hides the comparison, because a heavy backing can make sparse turf weigh like dense turf. Face weight is what you are paying for. Sparse turf also shows dark backing between the stitch rows.

Thatch, backing and infill

Thatch is the short, curly tan fiber at the base of the pile. It mimics the dead layer of a real lawn and props the blades up. Polyurethane backings are tougher and drain better than latex. Some backings drain through the whole surface instead of punched holes, and some carry antimicrobial protection built in at manufacture.

Infill is the sand or mineral brushed between the blades. It weights the turf and holds the blades up. Plain silica is the ballast; for pets, a zeolite layer such as ZeoFill traps the compound that becomes ammonia, and an antimicrobial coated sand such as Envirofill keeps the infill itself from becoming the problem. Cooling infills such as TCool help only while they are damp.