History Of Astroturf

So where did it all start, who came up with the idea of artificial grass and were did Astro Turf come from?

The first Patent for a domestic and outdoor sport artificial grass was registered in the USA at the United States Patent Office on July 25 1976, Patent no. 3332828. This was registered by James M Faria and Robert T Wright for the Monsanto Company Inc. for a monofilament ribbon surface that would later become 'Astro Turf'.

To view the patent visit www.uspto.gov this provides the original drawings and make up of the newly designed artificial grass.

To download the patent viewer visit www.internetiff.com.The original name of the new grass monsanto produced was Chemgrass, which was installed into the Astro-dome in Houston, and in 1966 Chemgrass was renamed Asto Turf.

The main outline of the patent was to produce a product to simulate grasses for a variety of leisure and sport uses. The early versions of the Astro Turf were produced to provide a decorative use but not to withstand outdoor sport and leisure use. Later versions of Astro Turf were designed to provide a weather resistant turf constructed from synthetic materials which is suitable for permanent outdoor use and capable of withstanding adverse weather conditions for several months with low degradations. Other points noted in the patent was that for " turf which will be used outdoors the acrylic fibers are preferred because of their excellent weather resistant properties".

LazyLawn was one of the first companies to supply artificial grass in the UK to domestic and commercial markets, started over 25 years ago and bought by Evergreens UK Ltd in 2000. This relationship resulted in the combination of vast experience and know how. In the last 25 years the quality and apperance of the artificial grass has increased so greatly it is now possible to have an artificial lawn that looks just like a real lawn which requires very little maintenance.

The History of Astroturf

1967 PATENT FOR MONOFILAMENT PRODUCT WAS FILED AND ISSUED TO MONSANTO INDUSTRIES (James M Faria and Robert T Wright)
1986 ASTROTURF INDUSTRIES, INC. CORPORATION DELAWARE 809 KENNER STREET DALTON GEORGIA 30721
  SOUTHWEST RECREATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INC. CORPORATION ASSIGNEE OF TEXAS P.O. BOX 589 701 LEANDER DRIVE LEANDER TEXAS 78646
Current Owner Textile Management Associates, Inc

Further Information and resources

  • www.astroturf.com Owners of trademark and manufacturer of Astro Turf for pitches and domestic use in the US.
  • www.fa.com Details and information on current pitch design and requirments. Download spec sheets and information for artificial grass surfaces.
  • www.about.com Full time-line for the design and conception of artificial grass (including pictures from patent).