What Is The Best Flooring For a Basketball Court?

When you picture an indoor basketball court, you’ll most likely envision a light-varnished hardwood floor painted with traditional court lines and markings, but is this really the best type of flooring for athletes and amateur hoopsters?

From economics, to safety, to league regulations, there are myriad factors to consider, including flooring options beyond traditional hardwood.

What should I consider when choosing basketball court flooring?

Are all gym floors created equal? Is the flooring in an elementary school gym the same as that in a high school or university? Not really.

According to the The International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which sets the standards for specific requirements, the choice of flooring is based on three aspects: financial, technical and sporting functionality.

Financial considerations include cost of installation and maintenance for the amount of time the space will be used. Technical specifications include sourcing material and installation from experienced, qualified vendors.

Sporting functionality is more complicated. Here’s a rundown of the basic requirements:

Elasticity enables Basketball Court Tiles to deaden the impact of jumping and running and affect both athletes’ muscles and the performance of the ball.

Point elasticity refers to the materials comprising the overlay flooring and must be consistent across the entire surface.

Area-elasticity refers to the subfloor including joists that must be stiff yet flexible.

Uniformity means the playing area must be perfectly level.

Shock absorption measures the impact absorbed by the floor as opposed to returning the energy force to the athlete.

Deformation refers to how the elasticity, viscosity and thickness of the floor responds to pressure.

Superficial friction has different optimum values for different sports, but the foot must be able to move across the surface without risk of spraining.

Ball bounce uniformity means the floor shouldn’t absorb so much of the bounce that it’s difficult to play and must be consistent across the entire surface.

Color must be dull with a factor of light reflection between 0.25-0.50 so court markings are clearly visible.

Thermal insulation increases comfort and affects energy consumption.

Acoustic insulation ensures running, jumping or bouncing the ball doesn’t cause excessive vibration.

General safety guidelines including fire resistance, no toxic substance release, ability to withstand the load of sports equipment and no splinters.

The best flooring product, you must understand who will be using the surface and how often, and learn the specific regulations for that level of play.

Enlio company has two brands of "Enlio" and 'Alite" , specialized in sport surfaces including indoor sports flooring, modular court tiles, wet area mats, kids flooring, dancing flooring, multi-use commercial flooring, covers more than 100 types.