How Long Do Anti-Fatigue Mats Last?

If you're an employer, you want to ensure your employees are outfitted with the best possible workspace to facilitate their work.  This means making certain they have all the items they need to successfully perform their job.  It also means fostering a work environment that is safe, hazard free, and comfortable.  Research shows that when employees are comfortable, they work harder, better, and more creatively than when they are forced to work in situations that feel unsafe, hazardous, or inadequate for them to perform as needed.  

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While there are a myriad of items on a checklist of making a workplace comfortable and hazard free, there is one thing you can do to foster comfort and facilitate a healthier workspace:  installing anti-fatigue foam mats.  Anti-fatigue mats are padded floor mats designed to cushion the weight of a standing employee while they work instead of standing on a hard floor.  Great for use in industries that involve line work, retail customer service, kitchen & dining workers, medical back offices, and the like, anti-fatigue mats are a great way to ensure your standing employees are comfortable and maintain their stamina during the course of their workday.  At Ultimate Mats, we've been outfitting workspaces with anti-fatigue mats since .  We know the industry inside and out, and we can help you decide on a set of anti-fatigue mats that will be perfect for your needs.  

You may wonder how long an anti-fatigue standing mat will last.  This is a great question, and depends largely on several factors.  Let's look at them in detail.  

Factors that Affect an Anti-Fatigue Mats Lifespan

Anti-fatigue rubber floor mats are made of high quality, industrial strength closed-cell nitrile/PVC cushioning enclosed in a solid textured nitrile top.  This makes a comfort floor mat not only supportive, but flexible.  For your workers, this means they will experience cloud-like support under their happy feet as they work, but the heavy duty material will withstand countless hours of weight without crushing or flattening out.As an added plus they are also non-slip to keep your workers safe. Although all anti-fatigue comfort mats do have a lifespan, you can get a better gauge of how well your anti-fatigue kitchen mat will perform simply by taking a few things into consideration.

1. Size of operation.  Size matters when it comes to anti-fatigue mats, and not just the size of the mat, the size of the employee and the weight of the work they are doing.  For instance, a personal-sized stand up desk mat is designed to withstand the weight of one user at a time, for a limited number of hours per day.  A twelve foot orthopedic runner that you might find in a commercial kitchen, medical back office, or laboratory, is designed to capacitate numerous workers at once over extended periods of time, as some of these scenarios obviously involve shift work, with workers transitioning in and out of work over a twenty-four hour period.  
2. Length of use.  Some anti-fatigue mats (like the aforementioned ortho mat) will be designed to withstand continuous pressure, while others will be designed for more occasional use.  The difference will usually be found in the thickness of the mat or in the materials used to create it.  Two popular anti-fatigue mat thicknesses are 5/8 inch and 7/8 inch.  These varying thicknesses are different price points, and the reason is due to the amount of cushion needed for the job being done.  For instance, a thicker mat is needed for workers who are operating heavier machinery or who are generally heavier in stature.  You would likely not find a 7/8 inch thick anti-fatigue mat under the feet of a petite hair stylist in a salon.  Rather, a 7/8 inch thick mat might be used in a mechanics or welding shop.  These thicker mats can handle the pressure of the worker and the work equipment for long periods of time than a thinner rubber mat.  
3. Proper installation and use.  As with any product, proper installation and use will mean the difference in whether the product performs to its desired life expectancy or not.  For an anti-fatigue mat, you must be certain that you have selected the appropriate mat for the job.  Using the guideline above, you should work with a professional at Ultimate Mats to determine the appropriate size and width anti-fatigue mat for your operation.  If you purchase a mat that is too small or of the incorrect thickness, the lifespan of your anti-fatigue mat could greatly decrease.  Likewise, if you purchase a mat that is too thick or too large, it may not be a comfortable fit for your employees, or be cumbersome in their workspace and require replacement with a smaller, better fitting anti-fatigue mat.  

How Long Do Anti-Fatigue Mats Last?

When we take into consideration the amount of pressure and foot traffic an anti-fatigue mat is exposed to, we tend to think we will be replacing these mats repetitiously every couple of months, but this is not the case.  The extreme durability of anti-fatigue mats dictate that they will last for years after their purchase provided they are used correctly and sized appropriately and proportionately for the space they occupy.  

Ultimate Mats believes the life expectancy of any high quality, industrial grade anti-fatigue mat to be anywhere from one to three years on average.  This is really a hard number to quantify, as the exact amount of foot traffic and pressure an anti-fatigue mat will see can't be perfectly calculated.  When speaking with a customer about their anti-fatigue mat needs, we do our best to make sure they are directed to a mat of proper size and thickness so their anti-fatigue mat lasts as long as possible.  

The use of anti-fatigue matting in your workplace is a great way to keep standing workers active and healthy on their feet.  It allows them to replace the distraction they may experience from sore feet, legs, and lower back pain, with more fervor, ingenuity, and creativity in their job.  Rubber and vinyl anti-fatigue mats are an expected part of a hazard free work environment, as they protect against common injuries suffered by standing workers.  Vinyl and rubber anti-fatigue mats will last a varied amount of time.  The lifespan of an anti-fatigue mat depends upon the size of your operation, the number of employees that will use the mat, and the overall hours it will be in use.  Making sure you install the proper mat thickness and size will help you get the most lifespan out of your anti-fatigue area rugs.  

How long do anti-fatigue mats last? PVC foam mats last 6-12 months. PVC/nitrile blends last 1-3 years. 100% nitrile mats have a life expectancy of up to 8 years.

That's the short answer. The extended answer is that life expectancy is complicated and too often ambiguous. What's clear is that it's a problem; from our survey of safety and production leaders, 52% expect their anti-fatigue mats to last at least 2 years ' only 32% say they actually are. Why? There's a lack of clarity.

Here are 4 reasons your anti-fatigue mats aren't lasting, including steps to make sure you have a complete understanding of lifespan before investing. 

1. Ambiguity on what life expectancy means
Say you recently purchased a premium ergo mat with a lifespan of 5+ years, but there is no literature clarifying what lifespan really means. It may mean cushion only. If the mat starts to curl in 3 months, creating a clear trip hazard, that's the end of its useful life.

Action step: Always get clarity on what life expectancy actually means before hitting the buy button. For example, does "2 years" mean 2 years in an 8:00-5:00pm Monday-Friday facility, or 2 years in a 24/7/365 facility? The difference is thousands of hours of use for your team.

Ask mat providers directly and keep digging until you get clarity. 

100% nitrile rubber foam lasts for an average of ~5 years in the toughest industrial settings, assuming 24/7 use (three shifts per day). In less intense environments, like a home office, kitchen or retail environment, 100% nitrile will last 10+ years without interruption. Pure nitrile is unique in that it never flattens. 

2. Ambiguous warranties
Every anti-fatigue mat should have a warranty, one that is clear on what you are protected from and what happens if the mat doesn't work as promised. Be weary of a "lifetime limited warranty" and "manufacturer's warranty." Most often, these don't promise anything more than "The mat will be made correctly." 

Before purchasing an anti-fatigue mat, you should know with certainty what you're being protected against.

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• Your mats will NOT curl
• Your mats will NOT compress
• Your mats will NOT come apart at the seams

Less than 50 words. That's the AcroMat2-year replacement warranty. Unfortunately, too many many warranties give suppliers the ability to say "sorry, not our problem" as soon as you unbox a mat. One example we see often, "not responsible for wear and tear."

Action step: Read the warranty fine print, then ask for clarity if it's still ambiguous.

3. Biased product pages
If you see "SpongeCell," "exclusive nitrile blended foam" or some other confusing, fancy name for the mat materials you're considering, the mat is most likely made from a combination of nitrile rubber foam and PVC foam.

This is the most common blend of materials used on the marked today. It's comfortable and versatile, but struggles in more intense environments.

For example, mats with a percentage of PVC (plastic) are not impervious to liquids and chemicals. In environments with any kind of spill or splash, PVC/nitrile blends are prone to cracking, curling, flattening, eroding and going flat. It's fine for products to have "fancy" names, just make sure they're not misleading and that all the literature you need to full understand the material is readily available. 

Conversely, 100% nitrile (no PVC component) is impervious to liquids and chemicals; it's literally incapable of absorbing any liquid product. 

We soaked 100% nitrile in water for 72 hours to see if it would absorb liquids. Here are the results. 

Action step: Skip the promotional language from a product page, and just directly to the technical specifications (specs), warranty and FAQ. Always be sure to ask for a free sample, and test the mat in your environment for weeks if not months.  

PVC foam mats last 6-12 months. PVC/nitrile blends last 1-3 years. 100% nitrile mats have a life expectancy of up to 8 years

Related: The 100% Nitrile Difference: PVC Foam vs. PVC/Nitrile vs. Pure Nitrile

4. Lack of independent certification
Independent testing and certification provides critical objectivity. It also gives you control during the research and buying process; you're relying on objective assessments rather than promises or promotions by the company. 

When sampling or trialing anti-fatigue mats, you can refer back to certifications to help gain guy-in from leadership. 

Example 1. The AcroMat 100-Cleanroom Series mat was independently tested for 500 hours to receive ISO-5 cleanroom Certification. Certification details.

Example 2. The AcroMat 100-Series and NitriTuf Diamond Series is "high traction" certified by the National Floor Safety Institute. NFSI is the nationally recognized standard for measuring an ergo mat's slip resistance. According to NFSI, "high traction" certification has proven to reduce wet-slip claims by 50-70%. Certification details. 

Action step: Review certifications and the testing results. Certifications shouldn't be the end all, but understanding what they represent can help you make more informed decisions.

How long anti-fatigue mats last ultimately depends on the durability of the materials, whether they're right for your particular environment, and how you use the mats. The simple steps above, like asking pointed questions and make sure you put samples to the test in your working setting, can provide you with a better understanding of what to expect from your mats.

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