Flooring Options for Your Force Plates

Force plates play a crucial role in analyzing movement and performance across various settings. From clinical gait analysis in lab environments with tile flooring, to weightlifting on a rubber gym floor, or sport-specific training on surfaces like basketball courts, running tracks, turf, or tennis courts; force plates are versatile tools. Whether to leave the force plates uncovered or add a surface flooring material, the choice is yours. Choosing the right solution for your applications and space is essential to ensure accurate data collection while maintaining a functional space for athletes, patients, and researchers.

Deciding to Add Flooring Over Your Plates

Before deciding whether or not to apply flooring over your force plates, it’s important to understand the spacing requirements around them. A minimum 1/8” gap on all sides helps prevent contact with surrounding surfaces, ensuring the plates remain fully isolated. Any contact between the force plate and the adjacent floor is likely to compromise the accuracy of your force measurement data.

Think of it this way: Imagine standing on a bathroom scale and leaning against a wall. Your actual weight hasn’t changed, but the scale’s reading will. The same principle applies to force plates—any contact with another surface can distort the measurements.

Using Force Plates Without Applying Flooring

For many applications, leaving force plates uncovered is the simplest solution. This approach requires minimal setup, allows immediate access to thru-top mounting holes, and ensures easy removal for recalibration service. If recalibration is necessary, the force plates can be sent to AMTI as is, without requiring the removal of attached flooring.

Using Force Plates with Flooring Applied

Many users choose to blend force plates with the surrounding flooring for a seamless look and to create a more natural movement environment. This approach makes the testing space feel less intrusive while ensuring subjects can move freely.

However, some high-intensity movements (such as jumping, cutting, or rapid directional changes) may feel slippery on uncovered plates. In these cases, the right flooring choice can enhance safety and performance while maintaining accurate data collection.

Considerations for Applying Flooring Over the Force Plates

To maintain data accuracy, follow these key flooring application guidelines:

• Flooring must be cut to the exact dimensions of the force plates. Any overhanging material could create unintended contact points and distort measurements.
• Thru-top holes should remain accessible in case the force plates need to be removed or serviced. Flooring segments can be cut to create removable plugs or designed to peel back for access.
• Consider the extra height added by flooring. For example, if ½” thick flooring is applied over a force plate, the concrete pit depth should be ½” deeper to maintain a level surface with the surrounding floor.
  • Note: The thickness of the flooring must be accounted for in the z-offset of the force plate origin to ensure accurate center of pressure (COP) calculations.
  • For Optima force plates (HPS, MMS, BMS), the z-offset is 0. For other models, consult the calibration certificate for precise offsets.

How You Can Attach Flooring to Your Force Plates

Selecting the best attachment method depends on the flooring type, budget, and facility requirements. Here are the most common options:

• Adhesive:
  • Works well for tile or rubber flooring.
  • Provides a strong bond but can be difficult to remove if plates need recalibration.
  • Consider keeping spare tiles if removal damages existing ones.
• Heavy-duty double-sided tape:
  • Easier to apply and remove than adhesive.
  • May not bond as well with certain flooring materials.
• Industrial-strength hook and loop fasteners:
  • Ideal for attaching artificial turf.
  • Offers a secure hold while allowing for easier removal if needed.

A Note About Force Plate Performance with Additional Flooring

Some users worry that adding flooring over force plates may affect data accuracy. However, variations in flooring thickness and stiffness do not create inaccuracies but rather reflect the real-world forces that subjects experience.

For example, if a thick rubber surface dampens ground reaction force (GRF) measurements during a jump analysis, that data accurately represents the forces experienced by the subject due to the flooring material.

It’s important to note that AMTI cannot recalibrate force plates with flooring attached. If you plan to send your force plates for recalibration, flooring must be removed beforehand. This factor should be considered when selecting an attachment method to ensure long-term maintenance convenience.

Choosing the right flooring option for force plates depends on your application, space requirements, and long-term maintenance goals. Whether opting for an uncovered setup or integrating flooring, maintaining proper spacing and access ensures optimal data accuracy. By carefully selecting flooring materials and attachment methods, you can create a functional, safe, and data-accurate environment tailored to your specific needs.

If you’re interested in learning more about our Calibration Services, contact us to request a quote.