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How do you build a safe and durable wooden play structure?

The Wood Guide · Do it yourself

Building guide

Building a wooden play structure

Endless fun in your own garden. With a set of dimensions you shouldn't make up yourself, because accidents have happened with them.

  • Fall zone 1.5 m all round
  • Gaps: under 8 or over 25 mm
  • Soft surface
play equipment
Wooden play tower with steps and a slide on a soft layer of wood chips (Metzingen)
Wooden play tower with steps and a slide on a soft layer of wood chipsMetzingen
Wooden swing frame with two swings over a bed of sand
Wooden swing frame with two swings over a bed of sand
Summary

What it comes down to

Building a play structure is not difficult. Building a safe play structure takes knowledge of a handful of dimensions that come from accident research.

The European standard for playground equipment (EN 1176) formally applies to public playgrounds, not to your own garden. But its dimensions come from decades of accident analysis, and there is no reason at all to ignore them at home.

Three of them are crucial: a fall zone of at least one and a half metres clear all round every play surface, a soft surface under everything that can be fallen from, and gap sizes that are either smaller than 8 millimetres or larger than 25 millimetres — in between, a child's finger can get trapped.

The dimension most often got wrong

Openings between 89 and 230 millimetres are the most dangerous there are: a child's head can get through but not back again, or the other way round. So every opening in a railing, wall or ladder must be either narrower than 89 mm or wider than 230 mm. That is the dimension self-builders most often overlook.

Fall zone
at least 1.5 m clear all round
Surface
wood chips, sand or rubber; not on paving
Gaps
under 8 mm or over 25 mm
Head openings
under 89 mm or over 230 mm
Wood
pressure-treated softwood or robinia
Fixings
stainless steel, countersunk heads

To be fair: a play structure is never finished. Wood moves, screws work loose, and children load everything more heavily than you think. Plan a check every spring: tighten the screws, sand away splinters, and above all inspect the anchoring in the ground — that is where things go wrong without you seeing it.

In pictures · measure your gaps

Measure an opening

Try quickly

The other critical dimensions

  • 1.5 mclear fall zone all round every play surface
  • 2 mclear space in front of and behind a swing
  • 35 cmminimum between swing chain and post
  • 15 cmminimum height of the side walls of a slide
  • 30 cmmaximum between climbing grips
  • 1 mplatform higher? then a railing is required

Under everything that can be fallen from: wood chips, sand or rubber tiles — never grass or paving. The dimensions come from the European standard EN 1176; it formally applies to public playgrounds, but the dimensions come from accidents that have already happened.

Robinia: play timber without chemicals →
In order

Six steps

  1. 1 · Design and planningMake a detailed design and take into account the space available and the age of the children. Include the fall zone: it counts towards the area you need, not on top of it.
  2. 2 · Choosing materialsPressure-treated softwood in use class 4 for everything that touches the ground, or robinia — the only European species that can go into the ground without impregnation. Fixings in stainless steel.
  3. 3 · Preparing the groundLevel, firm and well drained. Under everything that can be fallen from goes a soft layer: wood chips, sand or rubber tiles — never grass or paving.
  4. 4 · Main structurePosts in post holders or set in concrete, and the main structure with through bolts instead of screws. Everything rests on this.
  5. 5 · Play elementsSwing, slide, climbing wall or sandpit. For a swing: at least two metres clear in front and behind, and the chain at least 35 centimetres from the post.
  6. 6 · Finishing and checkingAll heads countersunk, all edges rounded, all gaps measured. Go over the structure as if you were a four-year-old yourself — at hand height and at crawling height.
Dimensions

Swing, sandpit and slide

Element Critical dimension Why
Swing 2 m clear space in front and behind The swing arc is bigger than people estimate
Swing chain Min. 35 cm from the post Otherwise hands get trapped while swinging
Slide Side walls at least 15 cm high Prevents sliding off sideways
Climbing wall Grips no more than 30 cm apart For short arms
Sandpit Lid or cover sheet Against cats and rain; otherwise the sand becomes unusable
Sandpit Drainage in the bottom Sand that stays wet goes mouldy
Railing Balusters max. 89 mm apart Risk of head entrapment
Platform above 1 m Railing required Fall height
Sandpit: which sand

Use washed play sand, not builder's sand. Builder's sand contains loam, sets hard when dry and stains clothes. Play sand is sieved and washed and is worth the small difference in price.

Choice of material

Which wood for children

Pressure-treated softwood

The usual choice: affordable, strong and suitable for ground contact in use class 4. Modern copper-based preservatives are suitable for play equipment.

Robinia

The premium choice: class 1 to 2 without any treatment, so no chemicals where children touch it. More expensive, though, and it grows crooked. See robinia.

Douglas fir

Class 3, a beautiful colour, suitable for everything that stays above ground. Not for posts in the ground.

Splinter-free finish

Sand smooth and round off everything that is touched. Pressure-treated wood is supplied rough; one sanding at hand height saves years of complaints.

Quick answer

Frequently asked questions about building a play structure

How much clear space should there be around a play structure?

At least one and a half metres all round every play surface, and for a swing two metres in front and behind. That fall zone counts towards the area you need.

Which surface under a play structure?

Wood chips, sand or rubber tiles — never grass or paving. Under everything that can be fallen from belongs a soft, shock-absorbing layer.

Which gap sizes are dangerous?

Between 8 and 25 millimetres a finger can get trapped; between 89 and 230 millimetres a head can get stuck. Stay below or above those ranges.

Which wood should I use for a play structure?

Pressure-treated softwood in use class 4 for ground contact, or robinia if you would rather not have treated wood where children touch it.

More in The Wood Guide

Play structures in perspective

The dimensions are not bureaucracy — they come from accidents that have already happened.

Robinia Garden timber To The Wood Guide

Have a question about your project? Just ask — we're happy to help.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Metzingen — RealMetzor, CC0 · Wooden swing frame with two swings over a bed of sand — APneunzehn74, CC BY-SA 4.0

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