| Court Pace Classification Programme |
The ITF Court Pace Classification Programme has been developed to assist purchasers of tennis surface products to determine the type and speed of surface most suited to their requirements. The ITF classifies surfaces into five categories according to court pace:
Category 1 (slow)
Category 2 (medium-slow)
Category 3 (medium)
Category 4 (medium-fast)
Category 5 (fast)
A surface product included on the list of ITF Classified Surfaces is classified purely on the basis of its court pace rating. ITF Classification listing does not imply any form of ITF approval or endorsement.
Any manufacturer, contractor or facility owner may apply for classification and inclusion on the ITF list. The ITF reserves the right to refuse an application for classification of a surface that it deems is not suitable for the game of tennis.
All ITF Classified tennis surface products are valid for 3 years, whilst the classifications of individual courts tested on-site are valid for 1 year.
Application to an ITF Accredited Laboratory
To have a product assessed for inclusion on the ITF list of classified surfaces, a company shall appoint an ITF Accredited laboratory to undertake Court Pace measurements on the surface, either on-site on a court which is less than 4 months old, or in the laboratory. Contact details for ITF Accredited laboratories can be found here.
When commissioning the Court Pace assessment the company requesting the tests shall provide a detailed specification of the court/surface construction and samples of the surface, including any loose particulate materials, to the ITF Accredited laboratory. The laboratory requires either three samples at a minimum size of 0.5 m × 0.5 m square, or (in the case of infilled and carpet surfaces) one sample which is a minimum of 1 m × 1 m square. In addition one sample (0.5 m × 0.5 m square) shall be sent to the ITF Technical Centre, which, if necessary, shall be tested by the ITF to confirm the result of the ITF Accredited laboratory. The ITF Accredited laboratory and/or the ITF may refuse to test samples which are damaged or badly prepared.
Tests on the surface shall be conducted in accordance with test method ITF CS 01/02. Unless the surface is designed to be damp/wet when in its optimum condition, tests shall be made with the surface in a dry condition. For any surfaces that have an inherent directional pattern – such as natural or artificial grass – test shots should be fired in the typical directions of play, i.e. parallel to the length of the court. Where samples are used, the supplier shall indicate the direction the surface should be laid on court.
Upon completion of the test, and receipt of payment of the testing fee, the ITF Accredited laboratory will submit a test report to the ITF and subsequently to the customer.
Application for ITF Classification Listing
Upon receipt of a test report, the customer may apply to the ITF Technical Centre by email for an ITF Classification application form and an invoice for the classification fee.
The uncertainty in the pace rating obtained from test method ITF CS 01/02 is ± 2 CPR points, established from ‘round-robin’ laboratory testing of samples between ITF Accredited laboratories. Therefore, if the mean CPR value for the test lies within 2 points of an adjacent category, the customer will be given the choice between the two categories. A final report will then be issued to the customer containing the original and amended category.
The classification fees are shown below, including discounts available to members of the ITF Foundation.
For a classified product to be listed under a different brand name, the full ITF Classification fee shall apply.
Upon receipt of payment of the classification fee the surface will become ITF Classified and a certificate will be issued. The surface will be listed on the ITF website www.itftennis.com/technical and also published in the ITF annual publication entitled “ITF Approved Balls, Classified Surfaces & Recognised Courts” booklet.
ITF Classification of court surface products is valid for 3 years from date of listing. If a company wishes a product to remain on the ITF Classified list, it shall arrange for the product to be reassessed by an ITF Accredited laboratory within 6 months prior to expiry.
For individual courts which have been tested on-site, classification will be valid for 1 year, with the classification only being listed on the ITF website.
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