A polycarbonate playground panel is bought on two specifications that rarely appear together: it must not shatter when a child kicks it, and it must let an adult see inside the tower from the bench.
A play equipment maker in Denmark fitted 6 mm clear panels to 30 towers. The returns were panels loosened at the fixings and one cracked at a bolt hole; both were fixing details, not panel failures.
Polycarbonate playground panel build
- Decorative infill: 4 mm, framed all round
- Barrier panel: 6 mm, fall height dependent
- Edge: 10 mm radius or Captive edge profile
- Fixing: 2 mm clearance, bonded washer, no countersink
A sharp panel corner at child height is a hazard in its own right. A 10 mm radius or an edge trim removes it, and it also reduces the stress concentration where cracks start.
Colour, sightlines and maintenance
Colour is the design language of a playground. Polycarbonate is available in solid and translucent colours, and a translucent tint gives shade without losing the sightline, which is the compromise most specifiers want.
Maintenance is realistic here: a playground gets washed once a year if it is lucky. A coated panel resists graffiti removal chemicals better than an uncoated one, and a panel that is replaced rather than cleaned should be cheap to swap, which argues for bolted rather than bonded.
Where the panel is part of a larger guard or fence, the specification overlaps with polycarbonate machine safety guards on the impact side, and the frame and sheet options are in polycarbonate cut to size.
Send your tower drawing, panel sizes and colour to oversales@rpplexiglass.com for a play panel quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
What thickness polycarbonate for playground panels?
4 mm for decorative infill in a framed tower, 6 mm where the panel is a barrier a child can fall against. Thickness follows the fall height and the frame spacing, not the colour.
Why do playground panels crack at the bolt holes?
Oversized bolts in undersized holes, or no washer. A 2 mm clearance plus a 25 mm washer spreads the load and stops the crack that starts at a hole edge.
Do playground panels need to be clear?
Supervision argues for clear or lightly tinted panels so a carer can see into the tower. Opaque coloured panels look better and hide children, which is a design trade-off, not a material one.