Backyard rink liner thickness
Short answer: white, 6 mil. That is what the rink liner sellers I checked sell and recommend. One guide suggests 10 mil for larger or sloped rinks. I found no independent test of 6 against 8 or 10 mil, so everything below comes from sellers and guides, and I say which.
What "mil" means
A mil is a thousandth of an inch. Iron Sleek, a rink liner seller: "The word 'mil' refers to the thickness of a particular liner in thousands of an inch."
| Liner | Inches | Millimeters |
|---|---|---|
| 3 mil | 0.003 | 0.08 |
| 6 mil | 0.006 | 0.15 |
| 8 mil | 0.008 | 0.20 |
| 10 mil | 0.010 | 0.25 |
A 10 mil liner is 1.7 times as thick as a 6 mil one.
What the sources say
| Source | Advice |
|---|---|
| Iron Sleek (seller) | Recommends "a 6 mil liner for your rink." A 3 mil liner is "too thin to endure numerous freeze/thaw cycles." |
| EZ Ice (kit maker) | Its liners are "made from 6 mil bright white poly." They "typically last 1 to 3 years, but most customers choose to replace their liner each winter." |
| Pwice (kit maker) | 6 mil for most residential rinks, 10 mil for larger or sloped installations. Elsewhere on the page: "a white 6-7 mil polyethylene liner." |
All three sell rinks or liners, so none of them is neutral. The one disagreement is Pwice's 10 mil for big or sloped rinks, and it gives no test behind it.
When a different liner makes sense
- Rocky or rough ground. Iron Sleek suggests a string-reinforced liner for "rocky or rough terrain".
- A deep, sloped rink. This is where Pwice goes up to 10 mil. How deep the low end gets is in the sloped yard guide.
- Pucks and skate blades. Pwice: "Kick plates installed on board interiors protect liners from puck impacts and skate blades."
White or clear
Iron Sleek: "White liners make a big difference for forming and keeping ice on your rink," because they reflect radiant heat. Pwice: "Clear liners let sunlight through, creating weak spots and extending freezing time."
Hardware store tarps
Iron Sleek says cheaper hardware-store products may use recycled material "since they are not specifically made for winter ice rinks". That is a seller's claim. The mil number alone does not tell you what material you are buying, so check what the product is made for.
How much liner you are buying
Compare prices per square foot at each thickness against these areas (2x10 boards, 9.25 in, with 12 in of overhang):
| Rink (ft) | Liner (ft) | Area (sq ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 × 40 | 24 × 44 | 1,056 |
| 30 × 60 | 34 × 64 | 2,176 |
| 40 × 80 | 44 × 84 | 3,696 |
The liner size chart has other board heights. The calculator works the size out from your own corners.
Next: liner size and flooding the rink.