The modern market for bumper plates and weights is flush with options, materials, and brands. Metal vs. Bumper, Virgin Rubber vs. Urethane vs. Crumb Rubber, buyers have never had more to choose from. No one option stands out as superior; however, each specific gym type has a clear winner. If you are looking at building your own home gym, giving your existing gym a refresh, or are a commercial buyer looking for different options, there are factors you should consider when weighing crumb rubber vs. other weights on the market.
Are you looking for plates that can last forever no matter the conditions? Plates you can drop without worrying about the plate, your floor, or noise? Do you want plates tested with over 5,000 repeated drops, and plates that don’t smell, crack, or rust? Are you buying on a budget? If you answered yes to any of the above, crumb rubber may be for you.
Crumb rubber plates combine the best of multiple bumper plate styles into one complete package. Functionally, crumb plates are like a Swiss army knife. Both indoor and outdoor use pose no issue, unlike urethane plates which may not last outdoors. A medium bounce means crumb plates can be used on any surface without fear of damaging the surface or plate, something lower bounce plates (like urethane or certain big box store virgin rubber plates) cannot match. Because of their construction—a rubber infill bound together by high strength urethane binder—crumb plates match or beat the longevity of urethane plates, without the increased cost. Likewise, virgin rubber plates tend to crack and warp easily, where crumb rubber can last for years with minimal degradation, even in high use environments. This is the reason they are used in many CrossFit gyms across the world. Virgin rubber plates use cheap rubber (often industrial reject or scrap) that is vulcanized under high heat. This causes a chemical reaction that continues to release gasses and can smell for months after manufacturing (think “new tire smell” but worse). The binder used in crumb plates cures within 48 hours of manufacturing and becomes chemically inert, releasing no smell at any time. Lastly, and most importantly, is PRICE. Crumb rubber plates offer all the above benefits, and are still some of, if not the most, affordable plates on the market. Homegrown Lifting specifically offers our crumb rubber plates at $1/lb across the board, a price that is VERY hard to beat.
Of course, crumb rubber is not perfect for every application. Certain athletes and disciplines prefer a dead bounce feel to their bumpers. Some customer want fully colored plates, something crumb rubber is not great for. Lastly, crumb rubber plates can tend to be thicker than other plates, limiting the amount you can load onto a bar. However, so long as you are lifting under 500lbs (as 99% of people are) this is usually a non-issue.
In the end, the choice comes down to customer preference, but given all the information, it is hard to deny the appeal of outfitting any gym—especially a home gym—with crumb rubber plates.