My Best Treadmill Mat & Exercise Equipment Mats Review

A good mat can reduce noise, protect your flooring, & even extend the life of your cardio machine.

And this article reviews several of the best treadmill mats & other* exercise equipment mats made for carpet & hardwood floors.

other* – These mats also work fine for elliptical machines, stationary & spin bikes, vertical climbers, stair steppers, etc.

I provide a “what to look for” buyer’s guide and also discuss several benefits a well-made mat offers.

 

Why should I buy a mat?

Compared to the much higher price of the fitness machine it was bought for, a fitness equipment mat may seem like more of an afterthought than a necessity.

However, the humble mat serves a number of valuable purposes.

The best ones not only keep your floor free from sweat, machine oil, & cosmetic damage, but also reduce the amount of exercise equipment noise while you’re working out.

Bottom line: It’s a very good idea to pick a good one.

Science resources included

As is my custom here on heydayDo, I will provide links to all of the relevant sports science & medical resources, clinical studies, and nutritional data used in this article.

 

So many equipment mats, so little time

While doing product recon & research in local stores for this article, it became clear to me that:

• there’s a wide variety of equipment mats available;
• their quality varies widely as well.

I came across several mats not worth writing about – they were just thin slices of plastic marketed as an important fitness accessory.

And I see that many of those junky ones are available on Amazon too. 😒

 

Well, the 5 mats I’m reviewing are all above average in quality and have high owner satisfaction ratings.

I tried to provide a decent range of prices, sizes, and uses – mats for carpets, hardwood floors, etc.

Here they are:

 

Best Treadmill Mats

SuperMats Heavy Duty Equipment Mat 30GS

Best Treadmill Mat for Carpet

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

 

TRANR – ProImpact Treadmill Mat

Best Mat for Hardwood Floor

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

 

Rubber-Cal Recycled Floor Mat

Best Mat for Reducing Noise, Best Heavy Duty Treadmill Mat

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

 

Best cheap treadmill mats

Gympak PVC Treadmill Mat

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

 

AmazonBasics Treadmill Mat

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

 

Benefits of a good mat

As I mentioned earlier, a well-made mat can serve a few important purposes that can make your life just a wee bit smoother.

Let me briefly list what to expect from one of the higher-quality models.

(After the product reviews, I’ll expand on each of these benefits.)

 

Qualities of a top treadmill mat

They’re not quite in magic carpet territory, but a great equipment mat will provide these nice benefits:

• Protects your floors from you & your treadmill
• Protects your treadmill from your floors
• Absorbs vibration which reduces treadmill wear
• Reduces treadmill noise
• Prevents treadmill movement
• Easy to clean & doesn’t mess itself

Treadmill Mat Reviews

Rubber-Cal Recycled Floor Mat

This mat gets my vote for best mat at reducing noise, and it works well for a variety of floor surfaces.

It’s a heavy duty noise reduction mat that’s built to handle heavy treadmills, heavy people, & heavy usage.

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

What I like:

High customer satisfaction rating – over 87%, 4.6⭐ with 1,500+ online reviews (all sizes combined).

Made of rubber – rubber is a great material for absorbing shock and reducing vibrations & noise (think of how smooth & quiet a car ride is, all things considered). The shock absorbing quality is good for your joints & bones as well as for your floor.

It’s a green American product –  the rubber used for these mats is recycled from US car & truck tires.

Available in ⅜” thickness – it was the only treadmill mat out of the 15+ I handled that was ⅜” thick, as everybody else went from a quarter inch down to a measly 1/10”.

(⅜” is a good minimum thickness for runners, big treadmills, & heavy-footed people.)

It’s 4 feet wide and is available in various lengths –  from 3’ to 10’.

 

 

Best Treadmill Mat for Carpet

SuperMats Treadmill Mat 30GS

Another great treadmill mat for carpet (or hardwood for that matter).

This SuperMats 30GS has a narrower profile of 30” (2 ½ feet) which makes it a good fit for smaller treadmills.

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

What I like:

Made in the USA – using USA-sourced raw materials.

Durable – Made of strong vinyl composite.

Free of harmful chemicals – materials used in the SuperMats are safe for children & pets (and anyone else who might be into chewing treadmill mats).

Noise dampening – at ⅕ of an inch it’s half as thick as the Rubber-Cal treadmill mat I reviewed above. Yet due to its quality of materials & manufacturing it is also an effective vibration & noise reduction mat.

Very good customer satisfaction rating – 92%, 4.6⭐ with 5,600+ online reviews.

Size – 6’ x 2.5’.

(larger size available: This same mat comes in a larger 8.5’ x 3’ size; it’s on the same product page as this one.)

 

 

Best Treadmill Mat for Hardwood Floor

TRANR – ProImpact Treadmill Mat

My 3rd top pick is also a very good treadmill mat to reduce noise.

Its commercial-grade rubber material makes it a great mat for a hardwood floor.

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

 

What I like:

Made from commercial grade rubber – Rubber is the material for shock & vibration absorption. And since hardwood floors tend to make sound reverberate more, this TRANR model is a ready & able noise reduction mat in that situation.

Another green American product – the TRANR treadmill mat is made in the US using recycled tires.

Ideal for hard surfaces – this mat is for hardwood, tile, even low pile carpet.

Very high customer satisfaction rating – 90%, 4.6⭐ with 650+ online reviews.

Size – 6’ x 3’ , ¼” thick.

 

 

Best Treadmill Mat That’s Cheap (& yet still decent)

Gympak PVC Treadmill Mat

Though not made of rubber, this mat still has some vibration & noise reducing ability.

Its very low price is indicative that it’s not as good as those 3 top treadmill mats I just reviewed.

I don’t recommend it in an apartment setting for heavy-duty running or for heavy people doing treadmill walking or jogging.

But it is a good choice for light walking exercise, or for those who are on a very tight budget.

 

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

What I like:

High customer satisfaction rating – 96%, 4.8⭐ with 300+ online reviews.

Vinyl composite material – this is durable & easy to clean, and makes the treadmill mat effective as a liquid & dust barrier.

Won’t run – unlike other cheap treadmill mats down in this price range, this Gympak model shouldn’t stain your carpet or floor over time.

Size – 6.5’ x 3’.

 

 

A “Light Use Only” Low-Budget Treadmill Mat 

AmazonBasics Treadmill Mat

Amazon jumps into the exercise equipment mat ring with this high-density PVC mat.

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

 

This mat can’t compete with my 3 top treadmill mat picks reviewed earlier, it’s cheaply made.

The material isn’t as good as rubber for shock & vibration absorption, nor is it the best material if you’re looking for a good noise reduction mat.

But…if someone is only an occasional exerciser who weighs under 200 lb. or so, this could be a good choice if their treadmill is also considered lightweight & inexpensive like one of these.

 

What I like:

High customer satisfaction rating – 89%, 4.5⭐ with 350+ Amazon reviews.

Poly vinyl material – this makes this treadmill mat somewhat durable under light use conditions.

Size – ⅕” thick available in 3 sizes: 2.5’ x 6’, 4’ x 6’, & 3 x 8.5’.

 

Treadmill mat buying considerations

Material – What’s the mat made of?

As you may have gathered from the treadmill mat review section, rubber beats plastic.

It is a better absorber of shock vibrations, noise, and the user’s weight while running or walking.

It also grips better to the surfaces it comes in contact with.

 

As far as plastic goes…

Not all plastic is alike; some of those junky treadmill mats I came across in Walmart & sporting goods stores told me that.

High-density polyvinyl chloride (aka PVC) is probably the best plastic material you’ll find on a treadmill mat.

But rubber-based materials are the preferred choice for top treadmill mats that can provide effective noise reduction, shock & vibration absorption, and better stabilization.

Thickness of the equipment mat

Earlier in this treadmill mat review I mentioned the wide range of mat thicknesses I came across during my product recon & research, and that they varied from one-tenth of an inch to top pick Rubber-Cal’s ⅜”.

Thicker isn’t always better when it comes to treadmill mats though.

If the mat is made of inferior plastic – say it’s real squishy or soft – the weight of the treadmill alone will negate the thicker barrier benefit.

 

Recommended mat thicknesses

However, thicker is better with rubber heavy-duty treadmill mats, experts in the field say.

I’ve found that three-eighths of an inch of rubber is a good minimum for a treadmill mat when the treadmill’s heavy, the person’s heavy, &/or the person is a regular runner.

For less intensive uses, one-fifth to one-quarter inch high-density PVC might do a decent job, depending on what you expect it to do of course.

The SuperMats model reviewed above is a good example of that.

 

Get the right size

It’s kinda obvious, but make sure you know your treadmill’s dimensions when pokin’ around for a treadmill mat.

It doesn’t have to be a lot bigger than your treadmill is. After all, the treadmill’s/elliptical’s/spin bike’s feet are usually inset a little bit.

But since you’ll be working out on it, you’re likely to be tossing sweat at least down onto the treadmill’s frame.

That could go run off an edge at some point, so it’s prudent to have a little leeway on all sides if possible.

 

Cost – avoid going for the lowest price

The treadmill mats mentioned in this article range in price from well under 50 bucks to over $150, depending on how big a mat you need.

There are cheaper treadmill mats out there than these, but I don’t recommend any of them.

 

Treadmill Mat Benefits

Here I’ll go into more detail on the beneficial purposes of a quality exercise equipment mat.

 

Note: This information applies to any cardio machine, not just a treadmill.

Protects your floors from you & your treadmill

Sweat

You put in a good workout on your treadmill, you’re going to sweat.

Over time, that adds up to a lot of drops.

And while sweat is mostly made up of water, it does also contain trace amounts of corrosive ingredients like ammonia, urea, & salt.

 

Oil

As many treadmills age they may start to leak their lubricating oil.

And even a drop or two every now & then will damage a carpet or stain a floor.

The treadmill mat catches both of these potentially damaging liquids and keeps your floor clean.

 

Weight damage

First there’s how much the treadmill weighs, and some of them weigh a lot.

Then there’s your weight. And depending on what you’ve been eating regularly, you might weigh a lot too.

All of those combined pounds are focused on those 4 rubber (or plastic) covered feet under your exercise equipment.

The pressure of all that weight alone is enough to cause indentations & deformities in flooring over an extended period of time.

 

Weight-related Impact

Now add to that the repetitive shock waves sent down through the treadmill’s feet as you walk or run.

Step by step, mile after mile, you’re pounding the treadmill’s feet into your floor.

Floor restoration or repair and carpet replacement can get expensive.

Bottom line: A top quality mat takes care of all of those aforementioned issues.

Protects your exercise machine from your floors

Working in the other direction on this one.

Dust and carpet fibers can easily creep up into the mechanics of your treadmill, rower, or elliptical without a layer of protection in between your floor and the underside of your treadmill.

Over time, the performance of certain moving parts could suffer.

Or worse, a malfunction caused by accumulating material could occur.

Bottom line: A mat is an effective barrier that can prevent any unwanted debris from reaching your motor & belt assemblies.

Absorbs vibration which reduces treadmill wear

Weight-related impact damage can occur to more than just your floor: it can happen to your treadmill too.

Think about it.

The entire weight of the runner or walker is coming down onto the treadmill thousands of times every workout.

Without any cushioning underneath, all of that weight pressure forces the treadmill into the hard surface of the floor beneath it.

Over time, structural integrity issues start cropping up, especially with the cheaply built treadmills.

And treadmill repairs can be time-consuming & costly.

 

Bottom line: A quality treadmill mat solves this potential problem by providing sufficient cushioning between the treadmill and the floor.

The best treadmill mats are capable of absorbing & dispersing the force of the user’s impact.

This greatly reduces the wear & tear on the treadmill over the long haul.

 

Reduces treadmill noise

Continuing with the absorption theme, the top treadmill mats reduce noise levels by absorbing the vibrating noises coming from the treadmill’s motor & other moving parts.

Another way these mats provide noise reduction is by the way they cushion the user’s weight impacts, as I talked about in the previous section.

This absorption process weakens the sound waves that travel from the user’s feet through the treadmill and down to the treadmill’s feet and into the floor.

 

Bottom line: A good treadmill mat can reduce noise by a noticeable amount.

 

Prevents treadmill movement

Depending on how well they were built, even larger, heavier treadmills can rock during use.

Some treadmills are prone to “walking”, where they slide ever so slightly during the course of a workout.

Soft carpet fiber and slick hardwood floors can contribute to this movement.

And cheap treadmill mats have a tendency to slide around themselves too.

 

Bottom line: A top-quality treadmill mat, especially those made of rubber, provide a tacky surface that can grip both the treadmill’s legs & the flooring beneath it. This eliminates any possibility of unwanted treadmill wandering.

 

Easy to clean & doesn’t mess itself

The best treadmill mats are simple to maintain.

They’re easy to vacuum or wipe down with mild soap and water.

Many poorly-made treadmill mats can cause more mess than they protect your floor from.

Cheap mats can start to ‘dissolve’, where they start scattering crumb-size pieces of themselves.

This can be an annoying thing to have to deal with, and in worse-case scenarios, the loose material can stain carpet.

This is true especially if foot traffic in the area is high.

 

Bottom line: Stick to a quality treadmill mat and you never have to worry about it making a mess.

Wrapping up

I hope my product research & review information on exercise equipment mats in this article is useful to you, and that the buyer’s guide & benefits sections are helpful too.

I wish you well on your fitness journey; let’s go.

– greg