All 15 sports equipment padding products we scored fail our PFAS screen

The verdict
All 15 sports equipment padding products PFAS Authority has graded score below its 70 point pass mark for PFAS and other toxins, as of November 2026.
Free to quote with attribution to PFAS Authority and a link to pfasauthority.com/best/sports-equipment-padding. Grades are model-based estimates from published materials and disclosures, not lab tests. The rubric.

Every grade below is built from published materials, ingredient lists, certifications and brand disclosures, scored on one public rubric and ranked best-graded first. Each score links to the full breakdown of what earned it, and the numbers across the whole dataset are published too.

Is sports equipment padding non-toxic?

None of the 15 sports equipment padding products we graded clear our screen. Non-toxic is not a defined or regulated term, so what we can tell you is what our graders recorded. Beyond PFAS, the hazards found or left unruled-out on sports equipment padding products in this category are microplastics, VOCs and off-gassing, formaldehyde, artificial dyes, heavy metals.

Why Easton Pro Style Shock Absorbing Pad grades highest here, and why that is not a pass

Every grade on this page is one sum. A category starts from a baseline, each disclosed material or coating adds risk points, and each thing the brand or a third party has published takes them away. Below is that sum for the winner, then for 1 product it beats, so you can see exactly where the 45 points between the top and the bottom of this sports equipment padding ranking come from. Nothing in this category reaches our 70 point pass mark, so this is the shape of the field rather than a recommendation.

Top graded, and still below our pass mark

Easton Pro Style Shock Absorbing Pad
65Good
Easton Pro Style Shock Absorbing Pad

Made of Foam padding, likely EVA or polyurethane.

  • +30Category baseline. The starting point for this type of product, before anything specific to this product is counted.
  • +15No PFAS disclosure. No public statement from the brand about PFAS in this product.
  • -10Base material not linked to PFAS. The main material recorded for this product is not one associated with PFAS.

35risk points in total, which is a grade of 65

What the grade does not fix. It still carries one risk factor, No PFAS disclosure, and our graders recorded 4 other hazards on it. See the full breakdown.

Full breakdown

What it still grades above, and why

MacGregor MCB67 Umpire's Leg Guards
20Bad45 points behind the winner
MacGregor MCB67 Umpire's Leg Guards

What puts it behind. Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment, +35 points. Water-repellent coating treatments have historically used PFAS. The top-graded product carries no such factor.

Made of Padded nylon/polyester with moisture-resistant treatment.

  • +35Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment
  • +30Category baseline
  • +15No PFAS disclosure

80risk points, a grade of 20

No product on this page was physically tested by us. Every number above comes from published materials, ingredient and coating disclosures, certifications and brand statements, scored on one public rubric. Formulations change without notice, so check the current product listing before buying.

What to watch for in sports equipment padding

Beyond the PFAS grade, these are the things our graders recorded on the 15 sports equipment padding products in this category. We assess from materials, brand statements and published research. We do not lab-test.

  • Microplastics

    Plastic fragments small enough to shed from a product into food, water or air without anyone seeing it.

    Found on 2 of these sports equipment padding products. Plausible but unconfirmed on 6 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. EPA

  • VOCs and off-gassing

    Volatile compounds that evaporate out of a material at room temperature, which is what a new product smell is.

    Found on 1 of these sports equipment padding products. Plausible but unconfirmed on 6 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. EPA

  • Formaldehyde

    A preservative and resin ingredient that is also released slowly by a group of chemicals used in its place.

    Plausible but unconfirmed on 6 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. NCI

  • Artificial dyes

    Synthetic colours added to food, cosmetics and textiles, most of them petroleum derived.

    Plausible but unconfirmed on 2 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. FDA

  • Heavy metals

    Metals such as antimony, nickel and chromium migrating from a material into what touches it.

    Plausible but unconfirmed on 2 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. ATSDR

The safest sports equipment padding we graded, lowest PFAS risk first

Nothing in this category clears our buy threshold yet. That is the finding, not a gap.

See PFAS-free sports equipment padding on Amazon

The sports equipment padding we would skip

Lowest scoring in this category, worst first, with the reason.

How to read these scores. PFAS Authority is a scoring system, not a laboratory. We do not test products ourselves. Each grade is a model-based assessment built from published ingredient lists, materials, certifications, brand disclosures, recalls and third-party lab results where they exist. Read the full rubric to see exactly what adds and removes points.

What we check on sports equipment padding

  • Phthalates. Plastic softeners studied for endocrine effects. ATSDR
  • Endocrine disruptors. Chemicals that interfere with the body’s hormone system. NIEHS

Full point-by-point rubric on the methodology page.

The sports equipment padding brands we found no PFAS statement from

We found no PFAS statement from 3 of the brands here. That is our research, not proof a brand has never said anything, and it is not evidence of harm. It is why none of them score well on disclosure.

Easton, La Pointique, MacGregor.

The brands that have published something, and what each of them actually said, are in our record of what every brand has said about PFAS.

Common questions about PFAS in sports equipment padding

Is sports equipment padding PFAS free?

All 15 sports equipment padding products PFAS Authority has graded score below its 70 point pass mark for PFAS and other toxins, as of November 2026. The lowest graded is MacGregor MCB67 Umpire's Leg Guards at 20 out of 100.

Is sports equipment padding non-toxic?

None of the 15 sports equipment padding products we graded clear our screen. Non-toxic is not a defined or regulated term, so what we can tell you is what our graders recorded. Beyond PFAS, the hazards found or left unruled-out on sports equipment padding products in this category are microplastics, VOCs and off-gassing, formaldehyde, artificial dyes, heavy metals.

Which sports equipment padding should I avoid?

The three lowest scoring we hold are MacGregor MCB67 Umpire's Leg Guards at 20, Easton Adult Original Catcher's Knee Savers at 20, Easton Power Pad at 20. The problem with the first is that likely DWR-treated. No disclosure. Skip for certainty.

How can you tell if sports equipment padding contains PFAS?

In this category we check for phthalates, endocrine disruptors. Plastic softeners studied for endocrine effects. Language like stain resistant, water repellent or easy release usually means fluorinated chemistry even when PFAS is never printed on the box.

Which sports equipment padding brands have not published a PFAS statement?

We found no PFAS statement from 3 of the brands we scored in this category, including Easton, La Pointique, MacGregor. That is what our research turned up, not proof a brand has never said anything, and a missing statement is not evidence of harm. It is the reason those brands cannot score well on disclosure.

Do you lab test sports equipment padding?

No. We score from published ingredient lists, materials, certifications, disclosures and third party lab results where they exist. Where a product has been independently tested we use that result and say so.

More everyday goods categories we have graded

Same rubric, same scale. These are the categories closest to sports equipment padding.

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Does a particular brand of sports equipment padding have PFAS?

We also wrote this up at length. PFAS in Sports Equipment Padding, Which Brands Grade Best and Worst

Want to filter the whole category yourself? Browse all 15 sports equipment padding.