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Basketball court

A competition court, with seating and equipment that has to be moved.

Usage class
Large Arena / Multi-Purpose Hall
Governed by
Basketball
Sports scored
7

Six of KTL's nine systems are rated very suitable for basketball, and scoring them across the whole sport set this room books separates none of the six. The suitability grid cannot choose a court floor, so the load class does.

Turn KTL's own ratings into a score, counting very suitable as three, suitable as two and less suitable as one. That arithmetic is ours, not KTL's. Run it across the six sports a basketball hall books plus KTL's own Multiple usage row, twenty-one points available, and six systems land on twenty: Portable PRO Summit V2, FlexiPRO 12 V3, PRO III, PRO II V2, Multiflex Advanced V2 and Multi Clip System. Portable PRO comes in at 19, FlexiPRO 21 with a hard covering at 18, and the combi-elastic FlexiPRO 21 with an elastic covering at 13. Note what the score does not do: it does not divide the range by material. In the basketball row itself Portable PRO, a solid wood system, is rated suitable, exactly level with FlexiPRO 21 under a hard covering. Above the bottom two the grid stops discriminating altogether.

The grid does confirm the mechanism. KTL define an area-elastic floor as one that deforms over a wide area below a surface that stays stable, and they name that stability as what suits fast ball games. The lowest mark in the basketball row belongs to the only combi-elastic system in the range, where KTL place the give at the surface itself as well as below it. KTL apply the same logic in their own recommendation: the synthetic build they list for a large arena is FlexiPRO 21 with a vinyl, PU, Lino or Weathertex covering, and they exclude basketball and squash from it by name. It is worth naming the one place this cuts the other way. Volleyball is rated only suitable on every solid wood system, and the single very suitable mark in the volleyball row belongs to that same combi-elastic build.

Load class is where the decision is actually made. KTL split the range into high and standard point and rolling load: Portable PRO Summit V2, Portable PRO, FlexiPRO 12 V3, PRO III, PRO II V2 and FlexiPRO 21 with a hard covering carry high, while Multiflex Advanced V2, Multi Clip System and FlexiPRO 21 with an elastic covering carry standard. KTL's own Large Arena class is defined by ball games and racket games at the highest level together with telescopic seating on floors, stage floors, exhibitions and shows. Every system here already answers the games, so what splits the range is the second half of that list. Two of the six systems tied at twenty carry standard load, and KTL leave both of them off their own Large Arena recommendation, although they still badge Multiflex Advanced V2 for a large arena on its own system page.

Certification is granted per system and KTL publish the licence number, so a floor either holds one or it does not. FIBA 2020 Level 1 sits on FlexiPRO 12 V3 (WF73-06), PRO III (WF73-03), PRO II V2 (WF73-01) and Multiflex Advanced V2 (WF73-02). Portable PRO Summit V2 holds FIBA Level 1 (WF73-07), which the catalogue states without a year. Portable PRO, Multi Clip System and both FlexiPRO 21 builds hold no FIBA licence at all. Five licensed floors is more than this brief needs, which is why the licence narrows the field without closing it: one of the five carries standard load. Membership of a federation is a statement about the company, and the licence number is the statement about the product, so the number belongs in the specification wherever sanctioned competition is intended.

After that the choice is structural rather than sporting. A dedicated court wants a fixed floor, with nothing to store and no crew every time it is laid. A hall that clears for concerts and exhibitions wants panels, and KTL state that their portable lines can install a full 700 square metre basketball court within three hours with a team of six. That is the manufacturer's figure for their own lines, and it says nothing about who is competent to lay it. Among the fixed floors the slab decides. FlexiPRO 12 V3 is fully glued down and listed for levelled concrete, while PRO III and PRO II V2 are listed for uneven concrete and sit on a shoe system that combines with KTL wedges or other shims, so the deviation is taken up by the floor instead of by a levelling screed.

The manufacturer’s own ratings, filtered to this room.

Read straight from their matrix at render time, so nothing here can drift from what they publish. The systems we would put forward are marked.

Suitability by system for basketball court
SystemBasketballWheelchair basketballVolleyballBadmintonHandballFutsalMultiple usage
FlexiPRO 12 V3A4 · 39 mmVery suitableVery suitableSuitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitable
PRO IIIA4 · 76 mmVery suitableVery suitableSuitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitable
Portable PRO Summit V2A3 · 44 mmVery suitableVery suitableSuitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitable
PRO II V2A4 · 64 mmVery suitableVery suitableSuitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitable
Multiflex Advanced V2A4 · 52 mmVery suitableVery suitableSuitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitable
Multi Clip SystemA3 · 32 mmVery suitableVery suitableSuitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitable
Portable PROA4 · 44 mmSuitableVery suitableSuitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitable
FlexiPRO 21 + elastic coveringC4 · 26 mmLess suitableLess suitableVery suitableSuitableVery suitableLess suitableSuitable
FlexiPRO 21 + hard coveringA4 · 26 mmSuitableVery suitableSuitableVery suitableVery suitableVery suitableSuitable

Three squares very suitable, two suitable, one less suitable, a bar unsuitable. The manufacturer’s own ratings, filtered to this room. A sport with no row in their matrix is marked as such rather than left blank.

What we would specify.

Recommended, fixed court on a level slab

FlexiPRO 12 V3

EN 14904 A439 mmHigh loadFIBA WF73-06

22 x 130 mm solid hardwood boards fully bonded with MS-polymer adhesive to a birch plywood subfloor with 3-step elastic strips, 39 mm in total. EN 14904 A4, area-elastic, high point and rolling load, FIBA 2020 Level 1 under licence WF73-06, and rated very suitable for basketball. The full glue-down is the point: KTL attribute the system's overall floor stability to it, and stability is what their own area-elastic definition says fast ball games need. KTL name heavy loads from retractable seatings among what the system is designed to carry. It is listed for levelled concrete, so it needs a level slab, and being glued down it is the least reversible system in the range.

  1. 1 millimetres. 7-layer UV coating + site game lines
  2. 22 millimetres. Solid hardwood boards, 22x130 mm
  3. 1 millimetres. MS-polymer adhesive
  4. 16 millimetres. FlexiPRO 12 birch plywood + elastic strips
  5. Levelled concrete slab

39 mm system height

Recommended, fixed court on an uneven slab

PRO III

EN 14904 A476 mmHigh loadFIBA WF73-03

22 x 130 mm boards machine-nailed to PRO III LVL battens with integrated shock pads, 76 mm, raisable to 96-156 mm with KTL wedges, which the catalogue lists as an optional item and so has to be named on the order rather than assumed. EN 14904 A4, area-elastic, high point and rolling load, FIBA 2020 Level 1 under licence WF73-03, rated very suitable for basketball. It is the deepest of KTL's three battened systems, and KTL state that its thicker batten gives it more stability than PRO II V2. It is listed for uneven concrete, and its shoe system takes KTL wedges or other shims, so the deviation is taken up by the floor rather than by the civil works. The constraint is height: 76 mm before any wedge raise, so thresholds, existing court fixings, floor sockets and transitions to adjoining areas all have to be checked first.

  1. 1 millimetres. 7-layer UV coating + site game lines
  2. 22 millimetres. Solid hardwood boards, 22x130 mm
  3. 53 millimetres. PRO III LVL battens + integrated shock pads
  4. Uneven concrete or subfloor

76 mm system height, 96-156 mm on wedges

Recommended where the floor comes up

Portable PRO Summit V2

EN 14904 A344 mmHigh loadFIBA WF73-07

22 mm solid hardwood panels over 12 mm plywood over 10 mm foam strips, joined with flexi-lock clips, 44 mm in total. EN 14904 A3, area-elastic, high point and rolling load, FIBA Level 1 under licence WF73-07, and the only portable system KTL rate very suitable for basketball. It lays over concrete, an existing sports floor or synthetic turf, it takes lines and logos printed before the lacquer rather than marked on site, and KTL state that their portable lines can install a full 700 square metre basketball court within three hours with a team of six. It is only right if the floor genuinely comes up, since it brings panel storage, trolleys and a lay crew with it. Note the class as well: this is A3 where the fixed systems recommended here are A4, and the catalogue publishes the class letter and no shock-absorption value, so how far apart they sit has to come from the test report rather than from the brochure.

  1. 1 millimetres. 7-layer UV coating + printed design/lines
  2. 22 millimetres. Solid hardwood panel, 22 mm
  3. 12 millimetres. Plywood backing, 12 mm
  4. 10 millimetres. Elastic foam strips, 10 mm
  5. Existing slab / sports floor / synthetic turf

44 mm system height

Alternative, the one floor carrying FIBA, BWF and high load

PRO II V2

EN 14904 A464 mmHigh loadFIBA WF73-01BWF Grade 1

22 x 130 mm boards on PRO II LVL battens with integrated shock pads, 64 mm, raisable on optional KTL wedges. EN 14904 A4, area-elastic, high point and rolling load, FIBA 2020 Level 1 under licence WF73-01, BWF Grade 1 International Elite, rated very suitable for basketball. It is the same shoe and wedge levelling principle as PRO III on a shallower batten, and it is the only system in the range that carries a FIBA licence, the BWF grade and high point and rolling load together, which matters where the court also hosts serious badminton. KTL position it below PRO III on stability, so where the hall carries retractable seating or heavy staging, take PRO III.

  1. 1 millimetres. 7-layer UV coating + site game lines
  2. 22 millimetres. Solid hardwood boards, 22x130 mm
  3. 41 millimetres. PRO II LVL battens + integrated shock pads
  4. Uneven concrete or subfloor

64 mm system height, 86-144 mm on wedges

And what we would not, with the reason.

Saying what was rejected is half the value of a specification. Several of these are rated very suitable for the sport and are still wrong for this room.

  • Multiflex Advanced V2

    EN 14904 A4, 52 mm, Standard load

    Rated very suitable for basketball, EN 14904 A4, FIBA 2020 Level 1 under licence WF73-02 and BWF Grade 1 International Elite, and it ties at 20 out of 21 on this room's sport set. It carries standard point and rolling load, and KTL leave it off their own Large Arena recommendation while listing it for a multi-purpose hall, even though the system page itself still carries the large-arena badge. Where the two disagree, we take the named recommendation as the more specific statement. That is the correct specification for a hall and the wrong one for an arena, and it is the clearest case in the range of one floor being right in one room and wrong in the next.

  • Multi Clip System

    EN 14904 A3, 32 mm, Standard load

    Rated very suitable for basketball at 32 mm, the lowest solid hardwood build in the range, and it also ties at 20 out of 21 here. It is EN 14904 A3 with standard point and rolling load, KTL do not badge it for a large arena at all, on the system page or in the recommendation, and it is the one system whose designed-for field they leave empty. A court floor takes scissor lifts, equipment trolleys and seating rolled across it, and standard load is the wrong answer to that whatever the sport rating says.

  • Portable PRO

    EN 14904 A4, 44 mm, High load

    Rated suitable rather than very suitable for basketball, the only drop among the solid wood systems in that row, and KTL describe it as multi-purpose usage for a number of sports on a non-professional level. It holds EN 14904 A4 and BWF Grade 1 International Elite but no FIBA licence, and KTL still name it among their recommended systems for a large arena, so here their recommendation runs ahead of their own rating. If the floor has to be portable and the sport is basketball, specify Portable PRO Summit V2 instead: it carries the FIBA licence and the very suitable rating that this system does not.

  • FlexiPRO 21 + elastic covering

    EN 14904 C4, 26 mm, Standard load

    EN 14904 C4, combi-elastic, 26 mm excluding the covering, standard point and rolling load. Rated less suitable for basketball, the lowest mark in that row and the only one that low, and 13 out of 21 across this room's sports. KTL put the give of a combi-elastic floor at the surface itself as well as below it, and the 6-9 mm vinyl or PU covering that produces the C4 classification is that surface. KTL also exclude basketball by name from the synthetic build they recommend for a large arena.

  • FlexiPRO 21 + hard covering

    EN 14904 A4, 26 mm, High load

    EN 14904 A4, area-elastic, high point and rolling load, 26 mm excluding the covering, and it scores 18 out of 21 here. It is rated suitable rather than very suitable for basketball, level with Portable PRO and below every other solid wood system in that row. KTL supply the wooden subfloor only, so the covering is a third-party supply, and the A4 result holds only with a 2-4 mm non-resilient covering; a 6-9 mm resilient one turns it into the C4 combi-elastic build instead.

What we add that the catalogue does not.

  • Slab moisture is ours to specify. KTL's entire moisture story is board-side, customised board moisture content and back-lacquered boards, and the catalogue says nothing at all about the slab. On a Thai ground-bearing slab, measure slab relative humidity before ordering and specify a surface damp-proof membrane against the reading.
  • State the board moisture content for the destination climate on the order. KTL supply boards customised to the climatic conditions of the area they are going to, so the order has to name the installation city and say whether the hall is continuously air-conditioned. An air-conditioned arena and an unconditioned school hall are different specifications.
  • Set the substrate flatness tolerance and scope the levelling to it. FlexiPRO 12 V3, Multiflex Advanced V2, Multi Clip System and both FlexiPRO 21 builds are listed for levelled concrete. PRO III and PRO II V2 are the exception among the fixed systems, because they are listed for uneven concrete and their shoe system takes KTL wedges or other shims, which is why a surveyed slab can change which system makes sense.
  • Declare the real load case in writing at enquiry, and name the heaviest wheel load and the seating type, because that is the question KTL's load column answers. Telescopic or retractable seating, staging trucks, scissor-lift access and equipment trolleys are what force the high load column, not the basketball.
  • Agree the full multi-sport line set and the colour hierarchy before anyone marks out. Game lines go on over KTL's factory coating with no site clear coat needed over the top, which is a useful programme fact on a live campus. The catalogue says nothing about changing a line set once the floor is coated, so treat a re-mark as a refinishing question to put to KTL before the layout is frozen rather than after.
  • Specify the gloss level at order stage. KTL offer low gloss, semi-gloss, glossy and super-glossy, and on a court that is floodlit or filmed, specify semi-gloss or lower: glare on the boards reads back through a camera and off the line set. The catalogue offers no way to revise gloss once the boards are coated, so treat it as fixed at order.
  • Coordinate the perimeter before the slab is set out. A glued, battened or floating wood floor needs a free perimeter, so the expansion gap, the ventilated skirting, the volleyball and badminton floor sockets and the thresholds into equipment stores all have to be resolved against the chosen system's build height.
  • Name the FIBA licence number of the system actually being specified, and make the certificate itself a submittal from whoever supplies the floor. KTL licence per system: WF73-06, WF73-03, WF73-01, WF73-02 and WF73-07. A catalogue page describing the company as a FIBA associated member is not a product approval.

What we would put to the manufacturer.

Before anybody signs anything. These are gaps in the published data, not doubts about the floor.

  • No shock-absorption, vertical-deformation, ball-rebound, friction or slip-resistance value appears anywhere in the catalogue. The EN 14904 class letter is the whole of what it publishes, so any tender asking for numbers has to be answered from the test reports. Ask for them before the tender is answered, not after.
  • FIBA is stated per system with a licence number. BWF appears only as the words Grade 1 International Elite, with no certificate reference, issue date or scope anywhere in the document. Ask for it, and do not assume a number exists.
  • KTL's own system pages and their usage-class recommendations do not entirely agree. Multiflex Advanced V2 carries the large-arena badge on its system page and is absent from the systems KTL recommend for a large arena. Put that to KTL before an arena specification rests on either statement.
  • Netball is named on KTL's own Large Arena and Multi-Purpose Hall sport lists and has no row in the ratings matrix. If netball is in the brief, that rating has to come from KTL rather than be inferred from basketball.
  • PRO II V2's wedge raise range is given as 86-144 mm on the overview page and 84-144 mm in the system text. Which figure is correct matters on a retrofit where the threshold is tight.
  • Six wood species are named with no per-species technical data of any kind. Ask for a species comparison and a graded sample before a species is chosen on appearance.

If this is your room, tell us the sports and the heaviest thing that will ever cross the floor.

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