Commercial vs Residential Treadmills: What's the Difference?

What is the difference between commercial treadmills and home treadmills?

What are commercial grade components?

What does "commercial" mean?

As a retail product manager at Matrix, I'm the go-to source for treadmill questions when my friends are shopping for them. If they have these questions, I know customers like you do too! Let me start by explaining the difference between "commercial" and "home."

COMMERCIAL

Commercial-grade fitness equipment is designed and tested for use in health clubs, gyms, resorts, and athletic equipment facilities where the equipment is used for 12 hours or more per day.

Commercial-grade light fitness equipment is designed and tested for use in hospitals and clinics, corporate fitness centers, municipal facilities such as fire stations and apartment buildings, where the products have six hours of use per day or less.

Commercial and light commercial equipment is extremely durable to accommodate users of all fitness levels, prolonged use, and is usually subject to planned preventative maintenance to reduce the risk of failure.

RESIDENTIAL

Residential, home, or household fitness equipment is designed and tested for use in single-family homes. It will vary greatly in price, quality, and stability.

Some are designed to withstand use by a single user several times a week and for short periods of time, while others are designed to accommodate multiple users and for extended workouts; think marathon training.

Most household products require routine maintenance and are designed to work in homes with standard electrical outlets and wiring.

So, what's the difference between commercial treadmills and home treadmills?

The main difference is that commercial treadmills are built to withstand prolonged use by multiple users per day. To achieve this, the frames of commercial treadmills are heavier and larger for added strength, stability, and to accommodate a greater user weight capacity.

Many commercial treadmills weigh 400 pounds or more, while most high-end residential units weigh around 300 pounds, and low-end treadmills may weigh 200 pounds or less. The extra material and frame strength mean that the weight capacity is greater in commercial treadmills (maximum user weight of 400 to 500 pounds) compared to high-end home treadmills (maximum user weight of 350 to 400 pounds) and standard home treadmills (maximum user weight of less than 300 pounds).

Because commercial treadmills are placed in specific locations within facilities and used frequently, they are not designed to be easily folded and rolled away. Some home treadmills are available in both folding and non-folding models.

While a commercial treadmill may be overkill for most residential customers, treadmills designed for homes with commercial-grade components are best suited for those seeking a similar experience to what they are used to at the gym.

What is the difference between standard household and commercial grade components?

Most commercial treadmills use AC motors because they operate at lower RPMs, so they don't get as hot and, over longer periods of use, are more efficient and provide more torque. DC motors are the most common motors found in home treadmills, but they vary in size and efficiency. For households with multiple users or avid runners, a home treadmill with an AC drive motor should be considered.

Watch the following video to learn more about the AC traction motor found in the T70 treadmill.



Another difference lies in some of the components that make up the treadmill, such as the rollers, the running belt, the cushioning, and the running platform.

Most home treadmills require lubrication every 150 miles or three months, while a thick, multi-layered, waxed belt, typically found on commercial treadmills, may not require relubrication for thousands of miles, if ever. Some high-end home treadmills, such as the T70 treadmill, include a commercial-grade waxed belt for virtually maintenance-free care. Matrix home treadmills use a high-quality, smooth finish on the running decks that provides less friction and therefore only require relubrication every 300 miles. Some high-end home treadmills, such as the T70 treadmill, include a commercial-grade waxed belt for virtually maintenance-free care.

A thicker belt lasts longer and feels more comfortable underfoot. The thicker, multi-layered belts on commercial treadmills are designed to last longer than the thinner belts found on some home-use equipment, which can range from ultra-thin on lower-end treadmills to thick, commercial-grade belts on high-end home treadmills. Keep in mind that thicker belts often require more power, necessitating that the treadmill be plugged into a dedicated 20-amp outlet, as opposed to the common 15-amp outlet found in most homes (in North America).

The rollers on which the running belt runs in commercial treadmills are larger than those on standard home treadmills. The larger rollers provide more contact surface with the belt.