Rubber Block Trap or Granulate Trap: How Do They Differ?

Guides / / Leave a Comment

A rubber block trap is a wall of 200 mm rubber blocks in front of an armoured steel plate; a granulate trap is a bed of loose rubber crumb, at least 0.60 m deep in US Department of Defense ranges; a lamella trap, according to a 2002 industry handbook, uses hanging rubber strips. BulletTrap Baltic supplies the block trap: in the orientation test ES-240131 the 200 mm block gave no ricochet in perpendicular shots, and the steel plate behind it stopped every projectile.

200 mmrubber block depth, 500 × 500 mm face, 4 blocks per m²
≥ 0.60 mgranulate depth in a US DoD trap, 1.20 m horizontally (UFC 4-179-02)
1.50 / 2.50 msand or granulate layer, handguns / long guns, Germany
0 ricochets200 mm block fired at 90°, report ES-240131

How does each type of rubber bullet trap work?

In a block trap the bullet passes through 200 mm of rubber and is stopped by the armoured plate behind it; in a granulate trap at least 0.60 m of loose crumb (US specification) slows it.

TypeHow it is builtWhat stops the bulletDocument
Rubber block trapBlocks of 500 × 500 × 200 mm (BRB-200, about 42.5 kg), four per m², laid as a wall in front of a 500 HB armoured plateThe rubber decelerates and destabilises the bullet and its front face closes again; in every shot the block was perforated and the steel plate behind it stopped the projectile; the plate stayed intactReport ES-240131, orientation test with VPAM ARG Fassung 3 as the reference
Rubber granulate trapLoose crumb of 9.6–22 mm average size, 99.9 % free of wire and steel by mass, with flame retardant; at least 0.60 m deep perpendicular to the sloped face and 1.20 m horizontally, on an AR500 base plateThe depth of crumb slows the bullet; every shot from every position must strike 1.2 m of rubber or an overhead steel baffleUS, UFC 4-179-02, 4-17.2, 4-17.2.1

A third type, the lamella trap of hanging rubber strips, is described in the 2002 handbook of AFEMS, an industry source, without depth, calibre or ricochet data. The German Schießstandrichtlinien cover steel lamella traps, a different product, with a minimum shooting distance of 7 m (2.8.5.7). They use rubber granulate as the fill of mobile handgun traps up to 1,500 J and of the natural wall of an outdoor range, and do not name rubber blocks (2.8.5.8, 4.2.5.1). For penetrable materials in front of steel, such as blocks and panels, the guideline asks for thicknesses chosen so that as few rounds as possible stay stuck in the material, without a figure in mm (2.8.5.4.3).

What happens to the lead in each type of trap?

In a block trap the bullet passes through the block and is stopped by the steel plate (ES-240131); in a granulate trap it is caught in the crumb, which is sifted during maintenance (UFC 4-179-02, note to 4-17).

RKIK Annex 2 notes that metal-structure traps break bullets into much dust and fine lead particles (point 151), and the EU limit for lead in workplace air is 0.03 mg/m³ as an 8-hour average (Directive (EU) 2024/869). Reports ES-230403 and ES-240131 do not measure lead dust or fragmentation. Whatever the trap, the operator measures: RKIK asks for lead in the workplace air to be measured at least every 3 months (point 152). Limits, measurement and ventilation are covered on lead dust in an indoor shooting range.

How much maintenance does each trap need?

Blocks are separate units of about 42.5 kg in a 500 × 500 mm grid; granulate is sifted and its flame retardant re-applied (US, UFC 4-179-02, note to 4-17).

Granulate traps have a cover that wears too. The UK military range standard recommends a thin rubber sheet over a granulated trap to keep target debris and unburnt powder out of the crumb (JSP 403 Ch 3, 0360). The German guideline asks mobile traps for a front plate without holes that is easy to replace (2.8.5.8). How blocks and tiles are exchanged after hits is covered on replace a damaged tile or the whole wall.

Which type is more prone to ricochet?

ES-240131 fired the block at 90° only, with no ricochet in 28 shots; none of the documents cited here compares block and granulate traps for ricochet.

ES-240131 is an orientation test made at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels on 02.02.2024: 28 perpendicular shots in two series of 14 with 9×19 DM41, 7.62×39 M43, 5.56×45 SS109 and 7.62×51 DM111, with VPAM ARG Fassung 3 (Stand 15.03.2021) as the reference. It was not run through the ARG angle cycle of 90°, 60°, 45° and 25°. For granulate, the documents describe what goes wrong: the German guideline asks sand and granulate traps to prevent bullet nests, which cause ricochet (2.8.5.4.2); in the UK a vertical granulated rubber trap “was not successful in use”, while one at the natural angle of repose was (JSP 403 Ch 3, 0323, 0328); in the US the overhead baffles run all the way to a granulate trap to prevent high-angle ricochet (4-17.2). Lining around the trap is covered on how to stop ricochet in an indoor shooting range.

Where does each type fit?

A block trap takes 200 mm of rubber plus the steel plate; a US-specification granulate trap takes at least 1.20 m of rubber measured horizontally; in Germany a sand or granulate trap takes a 1.50 m layer for handguns and 2.50 m for long guns.

Rubber block trapRubber granulate trap
Depth of rubber200 mm, plus the armoured plateAt least 0.60 m perpendicular, 1.20 m horizontal (US, 4-17.2.1); 1.50 m handguns, 2.50 m long guns (Germany, 2.8.5.4.2, 2.8.5.5.2)
Steel500 HB armoured plate behind the blocks; it stops the projectileAR500 base plate of at least 0.375 in (US, 4-17.2.1)
Calibres in the documents9×19 to 7.62×51 NATO, perpendicular shots, report ES-240131Designed for the most powerful round fired (US, 4-17); fill of mobile handgun traps up to 1,500 J (Germany, 2.8.5.8)
Use shown or permittedIndoor block wall with tile lining (bullet traps page)New indoor ranges of all US services since Change 1 of 13.03.2025 (4-17)
MaintenanceSeparate blocks of about 42.5 kgSifting, flame retardant re-applied (US, note to 4-17)

The depths describe space, not equivalence: in a block trap the steel plate stops the projectile, in a granulate trap the depth of crumb does, so the numbers do not compare as protection. UFC 4-179-02 applies to US Department of Defense ranges and JSP 403 to UK military ranges.

The plate behind the blocks is covered on steel backing plate thickness, and a comparison with all-steel traps on ballistic rubber vs steel bullet trap.

Questions about rubber bullet trap types

What is the difference between a rubber block trap and a granulate trap?

A block trap is a wall of 200 mm rubber blocks in front of an armoured steel plate, and the plate stops the projectile. A granulate trap is a bed of loose rubber crumb on a steel base; in the US specification it is at least 0.60 m deep perpendicular to its face and 1.20 m horizontally (UFC 4-179-02, 4-17.2.1). BulletTrap Baltic supplies the block trap, built from 500 × 500 × 200 mm BRB-200 blocks.

Do rubber blocks stop bullets on their own?

No. In report ES-240131 the 200 mm block was perforated in every shot. The rubber decelerates and destabilises the bullet and its front face closes again; the 500 HB armoured plate behind it stops the projectile, and the plate stayed intact. BulletTrap Baltic supplies the block as the front layer of a trap.

Was the block trap tested at angles?

No. ES-240131 is an orientation test with perpendicular shots, using VPAM ARG Fassung 3 (Stand 15.03.2021) as the reference; it was not run through the ARG angle cycle of 90°, 60°, 45° and 25°. Angles were measured for the BulletTrap Baltic tiles in report ES-230403: the projectile stayed in the tile from 10.7–15.1°, depending on calibre and thickness.

Which rubber trap creates less lead dust?

Reports ES-230403 and ES-240131 do not measure lead dust or fragmentation, so there is no dust figure for the block trap. RKIK names metal-structure traps as the type that breaks bullets into much dust (point 151); the 2002 AFEMS handbook, an industry source, credits rubber granule traps with less fragmentation and dust. Airborne lead is measured in every case, in RKIK ranges at least every 3 months (point 152).

Why does a granulate trap need so much depth?

Because the loose crumb itself has to slow the bullet. The US specification asks for at least 0.60 m perpendicular to the face and 1.20 m horizontally, whichever is greater (UFC 4-179-02, 4-17.2.1); the German guideline asks for 1.50 m of sand or granulate in the impact zone for handguns and 2.50 m for long guns (2.8.5.4.2, 2.8.5.5.2).

Can a rubber bullet trap catch fire?

Yes. The US Department of Defense records rubber trap fires, mainly from poor maintenance and tracer ammunition (UFC 4-179-02, note to 4-17), and RKIK Annex 2 bans tracers in indoor ranges (point 2c). BulletTrap Baltic rubber has the EN 13501-1 class Efl; Cfl with a special binder on request — floor classification only. More on is a rubber bullet trap a fire risk?

Which calibres was the BulletTrap Baltic block trap tested with?

9×19 DM41, 7.62×39 M43, 5.56×45 SS109 and 7.62×51 DM111: 28 perpendicular shots at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels, report ES-240131 of 02.02.2024, with VPAM ARG Fassung 3 (Stand 15.03.2021) as the reference. No shot ricocheted, and the steel plate stopped every projectile.

Which trap type does BulletTrap Baltic supply?

The block trap: BRB-200 ballistic rubber blocks as the front layer with an armoured steel plate behind them, and BRT-40 and BRT-45 anti-ricochet tiles for walls, ceiling and floor around it. BulletTrap Baltic quotes the block trap per project. Why buyers order through BulletTrap Baltic is on why order from BulletTrap Baltic.

Sources

Request a block trap specification

Send the calibres fired, indoor or outdoor, and the width and height of the trap face. BulletTrap Baltic returns a quotation per project, with report ES-240131 for your file.

Request a Quote
Supplier: MB Murakana (BulletTrap Baltic), Sudervės g. 12-3, Avižienių k., LT-14192 Vilniaus r., Lithuania
Email: info@bullettrapbaltic.com · Phone: +370 682 38746

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *