Ute Tray Mats: Using HDPE Ground Protection Mat as a Tray Floor
Line your ute tray with tough, non-slip HDPE. How a ground protection mat works as a tray floor, how many you need, cutting to fit and fixing it down.
A bare aluminium or steel ute tray is slippery when wet, loud when tools slide around, and it scratches and dents with every load. A sheet of HDPE ground protection mat cut to fit the tray fixes all three. It gives the floor a grippy diamond tread, takes the knocks instead of the metal, and hoses clean at the end of the day.
Why HDPE works as a ute tray floor
The HDPE ground protection mat is built to carry machines across soft ground, so a load of tools, timber or gear is easy work for it. The things that matter in a tray are:
- Grip: a raised diamond tread on both faces, so loads are less likely to slide in the wet and either side can face up.
- Toughness: 12.7 mm of high-density polyethylene absorbs impacts that would dent an aluminium floor.
- No rot or rust: HDPE doesn't absorb water and resists fuel, oil and most chemicals, so it won't swell, rot or corrode.
- Quieter: plastic under the load stops the rattle and scrape of steel on aluminium.
- Easy to clean: mud, sand and grease hose off the non-porous surface.
Will one mat cover my tray?
Each mat is 2440 x 1220 mm. Most ute trays are wider than 1220 mm, so covering the whole floor usually takes two mats, with one cut down to fill the remaining width. A narrower tray or a single strip down the middle can often be done from one mat.
Measure the inside of the tray from wall to wall and from the headboard to the tailgate, and note anything the floor has to clear: tie-down points, wheel arches, toolbox brackets or drain holes. Send those measurements through and we can tell you how many mats it takes and how we would cut them.
Cutting the mat to fit
Mats are sold whole. If you need one cut to suit your tray, buy the whole mat and we'll cut it to size for a cutting fee, on the same CNC router we use for all our cut-to-size work. That gives clean, square edges and accurate cut-outs for tie-down points or brackets, which is hard to get with a jigsaw on a 36 kg sheet.
Fixing it down
HDPE is one of the plastics that glue and silicone won't hold, so don't plan on bonding it to the tray. The usual options are:
- Loose-laid: cut snug to the tray walls, the weight of the mat and the tread keep it in place for most work. It lifts out for cleaning.
- Bolted or riveted: countersunk bolts or rivets through the floor, with slightly oversized or slotted holes so the plastic can move.
HDPE expands and contracts more than aluminium as the temperature changes, so leave a few millimetres of gap at the walls rather than forcing a tight fit. That stops it bowing on a hot day. Our HDPE plastic guide has more on fixing and working with HDPE.
Other places the same mat earns its keep
The same mat lines trailer floors, horse float and dog box floors, and workshop or wash-bay floors. If you need a different thickness or a smooth sheet rather than tread, the full HDPE range covers that, and our HDPE sheet guide explains the options.
Ready to line your tray? Order the ground protection mat online, or send us your tray sizes and we'll work out the mats and cuts for you. We deliver Australia-wide, or you can pick up from Molendinar on the Gold Coast.