Material a runway is built from, such as asphalt, concrete, gravel or grass, which determines the aircraft and weights it can accept.
What it is
Most runways at commercial airports are asphalt or concrete, often grooved across their width to drain water and improve braking in the rain. Pavement strength is published as a classification number that is compared with the load imposed by each aircraft, showing whether a given type may use the runway and at what weight. Since November 2024 ICAO's reference method has been ACR-PCR, which replaces the older ACN-PCN system, although some countries are still in transition.
There are also gravel, compacted earth, grass and even ice runways, common in remote regions. They call for rugged aircraft such as the DHC-6 Twin Otter, and some jets have been adapted with special equipment: certain Boeing 737-200s carried a kit for gravel runways in northern Canada and Alaska. Surface conditions (dry, wet, snow or ice) also change the distances needed to take off and land.
On Vuelopedia
An airport page gives the surface of every runway alongside its designation and length.
Related terms
Cite
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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Runway surface. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/runway-surface
MLA
“Runway surface.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/runway-surface. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Runway surface.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/runway-surface.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Runway surface. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/runway-surface (Accessed: 17 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_runway_surface,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Runway surface}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-09},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/runway-surface},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/runway-surface}},
urldate = {2026-10-17},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/runway-surface |title=Runway surface |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-17 |language=en}}