Commercial vs Residential Treadmills: Key Differences

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May 28, 2025

Commercial vs Residential Treadmills. What is the difference between a commercial treadmill and a home treadmill. What are commercial grade components what is commercial Not all treadmills are the same, so when choosing one model or another, it will be crucial to know what type of fitness facility you have and what type of clients attend. When training at home, when purchasing a treadmill, it will be important to know how many users will be using it, how many times a week, and for how long.

To help you differentiate between commercial and home treadmills, Johnson Fitness wants to explain their main features with the help of Anthony Winge, Global Product Manager for Matrix Fitness. Commercial grade fitness equipment designed and tested for use in health clubs, gyms, resorts, and athletic team facilities where the equipment receives intensive use for 12 or more hours a day. There also devices designed and tested for use in hospitals, clinics, corporate gyms, and municipal facilities such as fire stations and apartment buildings, where the products receive somewhat less intensive use.

Running Outdoors is More Fun

Commercial devices are very robust and specifically designed to accommodate users of all fitness levels and extended use. They tend to undergo scheduled preventative maintenance to reduce the possibility of failure. Residential fitness devices, such as home fitness devices, designed and tested for use in homes. They will vary greatly in price, quality, and stability. Some devices designed to support a single user a few times a week and for short periods of time, while others designed to accommodate more than one user and also for long workouts, with marathon training in mind.

Most home fitness devices require routine maintenance and designed to work in homes with standard electrical wiring and outlets. Residential fitness devices, such as home fitness devices, designed and tested for use in homes. They will vary greatly in price, quality, and stability. Some built to withstand use from a single user to several times a week and for short periods of time, while others created to accommodate multiple users and long-term workouts, keeping marathon training in mind.

Commercial vs Residential Treadmills: Running On a Treadmill at a Lower Speed

Most home treadmills require routine maintenance and designed to work in homes with standard electrical wiring and outlets. While a commercial treadmill may overkill for most residential customers, treadmills designed for homes with commercial grade components the best option for those seeking an experience similar to what they used to at the gym. As Anthony Winge explains, most commercial treadmills use AC motors because they operate at a lower rpm, so they don’t get as hot, and over longer periods of use, they are more efficient and provide more power.

DC motors are the most common motors in home treadmills, but they vary in size and efficiency. For those homes with multiple users or demanding runners, a home treadmill with an AC motor should considered. Watch the following video to learn more about the AC drive motor installed in the T70 treadmill. Another difference emphasized by Anthony Winge, global product manager for Matrix Fitness, is some of the components that make up the treadmill, such as the rollers, belt, cushioning, and running deck.

Commercial vs Residential Treadmills: History of Treadmills

Most home treadmills require lubrication every 250 km or three months, while a thick, multi layered waxed treadmill belt typically found on commercial treadmills might not require relubrication for thousands of miles, if at all. Matrix home treadmills use a high quality smooth finish on the running decks that provides lower friction, and therefore only require relubrication every 500 km. Some high end home treadmills, like the T70, include a commercial-grade waxed belt for virtually maintenance free care. A thicker belt lasts longer and feels more comfortable underfoot.

The thicker belts on commercial treadmills are designed to last longer than the thinner belts found on some home treadmills, which can range from ultra thin belts on low end treadmills to thick commercial grade belts. Finally, the screen or console used on a commercial treadmill also typically has specific software restrictions that limit workout duration so users can’t fill the entire treadmill in busy centers. Programming can be customized based on the facility and doesn’t store personal information locally.

Conclusion

Johnson Health Tech introduced the Matrix Fitness brand in 2001 to make high quality fitness equipment available to the commercial market. Matrix currently offers a full range of cardio, strength, and group training equipment for use in health clubs, luxury resorts, and collegiate sports teams, as well as high quality club equipment designed for home use. We’ve brought our professional technologies, award winning designs, and even commercial-grade components to our home treadmills.

If you’re thinking about investing in a treadmill, there are several considerations you’ll want to keep in mind before deciding whether to purchase a commercial grade treadmill, a home treadmill with commercial grade components, or a standard entry level home treadmill. Use. Will you be running or walking running is more demanding on the treadmill than walking, especially at high speeds and on steep slopes. Sprint interval runners often have a slightly more left to right descent, and therefore a wider belt is recommended. The larger stride of a tall runner or walker also requires a longer treadmill.

Read more: Top 10 Treadmills for Corporate Wellness Centers

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