Airstep Australia

What Airstep Australia does

Airstep Australia Pty Ltd is a privately held Australian manufacturer of carpet underlays and hard flooring underlays, headquartered at its production site in Dandenong South, Melbourne. Founded in 1984, the company self-describes as "Australia's only complete underlay company" and produces an extensive range of foam and rubber underlays, with 90% of finished product manufactured on-site at the Melbourne facility and approximately 90% of inputs sourced from recycled material. The company's portfolio is organized into three categories — residential foam underlays (from entry-level Steplight up through luxury Stepsupreme and the pet-focused Pet Defence), commercial underlays including heavy-commercial foam and dual-bond latex rubber, and hard flooring underlays for floating floor systems — supported by a registered trademark (Pet Defence) and documented proprietary features such as a breathable moisture barrier, antimicrobial laminate, noise-transmission reduction, and VOC emissions materially below industry thresholds.

Airstep generates revenue through one-time sales of underlay rolls and units via an indirect go-to-market model rather than direct-to-consumer e-commerce. Residential volume is distributed through a preferred retailer network of 12+ flooring retail partners across all Australian states and territories, with an exclusive retail arrangement with Choices Flooring covering the Step Pro line. Commercial revenue is secured through direct relationships with builders, contractors, and facility managers for large-scale projects in hospitality (Crown Melbourne, Crown Perth, The Star Sydney, Langham Melbourne, Shangri-La Sydney, Westin Perth), sports venues (Melbourne Cricket Ground, Marvel Stadium, Adelaide Oval), and commercial real estate (Rialto Towers, Q1 Gold Coast, Myer), pricing typically determined per project via account managers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined by product type, retailer, and commercial project scope.

The company's strategic positioning is anchored on three pillars: Australian-made manufacturing provenance, 40+ years of industry experience, and sustainability credentials. The flagship 2025 Nike Grind partnership converts unused Nike manufacturing materials into the Step Pro underlay, complementing an existing circular supply relationship with sister company Foamco and carbon offset participation via Tree-Nation. The business is privately held with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or M&A activity, and operates with 11–50 employees.

Name

Airstep Australia

Legal name

Airstep Australia Pty Ltd

Website

https://airstep.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Airstep Australia is a privately held Australian manufacturer of carpet and hard flooring underlays produced from foam and recycled materials at its Dandenong South, Melbourne facility. It serves residential customers through a network of flooring retailers and commercial customers (hotels, casinos, stadiums, offices) through direct project supply agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flooring Underlays (Carpet and Hard Flooring)

NAICS

Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing (32615)

SIC

Carpets & Rugs (2273)

akta.pro primary industry

Carpet Cushion & Underlay Manufacturing (IMAOAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Floor Covering Backing & Primary Substrate Manufacturing (IMAOAJAK), Industrial Matting, Flooring & Safety Rubber Products (IMANALAI)

Keywords

• Carpet underlay manufacturing
• Foam rubber underlays
• Commercial flooring underlay
• Hard flooring underlay
• Recycled underlay materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Dandenong

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Underlay Product Sales: One-time transaction sales of carpet underlay, hard flooring underlay, and commercial underlay products through retail partners and direct commercial supply. Products sold per roll/unit to flooring retailers, builders, contractors, and end consumers.
2. Commercial Project Supply: Direct supply relationships with commercial builders and contractors for large-scale projects including hotels, casinos, stadiums, and office buildings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Airstep Australia manufactures an extensive range of foam and rubber carpet underlays and hard flooring underlays at its Dandenong South facility in Melbourne. The portfolio spans residential foam underlays (economy through luxury grades), commercial foam and latex rubber underlays (including dual bond grades), and hard flooring underlays for floating floor systems, with 90% of production carried out on-site. Products are sold through a network of flooring retailers and preferred partners, supplemented by direct supply to commercial builders and contractors.

Product overview

Airstep Australia is Australia's only complete underlay company, offering a comprehensive portfolio of carpet underlays and hard flooring underlays manufactured from foam and rubber materials. The product portfolio is organized into three main categories: Residential Underlays (foam underlays for domestic applications including economy options like Stepeco and Steplight through to luxury options like Stepsupreme and Pet Defence), Commercial Underlays (including foam options like Stepbond5/7 and dual bond latex rubber options like Bounce470/650 and CushionBac340), and Hard Flooring Underlays (for floating floors including Acoustalay, Acoustistep, AquaDefend, and Timbermax). The company has been servicing the domestic and commercial building industries for over 40 years, with 90% of products manufactured on site at their head office in Dandenong South, Victoria. Recent innovations include Step Pro (featuring Nike Grind recycled materials, exclusive to Choices Flooring) and expanded commercial dual bond offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Step Pro: Flagship product created through partnership with Nike Grind, featuring unused Nike manufacturing materials turned into underlay at Airstep's Dandenong South manufacturing site. Exclusive to Choices Flooring.
• Pet Defence

Products and services

• Pet Defence Luxury foam underlay designed for homes with pets, featuring a breathable moisture barrier that helps prevent pet accidents from seeping through to cause staining and lingering odours; hypoallergenic and asthma/allergy friendly.
• Stepeco Economical 10mm thick residential foam underlay, environmentally friendly, made from 90% recycled materials.
• Stepezy Residential foam underlay offering standard comfort and support for carpet installations.
• Steplight Entry-level residential foam underlay providing basic comfort and carpet support benefits.
• Steplux Residential foam underlay offering enhanced comfort and quality for domestic carpet applications.
• Stepmax Premium residential foam underlay delivering superior comfort and carpet longevity.
• Stepsmart Multi-purpose foam underlay suitable for both residential and commercial use with a heavy commercial rating, providing standard underfoot comfort and noise reduction.
• Stepsupreme Luxury grade Australian made foam underlay with antimicrobial laminate, 11mm thickness, 95kg/m3 density, noise reduction, and underfloor heating compatibility.
• Step Pro Flagship underlay product from the Nike Grind partnership, blending Nike's unused manufacturing materials with Airstep's components; 11mm thick, 140kg/m3 density, sold in 1.8m x 10m rolls; exclusive to Choices Flooring.
• Cushion Pad Commercial underlay constructed from recycled textile fabrics with heavy commercial rating; environmentally friendly alternative to traditional hairfelt products.
• Premier Pad Premium commercial underlay from recycled textile fabrics with heavy commercial rating, an upgrade over traditional hairfelt products.
• Bounce470 Heavy commercial dual bond underlay constructed from latex rubber, 4.7mm thick, marketed as the best in the Australian market.
• Bounce650 Luxury-focused commercial dual bond underlay from latex rubber, 6.5mm thick, recommended for high-end commercial settings such as boardrooms.
• CushionBac340 3.4mm thick dual bond underlay crafted from latex rubber, designed for installation beneath carpet tiles with 1100 g/m2 weight; the only Airstep product warranted for carpet tile installations.
• Dura-Bond Commercial foam underlay providing an alternative for commercial applications.
• Stepbond5 Heavy commercial foam underlay with improved top side laminate for smoother finish, 5mm thickness, positioned as an upgraded alternative to Dura-Bond.
• Stepbond7 Luxury commercial foam underlay at 7mm thickness, recommended for commercial settings requiring a more upmarket feel.
• Acoustalay Hard flooring underlay for use beneath floating floors.
• Acoustistep Hard flooring underlay designed for acoustic performance under floating floor installations.
• Airstep Moisture Barrier Plastic Moisture barrier product for hard flooring installations, helping protect floors from moisture damage.
• AquaDefend Hard flooring underlay providing moisture protection for floating floor installations.
• Drilay Hard flooring underlay for various floating floor applications.
• ThermaTread Hard flooring underlay designed for thermal performance benefits under floating floors.
• Timbermax Hard flooring underlay specifically designed for timber floor installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• VOC emissions for Stepezy: <14 ug/m2/hr Vinyl Acetate (vs permitted <400), <15 ug/m2/hr Hydrocarbons (vs permitted <300), <14 ug/m2/hr Styrene (vs permitted <410)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Nike GrindflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Partnership to incorporate unused manufacturing materials from Nike's production into underlay products at Airstep's Dandenong South facility. First product from this partnership is Step Pro, an 11mm thick underlay with 140kg/m³ density. This is a flagship co-development partnership that enables Nike to reduce manufacturing waste while Airstep creates sustainable, high-quality underlay products.
• Choices FlooringflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive retail distribution partner for Step Pro product. Choices Flooring stores nationwide offer the flagship Nike Grind partnership underlay as an exclusive product. This exclusive partnership takes the recycling sustainability story directly to consumers through Choices Flooring's retail network.
• FoamcocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company that supplies manufacturing offcuts and scrap materials for Airstep's recycling program. Foamco offcuts are incorporated into Airstep's sustainable underlay production alongside their own manufacturing scraps.
• Rip CurlminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainability partnership spotlight featured on Airstep's website under sustainability initiatives. Nature of partnership appears to be focused on environmental/sustainability collaboration.
• Tree-NationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCarbon offset partnership through Tree-Nation platform, demonstrated by website badge linking to Airstep's Tree-Nation profile showing CO2 impact tracking.
• Preferred Partners NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 12+ preferred retail partners displayed on website including flooring retailers and installers who are certified to recommend and install Airstep products. These partners form the core distribution channel for residential and commercial sales.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Carpenter Co. Major global polyurethane foam manufacturer with a flooring underlayment product line. Comparable because both produce foam underlay and comfort products targeting residential and commercial flooring channels.
• Tarkett: Global manufacturer of flooring and sports surfaces with residential and commercial product portfolios. Comparable because both serve commercial construction and renovation projects with products that often co-specify with underlay and flooring systems.
• FXI (formerly Foamex International): Large global foam products manufacturer serving bedding, furniture, and flooring underlayment. Comparable because both produce polyurethane and specialty foam products used as flooring underlayment, though FXI operates at much broader scale across multiple foam end-markets.
• Shaw Industries: One of the largest carpet and flooring manufacturers globally, with broad residential and commercial product portfolios. Comparable because both serve the same downstream flooring channels and commercial project customers.
• Mohawk Industries: Global flooring manufacturer covering carpet, rugs, and flooring accessories including underlayment. Comparable because both participate in the carpet underlay and broader flooring accessories value chain for residential and commercial customers.
• Leggett & Platt: Diversified manufacturer with a flooring products segment including carpet cushion and underlayment. Comparable because both supply underlay/cushion products to flooring retailers and commercial projects, though Leggett & Platt is far larger and broader across multiple categories.

Regional players

• Interface: Global modular carpet tile manufacturer (US-headquartered) with sustainability focus. Comparable because Interface's carpet tile commercial business relies on compatible commercial underlays — Airstep's CushionBac340 is the only product Airstep warrants for carpet tile installations, making Interface a relevant ecosystem peer.
• Feltex Carpets: New Zealand-based carpet manufacturer with Australian distribution. Comparable because both supply the Australasian residential and commercial flooring channel and have overlapping customer relationships with flooring retailers.

Emerging players

• Reliable Floor Coverings: Manufacturer of flooring underlayment products (including acoustic and moisture barrier ranges) sold into residential and commercial channels. Comparable because both specialize in underlay products rather than finished flooring, with overlapping channel partners and product positioning.

Direct peers

• Dunlop Foams: Australian manufacturer of foam products with significant overlap in foam underlay and flooring-grade foam. Comparable because both compete in Australian foam manufacturing for residential and commercial flooring underlay, with similar material science and channel exposure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airstep-australia-pty-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Airstep Australia