Pool Safety Cover: Mesh vs Solid, Cost and Standards

What makes a pool safety cover: the ASTM F1346 standard

A safety cover is defined by a test standard, not by how heavy it looks. If the label does not cite ASTM F1346, treat it as a debris or winter cover.

The standard is ASTM F1346, Standard Performance Specification for Safety Covers and Labeling Requirements for All Covers for Swimming Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs. The current edition is F1346-23, listed as active and last updated July 13, 2023. ASTM’s public scope says it sets requirements for safety covers on swimming pools, spas, hot tubs and wading pools and, when a cover is correctly installed and used as the maker instructs, is intended to reduce the risk of drowning by inhibiting access to the water by children under five years of age. It also sets marking requirements for all covers, safety or not (ASTM International).

The full text is sold by ASTM ($72.00 on its store), so this page describes only what ASTM and ANSI publish. ANSI’s public summary names four performance tests:

• Static load test: shows the cover can support specified weights.
• Perimeter deflection test: shows a child who falls onto the cover, or another child, cannot slip through gaps between the cover and the pool edge.
• Surface drainage test: checks that no unsafe amount of water collects on top.
• Openings test: shows openings stay small enough to keep a small child’s head out of the water.

Older documents cite F1346-91, the edition referenced in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s 2012 Safety Barrier Guidelines for Residential Pools. ASTM still lists F1346-91 (reapproved 2018) alongside the 2023 edition, so ask which edition a cover is certified to.

Mesh vs solid vs automatic pool safety covers

Mesh covers let rain and snowmelt drain through, so they need no pump and one person can often handle them. Fixr says mesh blocks 99% of sunlight against 100% for solid, so some light and fine debris get in and the water needs more work at opening. River Pools puts mesh life at 10 to 15 years and says mesh typically costs $200 to $600 less than solid vinyl.

Solid covers keep sunlight and debris out, but water collects on top. Fixr warns that undrained water on a solid cover can be a drowning hazard for children and pets, which is why a cover pump is part of the system; River Pools says those submersible pumps last 2 to 4 years and the covers 7 to 11 years. Solid covers take at least two people to handle.

Automatic covers run on a track at the push of a key switch or button. They are the only type that the model International Swimming Pool and Spa Code accepts in place of a barrier around a pool, and only when powered and compliant with ASTM F1346 (2024 ISPSC 305.1). Where the house wall forms part of the barrier, the model code also lists an ASTM F1346 safety cover as one option next to door alarms (305.4). Latham, a cover maker, says the fabric may need replacing every five to eight years, and that automatic covers are not made to carry heavy snow, so owners also need a winter cover when closing the pool.

Inground pool covers: what each type costs

For a typical pool, budget $1,200 to $3,000 for a mesh safety cover and $1,800 to $3,600 for solid, according to both Angi and HomeAdvisor, which put average jobs at $2,100 and $2,700. Fixr prices a professionally installed 16 x 32 ft cover at about $2,700 in mesh and $3,700 in solid. Automatic safety covers sit in a different bracket: $7,000 to $25,000 with an average near $15,000 (Angi, HomeAdvisor), or $10,000 to $20,000 by Latham’s estimate.

Labor is part of the spread. Angi puts installation at $400 to $1,500 for manual covers and $2,000 to $10,000 for automatic covers, where track type matters: top tracks cost least, recessed tracks more, and under-track systems most. Custom shapes cost more than stock rectangles, and Fixr puts ongoing seasonal installation at $100 to $500.

Does a pool safety cover count as a pool barrier? State rules

Federal guidance treats a cover as one layer. CPSC’s barrier guidelines say barriers include a fence or wall, door alarms for the house and a power safety cover over the pool, and that power safety covers can serve as security barriers, especially where the house forms the fourth side. CPSC also says fences should be at least 4 feet high, with 5 feet or more preferable, and that the guidelines are not a mandatory standard.

State law decides what passes inspection. Our pool fence laws by state study found that 31 jurisdictions, 30 states plus DC, accept an ASTM F1346 safety cover as an option or exemption in some form, 17 leave the matter to local codes, and New Jersey accepts none for pools. Here is how eight states treat a cover:

If you are building, the barrier plan is part of the permit; see our pool permit guide. Local builders in Miami, Phoenix and Houston work under three very different rules: Florida’s five-feature statute, Arizona’s statute that yields to local ordinances, and Texas’s municipal code.

Why safety covers matter: child drowning numbers

Home pools are where the youngest children drown. CPSC’s 2026 report puts 60% of reported pool or spa drowning deaths of children under 5 at the child’s own home and another 19% at a family member’s, friend’s or acquaintance’s home. That is the group ASTM F1346 is written for.

Rates are highest in warm states. Florida had 6.65 pool drowning deaths per million residents a year in 2018 to 2024 and Arizona 6.15, against 2.42 nationally (pool drowning statistics by state, from CDC WONDER).

Measuring and installing an inground pool safety cover

1. Measure the pool, not the coverStock covers are sold by pool size. One retailer, MFS Supply, builds a 1 ft overlap into each side, so its 16 x 32 cover measures 18 x 34 ft. Use our pool volume calculator for shape and area.
2. Note steps, spas and raised wallsSteps, attached spas and raised features need cut-outs or a custom cover, which Angi says always costs more than a stock size.
3. Check the deckMesh and solid covers strap to anchors drilled into the deck, patio, lawn or coping; Fixr says the deck material sets the drill bit and suggests a professional for non-rectangular pools.
4. Tension the straps evenlyStraps hook to the anchors around the pool; Fixr notes the last few take the most tension.
5. Plan for water on solid coversBudget for a cover pump and a routine for clearing standing water.
6. Keep the paperworkKeep the ASTM F1346 label, warranty and installer details for the inspector and future buyers.

Measuring is the same job as finding your pool’s area in the pool volume calculator. If the deck needs repair before anchors go in, start with pool deck contractors; for a new build, ask your builder to price the cover with the pool, as covered in inground pool cost and how to choose a pool builder.

Pool safety cover care checklist

• Clear standing water Pump water off solid covers after rain or snowmelt (Fixr), and follow the maker’s instructions for automatic covers.
• Keep controls away from children CPSC says to keep cover control devices out of children’s reach.
• Keep the cover in good repair CPSC says to keep pool covers well-maintained; Angi puts pro repair labor at $50 to $100 an hour.
• Inspect straps, springs and anchors Replace worn parts before closing the pool for the season.
• Check the label Confirm the ASTM F1346 marking is still legible.
• Plan the replacement Angi says safety covers usually last seven to 10 years.

Related guides and data

Frequently Asked Questions

Related pages