A mat is a hard floor covering that generally is placed on a floor or other flat surface. Mats serve a range of purposes including:serving to clean items passed over it, such as a doormat, which removes dirt from the soles of shoes protecting that which is above the mat, such as a wrestling or gymnastics mat, or an anti-vibration mat protecting that which is beneath the mat, such as a place mat or the matting used in archival framing and preservation of documents and paintings providing a regular or flat surface, such as a cushioned computer mousepad

Marston Mat, more properly called pierced (or perforated) steel planking (PSP), is standardized, perforated steel matting material developed by the United States at the Waterways Experiment Station shortly before World War II, primarily for the rapid construction of temporary runways and landing strips (also misspelled as Marsden matting). The nickname came from Marston, North Carolina, adjacent to Camp Mackall airfield where the material was first used.