What is the difference between ping pong balls

These ping pong balls tend to have superb durability and elasticity and hold up for a much longer time period than the 1-star and 2-star ping pong balls. Also, while the 1-star and 2-star ping pong balls tend to be made by a generic manufacturer, the 3-star and 4-star ping pong balls are usually made by internationally-known and respected table tennis brands who are known for developing high-quality table tennis products.

Hopefully, we at eTableTennis. In addition to table tennis tables and table tennis rackets, we also carry a wide selection of ping pong balls. As always, if you need help finding the ping pong balls that best meet your needs, feel free to contact an eTableTennis. It is because professional players understand the different accessory dimensions add to the game of ping pong.

Beginners do not need to be particular. They may even find more straightforward accessories to serve them better and allow them to get accustomed to the game. The ball is an essential part of the ping pong game. The standard dimensions of a ping pong ball are mm size. The visible difference between balls is the shell thickness. Even though most of the balls are good quality, reputable manufacturers make premium quality balls that can hold up against the intense competition.

In a professional tournament, the ball must have specific dimensions. The current rules state that the ball must be 40mm in diameter. Preciously the ball was 38mm. The new dimensions slowed down the ball and made it visible to the TV audience. The market has many balls that come in different sizes. Some people prefer variation in sizes because it makes the game more dynamic.

It also allows a beginner to train with a slower ball until he can master the game. Between , a new type of ball made with non-flammable plastic material was introduced to the table tennis world.

As a buyer, you should look out for star ratings written on the ball. A rating of three stars represents tournament level quality and is the highest quality in the market. Fewer star ratings indicate a lower quality than what is allowed in professional tournaments. These balls are cheaper than 3 star balls and wear off very quickly. Some manufacturers come out with 4-star and 5-star balls, but they are not in reality rated above 3-star.

According to ITTF, 3-star is the highest and most consistent quality. Purpose For practice For training For tournament. Weight 2. Hardness Value 1. Previously the ping pong ball was made of rubber covered with cloth. The material was gradually replaced by celluloid. However, the celluloid production is declining and replaced by the non-celluloid ball made of poly-plastic material. It can be quite tricky if you are not sure what you are looking for.

Firstly, ensure the ball has no visible seam in the middle. If you can see the stitching, ignore that ball straight away. That ball will often have a flat spot around the seam area. Try press the ball to feel the level of firmness. If the ball caves in, it may not be good quality.

With this trainer ball, you can see that the same amount of pressure and the ball does not budge. If you grab your thumb and push quite firmly so that you are going into the bone, that is the amount of pressure that you are looking for the ball to withstand.

The third thing to look for is the roundness of the ball. Now by just taking a ball in your hand, it is often quite challenging to see that it is perfectly round.

The best way to do it is to spin the ball with your hand. By looking at it from the top, you can see if it has any wobbles in it. Think about spinning an egg and you can see the egg wobbles quite a lot.

A perfectly round ball will not swing. The ball is air-filled with oxygen to get the required weight. Other materials used for filling the ball would make it heavier. A heavy ball would slow down the game and make it boring. The ball is made of celluloid an inexpensive plastic. Celluloid gives the unique ivory white color of the ball. It enables the player to create a spin by swerving the bat in one direction or the other depending on the kind of spin he wants for the ball.

This technique is used to deliver spectacular shots and spins. Most ping pong balls are yellow. International table tennis rules allow for two colors only during the game; white and yellow.

Many people prefer yellow because it is visible against any table color. In an official match, yellow or white may be used depending on the color of the tabletop. There is currently one famous ball called XuShaoFa.

It is created with innovative technology to make seamless plastic balls. You may want to know more about this ball which can be a very quality ball for you to play with. Ping pong balls are made of celluloid or plastic substances like Polyethylene Terephthalate and are more air resistant. The strongest rebound ability is made of seamless plastic from the bounce experiment results, followed by the celluloid table tennis.

The least bounce is the plastic ball with seam. The seamless ball is more uniform, and the energy loss during the stress process is also smaller. Therefore, it can also produce a more substantial rebound. However, the difference between the two is only apparent after increasing the force conditions.

An experiment carried out by throwing the ball and let it fall vertically. The plastic ball has the slowest sound attenuation, which means this ball has the longest vocalization time, followed by the plastic ball with seam. Those colors have been tested to be the best choice in terms of contrast and playing clarity for table tennis players, and that is why you only see white balls used in tournaments.

There are differences in materials , sizes, qualities, and brands. The first and most known difference is in the materials.

There are two materials in which a ping pong ball can be made, and those are celluloid and plastic. After , the production of celluloid balls has been stopped because of their high flammability, and the decision to stop the production came from the ITTF. Celluloid is a mixture of nitrocellulose, camphor, alcohol, and colorants. Celluloid balls were made from the early s all the way to Plastic ping pong balls are usually made specifically from ABS-plastic that stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene.

Another big difference between celluloid balls and ABS-plastic balls is that celluloid balls were made to 38mm, whereas plastic balls are made to 40mm. As briefly hinted above, celluloid balls were made to diameter 38mm and ABS-plastic balls to 40mm. However, some 40mm balls were made from celluloid as early as after Sydney Olympics. The difference between 38mm and 40mm balls is that 38mm ping pong balls are faster, and they provide more spin than 40mm balls.

The opinions vary between table tennis players, and some say that the smaller balls are better, whereas some prefer the bigger ones. Either way, the standard tournament size is 40mm in diameter 1.

The quality differences between ping pong balls can be huge. The quality of the ball is measured with star ratings from 1-star being the worst to 3-star being the best. In the production phase of the table tennis ball, they are tested on weight , level , hardness , and roundness.

If the balls pass from every test, it is awarded a 3-star. If the ball falls in even one of the tests, it is labeled either one or two-star balls.

Finally, the price is higher in 3-star balls than it is with the lower ones. Finally, there is the matter of brand. Different brands focus on different quality balls. For example, some brands focus on selling training balls in bulk, whereas quality brands such as Nittaku focus on selling high-quality 3-star balls.

Orange ping pong balls are better if the surroundings are extremely light-colored or white.