Billiard Ball Size report
Billiard is one of the most popular ball games in the world and one of the most common recreational activities. Billiards are also called snooker or pool. There are two popular styles: English Pool and American Pool. The fact is that there are a lot of differences between these two styles in virtually every aspect of the game, from the billiard balls and the cues to the pool tables.
Professional billiards typically use cues over 91.4 cm long during the match. The general rule of the billiards sport is to score by hitting the white cue ball to pocket the other object balls. One of the biggest differences between English and American pool is the size and style of the balls.
Bigger tables need bigger balls. So American pool is generally played with larger and heavier balls than the English pool. English pool balls are a little more unique because the cue ball is marginally smaller than the object balls. Here this post will introduce various common sizes of billiard balls.
Billiard Ball Size Guide
Billiards is categorized into multiple styles, such as Russian Kaisa, Carom billiard, Snooker, English pool, and American pool. All of them differ in terms of rules and regulations. They also have different sizes of balls as well as different sizes of tables.
The most famous styles of billiards are English and American. American pool balls are instantly recognizable. They are large, 2 1/4 inches balls with iconic spots and stripes, with the cue ball matching the object balls in size and weight. Compared with American billiards, English billiards have a larger pool table, smaller billiard balls, and pockets, and more difficulty scoring. Snooker uses fifteen red balls, six colored balls of different colors, and a white cue ball; English billiards use only three colors: white, red, and yellow balls.
Diameters and Weights of Billiard Balls
Billiard balls range in diameter from the largest in the Russian pyramid and Kaisa at 2 11/16" (68 mm) to the smallest in English billiard cue balls at 1 1/7" (40 mm) and object balls at 2" (51 mm). Russian Kaisa balls weigh 255 grams, and English pool balls are 96 grams and 118 grams. The other three styles are as follows:
- The Carom billiard ball size measures 2 7/16" (61.5 mm) in diameter and 230 grams in weight.
- American pool balls are 2 1/4" (57.15 mm) in diameter, and the mass is 170 grams
- Snooker balls are 2 1/16" (52.5 mm), and the mass is 145 grams.
Styles | Cue Ball Diameter | Cue Ball Weight | Object Ball Diameter | Object Ball Weight |
---|---|---|---|---|
Russian Kaisa | 2 11/16" | 255 g | 2 11/16" | 255 g |
Carom | 2 7/16" | 230g | 2 7/16" | 230g |
American Pool | 2 1/4" | 169g | 2 1/4" | 169g |
Snooker | 2 1/16" | 145g | 2 1/16" | 145g |
English Pool | 1 1/17" | 96g | 2" | 118g |
Final Words
The raw materials for the production of billiard balls are mostly chemical resins. In the current international professional billiards competitions, crystal balls made of resin produced in Belgium are generally used. Billiard balls come in different sizes depending on the size of the table and the style. Now you know how these billiard balls differ, you can make the right choice and enjoy your game.