Top tips to help you choose your ideal table tennis ball.
Part two - approved 40mm table tennis balls.
Introduction | Approved 40mm table tennis balls
In part one we looked at the different types of balls.
Let's now take a look at what qualities are needed by a table tennis ball to make it onto the ITTF approved list.
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Tests are carried out for a ball's ...
The ball must be white or orange, and matt, and must appear to be uniform and only have one seam.
And its ...
Although the official rules state that the ball shall be 2.7g, any weight between 2.67g and 2.77g is acceptable for any one ball in the test batch.
No more than 1 ball out of the 24 tested may be outside this range and the sample mean must be between 2.69g and 2.76g.
And its ...
The minimum diameter of every ball must be at least 39.50mm, and its maximum diameter must not exceed 40.50mm.
The sample mean average diameter, i.e. the mean of the average of the maximum and minimum diameters for each ball, must be in the range 39.6mm to 40.4mm.
And its ...
The sphericity of a ball - or more correctly the lack of sphericity - is the absolute difference between its minimum and maximum diameters.
The sphericity of any ball must be less than 0.35mm, and the sample mean sphericity must be less than 0.25mm.
And its ...
Veer is a measure of the total sphericity of the ball.
It's measured by rolling the ball down a slight incline onto a horizontal surface, and measuring the distance by which it deviates from a straight line as it rolls across the surface.
Balls shall not deviate by more than 175mm from the center-line.
And its ...
Every ball must rebound to a height of not less than 240mm or more than 260mm when dropped from a height of 305mm on to a standard steel block.
And its ...
Hardness is measured with a fully automated and computerised tester. A 20mm diameter pin presses against a pole of the ball.
Measurements are made on each pole and the average for the poles provides a measure of the hardness.
The coefficient of variation shall be not greater than 0.06mm.
And also the ...
The stamp on the ball must include the following four components:
No other text is permitted.
The following is a list of ITTF approved 40mm table tennis balls valid from 1st January - 31st December 2012.
| No | Trademark / Brand Name | Color | Stamp Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 729*** | White | Blue + Purple |
| 2 | Adidas*** | White | Black |
| 3 | Adidas*** | Orange | Black |
| 4 | andro*** | White | Black |
| 5 | andro*** | Orange | Black |
| 6 | Artengo 950C*** | Orange | Black |
| 7 | Artengo*** | White | Blue |
| 8 | Butterfly*** | White | Black + Red |
| 9 | Butterfly*** | Orange | Black + Red |
| 10 | Champion Platinum*** | White | Black |
| 11 | Champion Professional*** | White | Black |
| 12 | Cornilleau*** | White | Black |
| 13 | Cornilleau*** | Orange | Black |
| 14 | DHS *** | White | Black + Red |
| 15 | DHS *** | Orange | Black + Blue |
| 16 | Donic*** | White | Black |
| 17 | Donic*** | Orange | Black |
| 18 | Double Fish*** | White | Black + Red |
| 19 | Double Fish*** | Orange | Black + Red |
| 20 | Dunlop Fort Tournament | White | Black + Orange |
| 21 | Gewo Ultra Super Selected*** | White | Black |
| 22 | Giant Dragon*** | White | Blue + Red |
| 23 | Giant Dragon*** | Orange | Blue + Black |
| 24 | Go Sport*** (can be used only until June 2012) | White | Black |
| 25 | Go Sport*** (can be used only until June 2012) | Orange | Black |
| 26 | Imperial*** | White | Blue + Red |
| 27 | Joola Gold*** (can be used only until June 2012) | White | Black + Green |
| 28 | Joola Gold*** (can be used only until June 2012) | Orange | Blue+Red |
| 29 | Joola Super*** | White | Black + Blue |
| 30 | Joola Super*** | Orange | Black + Blue |
| 31 | Killerspin*** | White | Black + Red |
| 32 | Killerspin*** (can be used only until June 2012) | Orange | Black + Red |
| 33 | Nimatsu*** | Orange | Black |
| 34 | Nittaku Premium*** | White | Blue |
| 35 | Nittaku Premium*** | Orange | Blue |
| 36 | Nittaku*** | White | Blue + Red |
| 37 | Nittaku*** | Orange | Blue + Red |
| 38 | Peace S-S*** | White | Green + Red |
| 39 | Peace*** | White | Blue |
| 40 | Rucanor Triple Circle*** (can be used only until June 2012) | White | Blue |
| 41 | Schildkröt Super*** | White | Blue + Black |
| 42 | Schildkröt Super*** | Orange | Blue + Black |
| 43 | Stag Peter Karlsson Premium | Orange | Black + Red |
| 44 | Stag*** | White | Blue + Red |
| 45 | Stag*** | Orange | Black + Red |
| 46 | Stiga Competition*** | White | Black |
| 47 | Stiga Competition*** | Orange | Black |
| 48 | Stiga Optimum*** | White | Black |
| 49 | Stiga Optimum*** | Orange | Black |
| 50 | Tibhar JPS+ | White | Black |
| 51 | Tibhar*** | White | Black |
| 52 | Tibhar*** | Orange | Black |
| 53 | TSP *** | White | Black |
| 54 | TSP *** | Orange | Black |
| 55 | Xiom Precision*** | White | Black |
| 56 | Yasaka*** | White | Black |
| 57 | Yasaka*** | Orange | Black |
Introduction | Approved 40mm table tennis balls
For more information, tips and recommendations about table tennis equipment, take a look at my other articles ...
Go to Table Tennis Equipment page from 40mm Table Tennis Balls
Go to All About Table Tennis home page from 40mm Table Tennis Balls
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