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Top tips to help you choose your ideal table tennis ball.
Part two - What criteria do ITTF approved 40mm balls have to meet
By Martin Hughes
Owner and Editor
Part One - Introduction & types of balls | Part Two - Approved 40mm TT balls
In part one we looked at the different types of table tennis balls and what the rules say about them.
We also looked at the two most recent major changes made to the ball which affected the size of the ball and the material used to make them.
So let's now take a look at the tests which are carried out on table tennis balls in order to meet the criteria set by the ITTF and then view a list of the balls which appear on the ITTF approved list of balls.
OK, let's get started...
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Tests are first carried out for...
The ball must be white or orange, and matt, and must appear to be uniform and only have one seam.
The stamp on the ball may cover an area no greater than 280mm2 and be printed in one or two colours, but the same colour or combination must be used for all balls of the same brand and the wording must comply with ITTF regulations.
The balls must be packaged appropriately, e.g. in paper or plastic boxes or in a blister pack. And the wording used on this package has to contain either "40" or "40mm" for celluloid balls or "40+" for non-celluloid balls.
The packaging of the balls must also contain a date or a date code and must comply with the ITTF regulations.
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And then there are tests which are carried out on a batch of 24 balls which include the following...
The official rules state that the ball shall weigh 2.7g, but any weight between 2.67 and 2.77g is acceptable for any one ball. No more than 1 ball out of the 24 sampled may be outside this range. The sample mean must be between 2.69 and 2.76g.
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And its...
The official rules state that the ball shall have a diameter of 40mm.
This is measured using a calibrated electronic device with a precision of at least 0.001mm and which measures the diameter with a precision of 0.01mm.
For celluloid balls 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 39.60-40.40mm
For non-celluloid balls the minimum diameter of every ball must be at least 40.00mm and its maximum diameter must not exceed 40.60mm.
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 40.00-40.50mm.
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And its...
The official rules state that the ball shall be spherical.
The sphericity of a ball - or more correctly the lack of sphericity - is the absolute difference between its minimum and maximum diameters.
By rotating the ball about its axes, the minimum and maximum diameters are determined. The difference between the two values gives the lack of sphericity.
For celluloid balls the sphericity of any ball must be less than 0.35mm, and the sample mean sphericity must be less than 0.25mm.
For non-celluloid balls the sphericity of any ball must be less than 0.25mm, and the sample mean sphericity must be less than 0.20mm.
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And its...
All balls 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.
For non-celluloid balls all 24 balls must rebound to a height of not less than 240mm and not more than 265mm when dropped from a height of 305mm to a standard steel block.
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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.
The incline is 100mm long at 14 degrees to the horizontal, and on a table that is 100cm long this gives a rolling time of about 3 seconds.
No more than two balls can deviate by more than 175mm from the center-line and each ball is measured at least three times.
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And its...
Hardness is measured with a fully automated and computerised tester.
A 20mm diameter pin presses against a pole of the ball and the indentation is recorded to a precision of 0.01mm.
Measurements are made on each pole and the average for the poles provides a measure of the hardness.
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And also the...
The colour of the ball must meet the colour specifations which have been set for either white or orange.
The stamp on the ball must also include the following four components:
No other text is permitted.
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Here's a video showing how the new DHS plastic balls are made and tested in China...
Here's a video showing how the new DHS plastic balls are made and tested in China...
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The following is a list of ITTF approved 40mm table tennis balls valid from 1st January - 31st December 2020.
No | Trademark / Brand Name | Ball Type | Ball Colour | Stamp Colour |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 729 40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black + Red |
2 | 729 P.S. 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
3 | 729 Plus 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
4 | Abros 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Pink |
5 | andro 3S*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
6 | andro 40+*** (can be used until 30 June 2020) | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
7 | Asian Pacific D40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + red |
8 | Aurora D40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Red + Black |
9 | Butterfly 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Navy + Magenta |
10 | Butterfly A40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Magenta |
11 | Butterfly G40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Gray + Magenta |
12 | Butterfly S40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Gray + Magenta |
13 | Butterfly R40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Magenta |
14 | Butterfly*** | Celluloid | White | Black + Red |
15 | Butterfly*** | Celluloid | Orange | Black + Red |
16 | Carlton GT1 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
17 | Cornilleau P-Ball ABS Evolution*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Lime Green |
18 | Cornilleau*** | Celluloid | White | Black |
19 | DF 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
20 | DHS D40+*** | Plastic with seam | Orange | Black + Blue |
21 | DHS D40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
22 | DHS DJ40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
23 | Donic P40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Blue |
24 | Double Fish V40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
25 | Double Fish V40+*** | Plastic with seam | Orange | Black + Red |
26 | Dunlop Fort Tournament 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
27 | Gambler P40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
28 | Gewo Select Pro 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Gold |
29 | Gewo Ultra SLP 40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black |
30 | Giant Dragon A40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
31 | GKI Premium 40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black |
32 | Guoqiu 40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black + Red |
33 | G.YAP D40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
34 | Hanno*** | Plastic seamless | White | Blue |
35 | Hotmail 40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Red |
36 | iPONG Spinforce 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Orange |
37 | Joola Flash 40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Blue |
38 | Joola Prime 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Blue + Gold |
39 | Joola Super*** | Celluloid | White | Black + Blue |
40 | Joola Super ABS 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Blue + Green |
41 | Kingnik Premium 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
42 | Kinson K40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
43 | Lion L40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
44 | Mozuru 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
45 | Nexy Force 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
46 | Nittaku Nexcel 40+*** | Plastic with seam | Orange | Black + Red |
47 | Nittaku Nexcel 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
48 | Nittaku NSD40+ | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
49 | Nittaku Premium 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
50 | Nittaku SHA 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
51 | Palio S40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
52 | Peace S40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Green |
53 | Pongori Decathlon C40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
54 | Radak R40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
55 | Raise 40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black |
56 | Raise ABS TEC 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
57 | Red+Black 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
58 | Sanwei ABS 40+ Pro*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
59 | Schildkrot Champion 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
60 | Schildkrot Super 40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Blue |
61 | Stag Peter Karlsson 40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black |
62 | Stag Supreme 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
63 | Stiga Perform 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
64 | Sunflex SX40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
65 | Tagro 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Blue + Pink |
66 | The World Connect 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
67 | Tibhar 40+ SL*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black |
68 | Tibhar 40+ SYNTT NG*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
69 | Tibhar 40+ SYNTT NG*** | Plastic with seam | Orange | Black + Red |
70 | Tibhar 40+ SYNTT*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
71 | Tibhar JPS+*** | Celluloid | White | Black |
72 | Tibhar*** | Celluloid | White | Black |
73 | Tibhar*** | Celluloid | Orange | Black |
74 | TSP 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
75 | TSP CP40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
76 | Tuttle T40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
77 | Victory Armor 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
78 | Winney T40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Red |
79 | Xiom 40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black |
80 | Xiom Bravo 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
81 | Xiom OZA 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
82 | Xiom Sensa 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Purple |
83 | Xiom V40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black |
84 | Xushaofa Sports*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black |
85 | Xushaofa*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black |
86 | Xushaofa G40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Red |
87 | Yasaka 40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Blue |
88 | Yasaka AB40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Blue |
89 | Yinhe H40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Black + Purple |
90 | Yinhe S40+*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black + Red |
91 | Yinhe Y40+*** | Plastic with seam | White | Blue + Black |
92 | Yinhe*** | Plastic seamless | White | Black + Blue |
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Part One - Introduction & types of balls | Part Two - Approved 40mm TT balls
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You Are Here: Home » Choosing Table Tennis Equipment » ITTF Approved 40mm Balls
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