Cue Sticks

The Cue Stick

A cue stick was originally wooden and was called the "mace." The mace was used to push the ball, not strike it. The handle of the mace was called the "queue" and that's where the term "cue" came from. "Queue" is French for "tail." When the ball was resting directly on a "cushion," or rail, players would turn the queue around to use the skinny end of it to get a better shot. This further adapted into the cue's shape as we know it today.

The shape of the current day cue is a larger diameter in the shaft, which is used for the player to put their hand around. The cue then gradually tapers to a smaller diameter towards the end of its hitting surface, which is called the "ferrule." Better cue sticks will often have better material used to make the ferrule, such as fiber glass or brass. Flush with the ferule is a felt tip, which is used to make better contact with the cue ball and give a better grip to put different spins on the ball.

Cue sticks today can cost anywhere from $5 for a cheap one to many thousands of dollars for a top of the line cue. Cheaper cue sticks are constructed from maple or pine, usually from Canada. Higher end cues are made from top quality woods or even aluminum or graphite.