Pool Balls

Pool Balls

Pool balls (billiard balls) were originally made of stone then were adapted to wooden balls. Stone may seem unmanageably heavy for a pool ball, but in the first billiard games, the stick was used to push the ball, not strike it.

After wood was phased out, elephant ivory was used because of it's glossy appearance. Ivory became too expensive and scarce to be used, so then the cue balls were adapted into plastic materials such as celluloid. Currently, most pool balls as we know them are made of phenolic resin, a much more durable material.

Depending on what game of billiards is being played, the balls are different sizes and are colored differently. For example, American billiards (8 Ball) uses 16 balls, 7 stripes (high numbered balls), 7 solids (low numbered balls), a white cue ball, and the black 8 ball. On the other hand, Blackball uses un-numbered red and yellow or blue colored groups of balls. Blackball is similar to American pool, but is played in England and European countries. Snooker balls are slightly smaller in diameter. There are 22 balls in total, including 15 red balls, 6 different colors, and one white cue ball.