Pool Table Balls

Cue balls are used in billiard sports and some of these include pool or pocket billiards such as eight-ball, nine-ball and one pocket pool games. The pool table balls are often called billiard balls which have the same properties like all the other cue balls as they are hard and small and have the same properties such as friction, resilience, and the coefficient and hardness necessary for any cue sport. The weight of pool table balls varies from 5.5 to 6 oz and the diameter varies around 2.25 inches.

 
The WBA/BCA pool table balls are designed with their own specifications, numbers and different colors:

• Yellow number 1
• Blue number 2
• Red number 3
• Purple and pink if they play the small ball set is number 4
• Orange number 5
• Green number 6
• Brown or if they play the small ball sets is colored burgundy or tan is number 7
• Black is number 8
• White and yellow is number 9
• White and blue is number 10
• White and red is number 11
• Combination of purple and white or white and pink is ball number 12
• White and orange is number 13
• White and green is number 14
• And number 15 is colored burgundy, brown or white tan and white when playing the small sets.

White is the cue ball and may sometimes appear with spots. The number 2 to 7 pool table balls are commonly called solids while the number 9 to 15 pool table balls are referred to as stripes and many other names are being called to these set of numbers. The number does not belong to the solids though they do not differ in appearance.

There are pool games that only use the numbering method on the pool table balls like the nine ball instead of the solids and stripes like the nine-ball which made the object ball as the pool table balls to be pocketed. The different cue games employ different numbers of balls used. The complete set of pool table balls are used in straight ball, eight ball and other related games. The nine ball pool game uses balls numbered 1 to 9 with the additional cue ball.

The first pool table balls were made from wood and then followed by clay until the 20th century. Ivory balls were used during the 16th century but not to a greater degree until the 19th century where they gained popularity. Due to the great demand of ivory, the lives of the elephants were jeopardized and an award was given to any person who could invent an alternative material. John Wesley Hyatt invented the first industrial plastic pool balls made of celluloid but these were not durable enough to withstand stress from playing. At present pool table balls are made from plastic materials but are more resistant to chipping and cracking and do not explode.  There are manufacturers that use resins and plastics like clear acrylic and polyester.