How table tennis balls are made: A look behind the scenes

Have you ever been on a Table tennis in Berlin asked how the little white ball is actually made?

It weighs just 2.7 grams, but has to withstand impacts of over 100 km/h. Production is a process of absolute precision work. We take a look inside the factory - from the raw material to the finished 3-star ball, which you can buy from us at the counter.

The material: plastic instead of celluloid

In the past, balls were made from celluloid. However, the material was highly flammable and harmful to the environment during production. The standard has changed since 2014: Today, balls are made almost exclusively from ABS plastic (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene). This material makes the balls harder, more durable and safer.

The production process in 7 steps

Production is a mixture of mass production by machine (millions per year) and strict quality control. Here is the path of a ball:

The shaping process It all starts with flat plastic sheets. These are weighed and checked for quality. Machines press the sheets into an exact hemispherical shape under heat and pressure.
The trimming process The freshly pressed hemispheres still have rough edges. These are cut off precisely by machine so that both halves fit together perfectly.
Gluing (Gluing) Now comes the „wedding“: two halves are joined together in a gluing machine. The glue (solvent) must be applied absolutely evenly so that the ball does not burst open during play. After gluing, the seam is smoothed so that the ball is perfectly round.
Hardening (storing) Freshly glued balls are placed in special storage rooms. They harden at approx. 45-50 °C to achieve the optimum strength for your match.
Quality control (the centerpiece) Not every ball is perfect. That is why they are strictly sorted: Training balls, 1-star, 2-star or 3-star (competition). The test is carried out in several stages:

Surface check: Manual inspection under a lamp for unevenness.
Running test (Veer Test): The ball rolls down an inclined plane. If it deviates more than 175 mm from the straight line, it is rejected.
Hardness test: Machines press the ball in at different points to ensure that it is equally hard everywhere.
Roundness test: The ball must be almost perfectly round (deviation max. 2-2.4 mm).

Printing (Logo Printing) Only the balls that pass all the tests receive their stamp - including the star rating and the ITTF logo.
Packaging Finally, the balls end up in the boxes, which we then hand out to you.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What do the stars mean?

1-star / training balls: Good for beginners or ball bucket training.
3 stars: The highest quality. These balls are harder, rounder and have a consistent bounce.
Tip: In the Sportcenter Wittenau we sell high-quality balls in the store so that you don't have any frustration with „balls“.

Why do some balls say „40+“? The standard diameter is 40 mm. In the past (with celluloid) balls were often slightly smaller (approx. 39.6 mm) in order to save material. With the introduction of plastic balls, the world association demanded that balls at least must be 40 mm in size. The „+“ therefore guarantees that the ball is the real size.

Difference celluloid vs. plastic Plastic balls are slightly larger and harder. As a result, they have slightly less rotation (spin) than the old celluloid balls, but bounce more evenly. This makes the game slightly slower, which favors longer rallies - perfect for exciting duels with us!