The Best Ping Pong Balls for Professional & Home Use (Top 8 Picks)

One of the best quality professional table tennis balls comes from PRO Spin. These ping pong balls impressed me in every way possible.

Unlike some of the other pong balls, you won't see a dent or a crack in these soon. They are durable and can withstand even the most aggressive throws. For those of you who like to have a back-up set, these come in two variations.

You can either get the Pro Spin three-star ping pong balls in white or the Pro Spin 3 star premium 40+ ping pong balls in white. Either way, you go; they come in bright colors, which are easier to spot in a quick match.

One of the most outstanding features for every professional gameplay is the design of these ping pong balls. In manufacture, they use seamless construction, which allows them to be highly durable.

Whether you decide to serve or smash, the perfectly round table tennis balls' shape and form won't change! Any player can now achieve the most accurate throws and always rely on precision.

The Pro Spin balls are made out of poly plastic. What makes these poly balls unique is that they are twice as durable as some other market models.

All of you advanced players know the importance of having ITTF approved table tennis balls.

These have been carefully tested under the most rigorous practice to ensure you get the best product possible.

When planning a party for your little rascals, you have to organize several activities that will keep them entertained. Buying a 50 pack of colored ping pong balls will be one of the most attractive games!

Firstly, the pack of 50 ping pong balls comes at a fantastic price! For this kind of budget-friendly deal, your kids will have a blast!

Plus, they will come in handy later.

You don't have to use them necessarily for party activities. One of my favorite uses is to incorporate them in interactive or for motor developing skills.

Moreover, the Meizhouer pack includes various colors such as pink, blue, green, red, yellow, orange, and purple. Due to their bright coloring, they are easier to spot if you lose track of them.

These table tennis balls are made out of environmental PP plastic while the ping pong balls diameter measures out 40mm, which is regulation size.

However, unlike some of the other table tennis balls, these ones are much lighter, weighing 2,4g. Meaning, they will serve you great for kids' play or train your pets but not for professional use.

Also, these would not suit you for, let's say, beer pong. Since they are on the lighter side and have a smoother finish, they tend to fly off the table and ruin the entire game.

For all of your practice table tennis matches, Franklin ping pong balls will do the trick in getting you to a better level.

These may not be up the alley with some of the best table tennis balls, but they are among the best ones for casual players.

Franklin training balls are designed with the official regulation size and weight. They have a 40mm diameter and weight around 2.7 g, which is the desired ball weight if you want an optimal bounce and performance.

As you can notice, this table tennis ball has a 1-star rating while some of our reviews have at least a 3-star rating.

We will go in-depth about this section in the buying guide section, but for now, let's say this: they are not as quality as 3 star rated ones.

If you expect them to last you for more than a few matches or not to create any dents, I have to disappoint you. The quality of them is not admirable, at least not for pro players.

Again, I remind you they will get you through the beginner stage and serve great as training balls.

I found these ping pong balls to be a perfect solution for parents who want to get a practice set for their little ones.

If you don't want them to mess around with your three-star rated table tennis balls, getting them the Franklin ones will be the best choice!

Another favorable option for players who want to level up their gameplay is the Mapol 3-star premium 40+ ping pong balls.

Whether you are shopping on a budget or just looking to get a quality pack of beer pong balls, then stick around to hear the whole deal.

The Mapol 3-star ping pong balls are made out of high-quality material and are perfectly round. Due to the size and weight, they serve great as a tournament ball for players that need more table tennis practice.

The orange table tennis balls come in white or orange, and they weigh 2.7g with 40mm diameter.

Since there are 60 table tennis balls in the pack, the chances of losing at least half of them are high. However, due to the brightly orange design, they are easier to spot and track down.

Now, I have to touch upon the following issue. Some players were amazed by the consistent bounce and spin, saying no better pick for this kind of price.

However, some were not so impressed.

Since these Mapol table tennis balls are on the lighter side, they are not so durable. They will probably last you for a few practice sessions, but don't expect wonders after that.

Also, since this is a bulk pack, you can expect some oddballs that do not offer the best quality.

Nonetheless, you are less likely to spot a difference when you have around 50 more ping pong balls in spare.

If you already did your research, you would find that some of the most high-quality table tennis balls are manufactured in Japan or China. Even the world's most admired competitors choose to play with ping pong balls from this region.

If you want to be one step closer to the pros', I suggest you take a look at Nittaku 3-star premium ping pong balls. These ones have been carefully manufactured to give you the best performance possible.

Manufactured in Japan, the Nittaku 3 star premium table tennis balls offer one of the most impressive quality designs. What makes the point pong ball special is the robust plastic.

Some of the competitors on our list are made from lightweight plastic that is more suitable for home use. Not this one. The Nittaku 3-star ping pong balls, are made out of polystyrene, a material produced specially for Nittaku.

Plus, due to the heavy-weight material, the ball offers consistent bounce. If you wish to use these professional table tennis balls, you can do so in a tournament.

This official tournament ball has been ITTF approved and suitable for competition use.

It even surpasses some of the most advanced table tennis balls by its superb quality and design.

This surprised us since we know that Nittaku table tennis balls are the official ball for World Table Tennis Championships since 2017.

Ask any table tennis enthusiast, and they will tell you that Butterfly table tennis balls make their performance better.

These ones are one of our favorites when it comes to precision, durability, and professional use.

Let's start with the star rating.

The Butterfly is a 3-star ping pong ball that has been ITTF and USATT approved. They come in classic white color that is specific for tracking if you happen to misplace them or if you need to spot them during the match.

Like any other table tennis ball on our list, the Butterfly ping pong ball follows the regulation size and weight. They measure out 40 mm in diameter and incorporate the size thickness, which results in a consistent bounce.

What Butterfly wanted to achieve is be in the same range as good-old celluloid balls. As far as we're concerned, they fulfilled their promise and delivered one of the best competition balls the 2021 market has to offer.

Additionally, these ping pong balls have been manufactured in Germany, and they are the Official Ball Sponsor of the Butterfly Canada Cup from 2015 to 2018.

If you are looking for reliable ping pong balls to buy, you can't get any better than Butterfly. They are one of the most appreciated brands of ping pong balls adored by both professionals and casual players.

1. Know Your Ping Pong Ball Ratings

If you are a beginner player or looking to get a bundle of table tennis balls for kids or pets, you might get confused over the star rating on the ping pong ball.

What does that even mean? 

Let's break it down.

Best table tennis balls have a star rating between 1 to 3.

The ones marked with a 3-star rating are the ones with the most quality and durability. The ones with lower ratings are reserved for casual players, and they tend to lose their shape and form quickly.

Ping pong balls that don't have any rating are suitable for kids, pets, or beer pong.

What's important to know is that the star rating balls are not standardized.

Each manufacturer can declare their rating and sometimes not correlate it with quality. For instance, there are some ping pong balls with a 5-star rating but a low rate.

2. ITTF Approval Standards

If you truly want to get the best table tennis equipment, look for the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) approval.

You will be sure that the ping pong ball of your choice underwent rigorous testing before you purchased it.

ITTF does not approve just any type of ping pong ball they come across. No way!

Every model is tested to make sure they follow these standards for a tournament play:

The best ping pong ball MUST:

Surface of the best ping pong ball MUST:

3. Best Material For Ping Pong Balls

When purchasing a table tennis ball for professional use, it's essential to pay attention to the materials used.

One of the traditional materials is celluloid.

This is a transparent flammable plastic made from nitrocellulose and camphor. However, back in 2014, ITTF gave manufacturers the freedom to expand their deals and acclaimed a few more acceptable materials.

Even though celluloid ping pong balls are prevalent even today, it's popularity is expected to decline due to the high flammability.

On the other side, we have plastic poly balls that seem to have taken the world by storm in tournament play sports.

Understandingly, these are far safer than celluloid, but they also have their flaws.

A plastic table tennis ball is significantly lighter, therefore, offers less bounce and spin.

4. Seamless Vs. Seamed Table Tennis Ball

The newly developed table tennis balls can come with seems, while traditional celluloid balls always have a seam.

The ones without a seam tend to be more durable since they can't develop a weak point.

Although they can be tricky to find, some advanced players commented that they offer the same experience as some of the high-quality cellulose balls.

What are the best ping pong balls?

What ping pong balls do professionals use?

Professionals use a 3-star rated ping pong celluloid ball with 40 mm in diameter and 2.7g in weight.

The best ping pong ball needs to have a consistent bounce, uniform harness, and perfectly round shape, among other properties.

How much do ping pong balls weigh?

The ping pong ball's weight depends on the manufacturer and the type of material used in production.

Most of the ping pong balls weigh between 2.5g to 2.7g, which is the optimal weight—the lighter the balls, the minimal the bounce and spin.

How are ping pong balls made?

Where to buy ping pong balls?

You can find a variety of ping pong balls on Amazon. We have selected the top 8 models suitable for casual, everyday use, and some reserved for professionals.