What are billiard/snooker balls made of?

Question

What are billiard/snooker balls made of?

Answer 1

Yep yep, then ivory and now phenolic resin, which is encompassed by the term "thermoset".  See reference for more info on the state-of-the-art.

Answer 2

copper dragonet  already gives you very good answer......and yes!!  I know the answer too....I know that the Ivory was first use to create billiard balls...Back to time when Carom or Three Cushion Billiard are popular,  all billiard balls are made of I vory...  

Recently, all of the pocket billiard games including Snooker and Pool  balls are made of Phenolic resin.  Ivory balls  were continue to be use in Carom games until now but Phenolic balls for Carom games were started to become primary balls use by many professional players around the world

Answer 3

Hi, Cameron!

I love to shoot pool.  When I was little, we had an antique pool table, and the balls were made of ivory.

So - with that little bit of memory, I looked around online and found that yahoo! had answered the question of 'what are pool balls made of?' back in 2000.

Basically, since ivory 'hunting' was outlawed (probably because the elephants that were being killed for the ivory were close to becoming extinct), the balls have been made of a plastic or resin.

Here's what yahoo! said in 2000:  "After browsing through our extensive directory of billiards equipment vendors, we noticed the same strange phrase popping up -- thermoset resin. A few Google web searches and online dictionary consultations later, we discovered the secret of pool balls.

"Thermoset" is an adjective used to describe synthetic substances that set permanently when heated. And resin, in addition to being the sticky stuff that comes out of trees, is a "solid or liquid synthetic organic polymer used as the basis of plastics, adhesives, varnishes, etc."

As it turns out, billiard balls have played a vital role in the creation of polymers, or synthetic plastics. An interesting tidbit from the Polymer Selection Database explains:

One of the first developments of plastics was as a replacement to ivory billard balls, due to the dwindling supply of ivory. As far back as 1866, elephants were being slaughtered at an alarming rate to keep up with the demand for ivory billiard balls, billards having become America's favorite pastime.

No more eight balls made from elephants. Ain't science grand? "

Yes, indeed.  Ain't science grand.  Elephants, too.

Answer 4

I think if hunters had stuck to hunting  the tusks only as Mr Zwink suggests above, the elephant population would be much healthier.....However, they didn't so Phenolic resin is now used and NO HUNTING - except sports shops - INVOLVED

Answer 5

originally they were made from ivory, but since elephants are indangered now and the tusks can no longer be hunted, they are now usually made from composite polymers aka thermoplast plastic.

Answer 6

Just to add to the history lesson-Plastic

Answer 7

Phenolic resin is the correct answer.

And, thermoset simply means that it will not melt when heated. It is likely to char (or turn black). A thermoplastic will melt when heated. Common thermosets are epoxies with a resin and a curing agent that are mixed to produce the final plastic. A common thermoplastic is polyethylene to make things like milk jugs.