What is a billiard ball made out of?

Question

What is a billiard ball made out of?

Answer 1

a phenolic resin, very hard but not brittle...they were once made of ivory I believe as billiards/pool is a very old game...I remember seeing a picture of Abe Lincoln next to a Brunswick table (he used to play too!)...pretty cool...

Answer 2

Eightbraker is right on this one.  The highest quality billiard balls made today are made of phenolic resin.  Lower quality polyester balls are still made today.  You can definitely tell the difference.  Polyester balls don't hold their shape as well, the colors and numbers tend to fade, they won't hold a shine as well.  You see a lot of these in cheap bar tables.  M.D.-BCA Instructor/Referee.

Answer 3

Were ivory cut from center of tusk

then they tried celluoid ever had a ball explode no fun

now i cant spell the plastic resin starts with  neb

would i be braging if i said i have a set of ivory balls

not for sale

Answer 4

elephant tusks

Answer 5

elephant tusks ,  not!!!

don't know,but a very good question.

Answer 6

i think its really compacted chalk or powder. if you throw one hard on the ground, it shatters into a powder of some sort.

Answer 7

Phenolic resin, a virtually unbreakable plastic. In fact, the search for a better billiard ball is how a lot of todays plastic materials came about.