What is a pool ball made of?

Answers:

The earliest balls were made of wood clay (the latter remaining in use well into the 20th century). Ivory was favored for a period, but by the mid-1800s, elephants were being slaughtered for their ivory at an alarming rate, just to keep up with the demand for billiard balls. No more than eight balls could be made from a single elephant. In an uncommon show of accidental environmentalism, the billiard industry realized that the supply of elephants (their primary source of ivory) was endangered. They challenged inventors to come up with an alternative material that could be manufactured, with a $10,000 prize from Phelan and Collender of New York City being offered.

In 1869, John Wesley Hyatt invented a composition material called cellulose nitrate for billiard balls (US patent 50359, the first American patent for billiard balls), winning the cash prize for best ivory substitute. By 1870 it was commercially branded Celluloid, the first industrial plastic. Unfortunately, the nature of celluloid gave these balls a tendency to occasionally explode[citation needed], adding additional spark to the game but ultimately making this first plastic impractical for such use.

Subsequently, to avoid the problem of celluloid instability, the industry experimented with various other synthetic materials for billiards balls such as Bakelite and other plastic compounds.

The exacting requirements of billiards are met today with balls cast from phenolic resin, which is strongly resistant to cracking and chipping; it has become the industry standard, and is virtually the only billiard ball material used today in tournaments and by professionals. Another plastic material called polyester (under various brand names) may also be used, with lower performance and less resistance to damage, resulting in shorter ball and cloth lifetime.

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