Equipment
Ball
The international rules specify that the game is played with a light 2.7 gram, 40 mm diameter ball.[14] The rules say
that the ball shall bounce up 24–26 cm when dropped from a height of 30.5 cm on to a standard steel block thereby
having a coefficient of restitution of 0.89 to 0.92. The 40 mm ball was introduced after the 2000 Olympic Games.[13]
However, this created some controversy as the Chinese National Team argued that this was merely to give non-
Chinese players a better chance of winning since the new type of balls has a slower speed, while at that time most
Chinese players were playing with fast attack and smashes. A 40 mm table tennis ball is slower and spins less than a
38 mm one. The ball is made of a high-bouncing air-filled celluloid or similar plastics material, colored white or
orange, with a matte finish. The choice of ball color is made according to the table color and its surroundings. For
example, a white ball is easier to see on a green or blue table than it is on a gray table. Stars on the ball indicate the
quality of the ball. Three stars indicate that it is of the highest quality, and is used in official competition.
Table
Diagram of a table tennis table showing the unofficial dimensions
The table is 2.74 m (9 ft) long, 1.525 m (5 ft) wide, and 76 cm (30 inch) high with a Masonite (a type of hardboard)
or similarly manufactured timber, layered with a smooth, low-friction coating.[15] The table or playing surface is
divided into two halves by a 15.25 cm (6 inch) high net. An ITTF approved table surface must be in a green or blue
color.
Racket
: Table tennis racket
Players are equipped with a laminated wooden racket covered with rubber on one or two sides depending on the grip
of the player. In the USA the term "paddle" is common, in Europe[where?] the term is "bat," and the official ITTF term
is "racket".
The wooden portion of the racket, often referred to as the "blade", features, on average, anywhere between one and
seven plies of wood, cork, glass fiber, carbon fiber, aluminum fiber, or even Kevlar. There are no restrictions as to
what kinds of materials may be used, just so long as the racket consists of at least 85% natural wood. [16] Common
wood types include Balsa, Limba, Walnut, and Cypress or "Hinoki," which is popular in Japan. The average size of
the blade is about 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) long and 6 inches (15 cm) wide. Although there are no official restrictions on
the shape or size of the blade itself, these dimensions are optimal for most play styles.
Table tennis regulations allow different surfaces on each side of the racket. [17] The different types of surfaces provide
various levels of spin or speed, or in some cases, nullify spin. For example, a player may have a rubber that provides
much spin on one side of his racket, and one that provides no spin on the other side of the racket. By flipping the
racket in play, different types of returns are possible. To help a player distinguish between different types of rubber
used by his opposing player, international rules specify that one side must be red while the other side must be black.
[16]
The player has the right to inspect his opponent's racket before a match to see the type of rubber used and what
color it is. Despite high speed play and rapid exchanges, a player can see clearly what side of the racket was used to
hit the ball. Current rules state that, unless damaged in play, the racket cannot be exchanged for another racket at any
time during a match.
