Aramith balls: series, sizes, spotting fakes

Why balls matter more than you think

Billiard balls are the piece of equipment people skimp on most often and most wrongly. A cheap polyester set from a supermarket for 30–40 EUR looks similar to a phenolic one, but differs in density, elasticity and durability. Polyester balls yellow after a few months, chip, lose their roundness and stop rolling straight. Phenolic balls, whose standard is Belgian Aramith, survive over a decade of club play. That is why a used Aramith set after five years in a club is still better than new polyester balls.

Sizes: pool, snooker, carom

Pool balls are 57.2 mm (2 1/4 inches) and weigh about 170 g. A set is 15 numbered balls and a cue ball: 1–7 solids, 8 black, 9–15 stripes. This size applies to 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball worldwide.

Snooker balls are 52.5 mm (2 1/16 inches). A set is 15 reds, 6 colours (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black) and a cue ball, 22 balls in total. English pool (blackball) uses 50.8 mm balls in red and yellow.

Carom balls are 61.5 mm and sold in threes: white, yellow and red. They are heavier (about 210 g) and require the highest manufacturing precision, because in carom there are no pockets to forgive a path error.

Check the size stated in the listing before buying. A 57.2 mm set on a snooker table is the most common buyer mistake, because many 6ft–8ft home "snooker" tables are in fact pool tables with green cloth.

Aramith series: which for home, which for a club

Aramith is the brand of the Belgian company Saluc, which has made phenolic balls since 1923 and supplies WPA events, the World Nineball Tour and the World Snooker Tour. The series differ in casting quality, dimensional tolerance and finish.

Aramith Premier is the club and home series. A new pool set costs roughly 90–140 EUR. Phenolic resin, good durability, standard colours. For most home tables it is all you need.

Aramith Premium has a tighter weight and size tolerance within the set and a better finish. Price 140–210 EUR.

Aramith Tournament (formerly Super Pro) are tournament balls, balanced within the set to 0.1 g, with the longest lifespan. The Tournament TV Pro version has colours chosen for broadcast: a purple 4 instead of pink, a light-brown 7 and a cue ball with red dots to show spin. Price 230–350 EUR. Duramith balls are the same class with a resin even more resistant to abrasion, 280–400 EUR.

In snooker the club equivalent is Aramith Premier Snooker and the tournament one Aramith Tournament Champion 1G, used on the World Snooker Tour. A new 1G set costs 350–500 EUR.

Beyond Aramith there are Cyclop balls (Taiwanese, used at some events in Asia and the USA), Brunswick Centennial (made by Saluc), Dynaspheres and Predator Arcos II. All are phenolic, priced from about 120 EUR upwards.

How to recognise genuine Aramith

Fakes and "Aramith-style" balls are common, especially in sets bundled with tables. A few checks.

Logo: genuine Aramith balls have an engraved, not printed, logo with the series name on the one ball or the cue ball. The lettering is sharp and recessed. On fakes it is flat and rubs off with a fingernail.

Weight and sound: an Aramith set weighs evenly, with differences between balls within a gram. Two phenolic balls striking give a clean, high sound. Polyester sounds dull.

Surface: phenolic resin has a slight, uniform gloss with no micro-bubbles. Under a magnifier a fake shows graininess and uneven borders between colours.

Number and colour: Aramith numbers are moulded into the ball, not stuck on. The colour runs through the full thickness of the material, so a chip has the same colour as the surface.

Box and price: a new Premier set for 35 EUR does not exist. If the price is half the shop price, it is not Aramith.

New or used

Phenolic balls have no expiry date. A used Aramith Premier set after a year in a club looks worse (fine scratches, darker chalk marks) but plays identically. Criteria when buying used: no chips at the colour edges, no cracks in the cue ball (the most stressed ball) and roundness. Check roundness by rolling a ball slowly on the table: it should stop without wobbling.

The cue ball is worth replacing separately if the set is older. Aramith sells the cue ball on its own for 15–30 EUR, plain or with red dots for spin training.

On BidBil ball sets most often arrive together with a table from a closing venue, or from players moving up to a higher series. Listings are in the pool balls, snooker balls and carom balls categories, and all together under billiard balls.

Training balls

A separate group are printed training balls: balls with aiming points (Aramith Pro Cup TV with six red dots), balls with lines for learning spin, and the Jim Rempe and Chris Henry sets. The dots on the cue ball show whether you hit the centre or applied spin. It is the cheapest way to see your own mistakes. Training ball sets cost 35–90 EUR.

How to care for balls

Clean the balls once a week with a soft cloth and a little water or ball cleaner (Aramith Ball Cleaner). Do not use products with alcohol or solvents, as they dull phenolic resin. Chalk from the balls transfers to the cloth and speeds up its wear, so regular cleaning extends the life of both. Store balls in their box, not in the table pockets, where they collect moisture and dust.

Frequently asked questions

Do Aramith balls fit every table? Yes, if the size matches the table's discipline: 57.2 mm for pool, 52.5 mm for snooker. Coin-operated bar tables are the exception: the cue ball there is often larger or heavier (magnetic or 60 mm) so the mechanism returns it separately. Such a table needs a dedicated cue ball, not one from a tournament set.

Why do balls turn yellow? Polyester and cheap resins react to UV light and hand grease. Aramith phenolic resin does not yellow, but it picks up a thin film of chalk and dirt that disappears after cleaning. If the cue ball is clearly yellow and cleaning does not help, it is not phenolic.

What does a balanced set mean? In the Tournament and Duramith series the maker matches balls within a set so that weight differences do not exceed 0.1 g and diameter 0.02 mm. On the break and in position play the balls then behave identically. In the Premier series the tolerance is wider, but unnoticeable in home play.

How many years do balls last? A phenolic set lasts 8–15 years in a club and practically forever at home. Aramith states its balls withstand about 400,000 hits without losing roundness. The cue ball most often needs replacing, because it is struck on every shot.

Matt or glossy balls? New phenolic resin is polished to a high gloss. Over time it dulls from chalk, which is natural and does not affect play. Polishing products (Aramith Ball Restorer) bring back the gloss and reduce friction on the cloth, but use them rarely, because overly slick balls change how the cue ball behaves with spin.

Summary

For home and club, Aramith Premier for 90–140 EUR; for tournament play, Tournament or Duramith. Check the size (57.2 mm pool, 52.5 mm snooker, 61.5 mm carom) and the genuineness of the logo. A used phenolic set without chips beats new polyester. All listings are in the billiard balls category, and the tables you buy them for in billiard tables.