What are Foosball Balls Made of? (Do You Know the Answer?)

Have you ever played a game of foosball and found yourself wondering what foosball balls are made of?

We’ve wondered the same thing. That’s why we did a little research and found the answer. Since we were curious about it, we thought we’d share our discoveries with you.

In this little post, we’ll explain what foosball balls are made of, and if the material matters at all.

Here’s What Foosball Balls are Made of

Foosballs balls are commonly made of two different materials: hard plastic or cork. That being said, there are four main types of foosball balls made from these two materials:

• Traditional soccer balls
• Cork foosball balls
• Textured foosball balls
• Smooth foosball balls

Read Also: White Foosball Table Options That Actually Look Good

The Four Types of Foosball Balls

Of the four main types of foosball balls, does it matter which one you choose?

In short, the answer is yes. We’ll explain in more detail why there are benefits and drawbacks to each type, so you can better understand which kind you should choose.

Traditional

This is the type of ball you’ll see most often coming with lower-end foosball tables. They are designed to resemble actual soccer balls, and because of this, they’re an attractive novelty ball.

However, if you’re really serious about the game, these are not the best balls to pick. Their hard plastic surface is smooth and slippery, so it’s difficult for your foos men to grip them. Furthermore, they like to keep rolling way longer than you may want them to.

Cork

In Europe, cork balls are the kings of the foosball table. As you can guess, they’re made from cork, and the material is naturally good for gripping.

Because the material is better for grip, players can strategize more. They can pin the ball down, pass it, or attempt to make shots. All this results from the effortless control granted to players from the cork foosball balls.

Smooth

These are not the best foosball balls for beginners. They’re a step above the traditional soccer foosball balls that some tables come with, but their hard plastic surface is still far from easy to control.

Catching and pinning them is extremely difficult. On top of that, they tend to roll around and smash into walls very loudly, which some people do not prefer in their games. The one main advantage smooth foosball balls have is that they’re dense and speedy.

Textured

You can imagine textured foosball balls as the best of both worlds between smooth and cork. You’re getting a combination of the two with some of the grip of cork and some of the speed of smooth.

For that reason, this type of foosball ball is used often in tournaments in the United States. They’re fast enough to make the game interesting, but give players the control they need to execute different strategies.