Cue
balls are used in cue sports, such as carom billiards, pool, and
snooker. The number, type, diameter, color, and pattern of the balls
differ depending upon the specific game being played. Various specific
ball properties such as hardness, friction coefficient and resilience
are very important to the finer points of gameplay. These balls are also
known as pool balls/snooker balls/billiard balls.History: Wood and clay were the earliest materials used for making billiards ball. Clay billiard balls were in use till mid 20th century. By mid of 18th century, Ivory became the favorite for making billiard balls. For fulfilling the demand of billiards ball, elephants were killed at a rapid rate for their ivory. Only eight balls could be made from the ivory obtained from a single elephant. Then the billiards industry realized the danger of elephant being extinct. In1869, John Wesley Hyatt invented a material called cellulose nitrate for making billiards ball. Later celluloid was used for making balls. Certain other materials like Bakelite and other plastic compounds were used.
Now-a-days: In all major tournaments, phenolic resin billiard balls are used. These balls are highly resistant to cracking and chipping. Polyester is the other material used for manufacturing billiards balls, but they are more prone to damage.
The balls are available in different sizes such as: 1 5/8in, 1 3/4in, 1 7/8in, 2in or 2 1/2in.
