REGULATION POOL TABLE
1. 4′ wide x 8′ long
2. Playing surface is 44″ wide x 88″ long
3. Table height is 30.2″ floor to slate
4. Table height is 32″ floor to top of the rail
5. The slate is 1″ thick
6. The table is made of solid hardwood
7. The cushion is made of high performance rubber
8. The pockets are usually 4.5″ wide, but can vary with the manufacturer and buyer preferences.
9. The pocket angle of ball entry is sometimes altered intentionally by the Installer when the table felt is replaced to make it more difficult to pocket balls.
10. The pockets are fringed leather that is stained to match the sides of the pool table.
11. The rails are cushion rubber with a thin layer of cotton canvas vulcanized to the back side of the cushion, adhered to the rail, and covered with Simonis pool table cloth.
12. The rails have small diamonds for aiming, kick shots, and banks. There are nine diamonds, and eight segments length wise, and five diamonds and four segments width wise. Various numbering systems are available on-line “Pool Table Diamond System diagrams.”
POOL TABLE CLOTH The best is SIMONIS 860, worsted wool 70%, and nylon 30%.
POOL BALLS The best brand is Aramith 2.25” diameter made of phenolic resin, with 8 solids, 7 stripes per rack designed for a friction-free roll, with a solid core, and is scratch resistant.
CUE BALLS Aramith high-quality phenolic resin for density, balance, roundness, color, glossiness, hardness, weight, and 2.25” diameter.
TYPES : Unmarked, red dot, red measles, red circle, red logo, blue dot, blue logo, black dot, black logo, black measles, and diamond tournament.
POOL CHALK Usually blue (sometimes tan) formulated with pure silica, to be applied to the cue tip frequently, to avoid miscueing.
CUE TIPS Vary from super soft, soft, medium, and hard. Soft tips tend to flatten out and require more maintenance. Every brand type is measured for tip density using a standard Shore A Durometer 0-100 hardness scale using the average of 3 tips measured. The tip size ranges from 10 mm to 14 mm, depending on the size of the pool shaft, 14 mm is the most common. Tips are glued on then shaped to the customer’s preferences, usually from the shape of a nickel to a dime. The materials vary: leather, laminated leather, pig, and water buffalo. Various hand tools using sandpaper (60 grit to fine) are used to shape and mildly scruffing the tip to better hold the chalk to prevent miscueing. The tip should be the same diameter as the end of the cue shaft to protect the phenolic cap. In addition ,various cue tip piks, tappers, and tip tools are used to maximize chalk adhesion to prevent miscues.
POOL CUES There are a variety of types, such as:
PLAYING CUES (birds eye maple / exotic woods) With no joint, quick release, or joint style 3/8 x 10 often with various in-lays. or carbon fiber (multiple layer carbon fiber component body with pigmented epoxy resin finish) offers light weight, warping resistant, and minimal deflection
BREAK CUES joint style 5/16 x 18
JUMP CUES multiple layers of oriented glass fibers bonded to a kiln-dried grade A+ Maple core 3/8 x 14 no wrap.
WRAP OPTIONS: No wrap, Irish linen, leather .
Byron Cook aka The Lunch Bandit June 21, 2025