Bulk Ping Pong Balls: A Comprehensive Buying Guide

The sad reality is that ping pong balls never last. While the quality of table tennis balls has risen significantly since the first round of plastic balls in 2014, ultimately, balls still break, and there is no escaping this fact. I would imagine almost all of you reading this have at one point or another, found themselves out of balls while still keen to play. It’s incredibly frustrating, and I for one do everything I can to ensure my training is never cut short.

This is why today we will be covering the topic of bulk ping pong balls. By acquiring ping pong balls wholesale, you ensure that you are never without spares when playing, and you also save money in the long run by reducing your average cost per ball.

Types of Table Tennis Balls

There are many different types of balls available on the market, and each is easily identifiable by its appearance and producing listing information. Make sure you buy the correct type of ball for your needs as you could end up spending more money than you need to, or conversely, you could obtain balls that are too poor for your skill level.

Training Balls

Training balls are solely for means of practice and not match play. They tend to be a little soft and are not that durable. They do, however, offer a lot of value for money. As it’s quite a generic category, the quality varies a great deal with training balls. So make sure to read reviews to ensure you get high-quality training balls if that is what you desire. You may also notice that some training balls have a star classification. 

1-Star Balls

1-star balls are the lowest-rated ball. They too are often soft and susceptible to breaking. These kinds of balls are ideal for schools and beginners who do not play table tennis very much.

2-Star Balls

2-star balls mark a considerable rise in quality from 1-star balls. They often begin as 3-stars, but fail to meet the strict requirements. Therefore they are usually of very good quality, just not quite perfect. 2-star balls are ideal for training but you should not use them for matches. Most intermediate players are happy to use 2-star balls, however, some advanced players may demand 3-star quality.

3-Star Balls

3-Star balls are the staple of table tennis and any serious player owns them. They are the highest quality ball you can purchase and are the only type that is approved by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). This means they have passed strict testing methods for factors such as weight, roundness, and veer which gives you precision and quality when you are playing.

They are often hard, and more resilient than other balls, and unsurprisingly, this quality comes at a cost. 3-star balls are the most expensive type of ball on the market so it is often necessary to selectively purchases 3-star balls along with other types of balls to save money. You will also find that the price of 3 star balls varies a lot from brand to brand.

While 3-star balls are superb for training, you might want to save them for matches unless you can afford to keep buying them, as 3-star ITTF approved balls are the only kind used for regulated matches. You can tell they are ITTF approved by the stamp on the ball.

For a full list of ITTF-approved 3-star balls, click here.

Plastic Vs Celluloid

In 2013, the ITTF pushed a switch from celluloid to plastic table tennis balls. This was due to safety concerns surrounding celluloid. Since this time, plastic balls have become the norm yet you may still see celluloid balls for sale. They are in fact still legal under the current ITTF rules. However, given that they are so scarcely available, and that players have finally become familiar with plastic balls (plastic plays differently from celluloid), there is no reason to buy celluloid balls any longer.

Therefore we suggest you avoid using them. They will hurt your game, and we can almost guarantee any serious opponent will make you switch to a plastic ball.

What Quantities Are Table Tennis Balls Sold In?

Table tennis balls are always sold as a multipack, with 3, 6, and 12 balls all being very common. However, most table tennis manufacturers sell their ping pong balls in bulk in much larger quantities for serious players.

Common bulk ping pong ball buys are often in quantities of around 48, 72, or 120 balls. However, this varies among different brands. You can also bulk buy balls in quantities that are lower or higher than these figures. If you instead need a vast quantity, say 1000 ping pong balls, you will likely need to go direct to the manufacturer.

Where Can I Buy Ping Pong Balls in bulk?

You can buy ping pong balls in bulk from various sources. We, of course, recommend a reputable table tennis outlet such as Megaspin, however, you can find bulk order ping pong balls from places such as Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress.

Training Ball Recommendations

As mentioned earlier, the lines between training balls and other balls can be a bit blurry. Some training balls are rated using the star classification system. Therefore, they are essentially both a training ball and whatever star ball they claim to be.

Butterfly Training Balls — Pack of 120

 

Specifications

• Quantity: 120
• Color: White
• Material: Plastic
• Price per ball: $0.70
• ITTF approved?: No

Pros

• High-quality balls
• One of the top brands

Cons

• A little expensive
• Can’t be used for matches

You can never go wrong with Butterfly table tennis balls. They are one of the top table tennis brands across the board and are renowned for their high-quality products. With this ping pong ball bulk buy you get 120 balls which is quite the bundle. This should last you a seriously long time. You also have more than enough balls for multi-ball or robot training which is another plus. The drawback is that these training balls are not that cheap. You can get similar quantity balls at a lower price.

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1-Star Ball Recommendations

Sanwei ABS 1-Star Training Balls — Pack of 100

Specifications

• Quantity: 100
• Color: White
• Material: Plastic
• Price per ball: $0.45
• ITTF approved?: No

Pros

• Inexpensive
• Good quality for 1-star balls
• Available in packs of 100 or 500

Cons

• Can’t be used for matches

An excellent budget choice for players with each ball costing just $0.45. The quality is very good despite the 1-star rating. Currently, this bundle is rated 4.8 stars and it’s easy to see why. You can even purchase the same balls in a pack of 500 to bring the cost per ball down even further to $0.40.

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2-Star Ball Recommendations

JOOLA Magic ABS 2-Star Training Table Tennis Balls — Pack of 72

Specifications

• Quantity: 72
• Color: White
• Material: Plastic
• Price per ball: $0.56
• ITTF approved?: No

Pros

• Inexpensive

Cons

• Can’t be used for matches

JOOLA Magic balls were a staple of my training back when celluloid balls were the only balls around, so it only feels right to include the newer plastic JOOLA Magic balls on this list. With this bundle, you get 72 balls, each costing $0.56. While priced rather competitively, they do not represent the greatest value for money on this list.

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3-Star Non-ITTF-Approved Ball Recommendations

JOOLA Advanced Training ABS 3-Star Orange Balls — Pack of 120

Specifications

• Quantity: 120
• Color: Orange
• Material: Plastic
• Price per ball: $0.17
• ITTF approved?: No

Pros

• Very Inexpensive

Cons

• Can’t be used for matches
• Only available in orange

If value for money is what you seek your search is over. JOOLA’s advanced training balls blow all others out of the water as each ball works at around just $0.17. This is an incredibly low cost and it’s a wonder that JOOLA is making any money at all here. What’s more, the quality is really good. JOOLA rates the ball 3 stars which means it is very high quality. Now they are not ITTF-approved, so they are not top quality, but they are not far off either.

In all its honesty, it’s hard to recommend any other type of non-ITTF-approved 3-star ball over these. With high quality, and such a low cost they are an easy buy. Just be aware that they are only available in orange (they are the only colored bulk ping pong balls on this list). Most players shouldn’t see this as an issue, but you may prefer to play with white balls.

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MAPOL 3-Star Table Tennis Advanced Training Balls — Pack of 100

 

Specifications

• Quantity: 100
• Color: White
• Material: Plastic
• Price per ball: $0.22
• ITTF approved?: No

Pros

• Very Inexpensive
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

• Can’t be used for matches
• Not a reputable table tennis manufacturer

The MAPOL 100 ball bundle is another bulk buy that provides great value for money, each ball costs just $0.22. The issue with these balls over the rest is quality. As the manufacturer is not widely known they are a bit of a gamble. MAPOL rates their balls 3-star but as they are not ITTF-approved MAPOL can essentially claim their balls are whatever rating they like. The company hasn’t built up its reputation enough for us to trust whatever quality they claim, unlike brands like JOOLA which we have faith in.

However, buyers are very happy with the quality, but you have to recognize that many of these buyers are not table tennis specialists. Therefore, we recommend this bundle for non-advanced players.

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3-Star ITTF-Approved Ball Recommendations

JOOLA Prime 3-Star ABS Balls — Pack of 72

Specifications

• Quantity: 72
• Color: White
• Material: Plastic
• Price per ball: $1.25
• ITTF approved?: Yes

Pros

• Well-priced

Cons

• None

For our first ITTF-approved 3-star ball, we have JOOLA Prime. Available in packs of 72 each ball costs $1.25. While this is a significant rise on the cost of other types of balls this is actually a very good price for quality 3-star balls. You could end up spending nearly twice as much by going with the most expensive lines.

There aren’t really any drawbacks to JOOLA Prime balls. They play very well and adhere to the quality we expect from a top brand like JOOLA.

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Gambler P40+ 3-Star Balls — Pack of 36

Specifications

• Quantity: 36
• Color: White
• Material: Plastic
• Price per ball: $0.67
• ITTF approved?: Yes

Pros

• Very well-priced

Cons

• Doesn’t perform quite as well as the best 3-star balls

I was really surprised by the cost of this Gambler bundle. They work out cheaper than the Butterfly training balls! These ping pong balls may be in bulk, but you only get 36 which is on the lower end compared to the rest of the balls we have looked at. But even with this reduced amount of balls, the price per ball is still just $0.67. This means you are getting unbeatable value for money in this category, and you also don’t have to spend as much to get your hands on the bundle as there are not as many balls.

Players also like the way the p40+ performs, with several citing that they believe the balls are heavier and harder than normal. They are certainly not the top balls, but they are still of very good quality. And considering the cost, we recommend using them for training or matches.

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ANDRO Speedball 3-Star Table Tennis Balls — Pack of 72

Specifications

• Quantity: 72
• Color: White
• Material: Plastic
• Price per ball: $1.24
• ITTF approved?: Yes

Pros

• Well-priced

Cons

• None

While perhaps a less common ball, Andro Speedballs represent a lot of value and are very high quality. This bundle is almost identical to the JOOLA Prime bundle in a lot of ways. Both are ITTF approved balls, sold in quantities of 72, and are very similarly priced. The Andro Speedball is just $0.01 cheaper per ball so there really isn’t much in it. It might be worth purchasing both types of balls in the standard 3-ball box first to see which you prefer before jumping on the 72 bulk buy. However, we feel either should meet your expectations.

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Closing Thoughts

Anyone who is serious about table tennis should buy bulk ping pong balls to ensure they are never without a ball. These listings are available in various quantities and qualities to meet the needs of any player, so make sure you buy the right one for you.

We recommend JOOLA advanced training 3 star balls (pack of 120) for any type of player. Yes, that may seem strange. Usually, we would differentiate more between skilly types, but the incredible cost of just $0.17 per ball removes this need. These balls fall just below ITTF approved 3-star quality so they meet the needs of advanced players for training purposes, and therefore anyone below that skill level.

However, if you are instead seeking ITTF-approved balls we recommend Gambler P40+ (pack of 36) if you are on a budget. They are very good quality and insanely cheap for an approved ball. Yet if top quality is more important to you, either the JOOLA Prime (pack of 72) or Andro Speedball (pack of 72) are great picks, and still well valued.

Read for more on ping pong balls:

* How to Choose and Buy Good Ping Pong Ball

* Pick The Right Ping Pong Balls