What Kind of Ball Do You Use in Pickleball?

A pickleball is a rigid, hollow sphere of molded plastic, light enough to float on a breeze and hard enough to pop sharply off a paddle face. It shares nothing with a tennis ball beyond being round, and it differs from the slotted plastic ball kids swing at in a backyard. It also has a written specification, a testing protocol, and an official approved list, all maintained by USA Pickleball.

What Is a Pickleball, Exactly?

A pickleball is a single piece of durable plastic molded into a hollow sphere with a smooth outer surface and a pattern of circular perforations. There is no rubber core, no felt, no stitching, and no pressurization. Air passes straight through the shell, which is why the ball slows quickly, drops out of the air faster than a tennis ball, and rewards touch shots at the net.

Under the 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook, the ball must be made of a durable material molded with a smooth surface and free of texturing, with slight seam ridges permitted if they do not change how the ball flies. The 2026 rulebook also requires a manufacturer or supplier name or logo printed or embossed on the surface, which is why every legal ball carries branding.

USA Pickleball’s history of the game states that the founders in 1965 improvised with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball.

What Are the Official Size and Weight Specs?

The measurable numbers live in the Equipment Standards Manual rather than the rulebook. Under the January 2025 revision of the USA Pickleball Equipment Standards Manual, a compliant ball meets all of the following:

• Diameter: 2.87 inches to 2.97 inches, roughly 7.29 to 7.54 cm, with an out-of-round tolerance of plus or minus 0.020 inch.
• Weight: 0.78 ounces to 0.935 ounces, or 22.1 to 26.5 grams.
• Holes: a minimum of 26 and a maximum of 40 circular holes, spaced to produce consistent flight.
• Bounce: dropped from 78 inches onto granite at 70 degrees Fahrenheit plus or minus 5 degrees, it must rebound 30 to 34 inches measured to the top of the ball.
• Compression: an average result below 43 LBF using the ASTM F1888-09 test method.
• Surface and color: smooth, untextured, one uniform color apart from identification markings.

For scale, that puts a pickleball just under three inches across, about the diameter of a baseball and well under a softball, at under an ounce. The January 2025 revision of the Equipment Standards Manual also lists a Durometer D hardness of 40 to 50, but records it as corollary data only rather than a compliance requirement.

How Is a Pickleball Different From a Wiffle Ball?

These are two genuinely different objects. A Wiffle ball is about the size of a baseball, with eight oblong slots cut into one half and the other half left solid. That asymmetry makes a thrown ball curve.

A pickleball is symmetrical by requirement. Its 26 to 40 holes are circular and spread across the whole surface under the January 2025 revision of the USA Pickleball Equipment Standards Manual, so the ball flies predictably instead of breaking, and the plastic is stiffer and heavier for its size. A Wiffle ball on a pickleball court flexes on contact, dies in the air, and cracks quickly. It is fine in a driveway and ineligible for sanctioned play, since the 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook requires the tournament ball to come from the approved list.

What Does “USA Pickleball Approved” Mean?

That phrase means the model has been submitted to USA Pickleball, tested against the Equipment Standards Manual, and added to the official approved equipment database. The ball list at equipment.usapickleball.org showed 386 approved models as of September 2026, each entry naming the brand, the model, the indoor, outdoor, or both designation, and the date added.

Under the 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook, the tournament director selects the tournament ball from that official list, so approval determines whether a ball can appear in competition. The guide to paddles that hold USA Pickleball approval covers the equivalent process for paddles.

The 2026 rulebook governs sanctioned play, so a casual game at a park is not held to that list. Buying an approved ball anyway guarantees the specs above were measured rather than approximated.

Do You Need an Indoor Ball or an Outdoor Ball?

Both types are legal for either setting. The 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook states that all approved balls are acceptable for indoor or outdoor play, so the difference is practical rather than regulatory. Indoor balls carry fewer and larger holes, commonly 26, in softer plastic. Outdoor balls carry more and smaller holes, commonly 40, in firmer plastic that cuts wind interference. The full breakdown sits in indoor and outdoor pickleballs, and how long a pickleball stays playable covers replacement timing.

What Color Pickleball Should You Use?

Under the 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook, the ball must be one uniform color except for identification markings, and colors may vary between models, so no single shade is mandated. Yellow, neon green, orange, and white are all sold by approved manufacturers. Because the tournament director picks the tournament ball from the approved list under the 2026 rulebook, that person decides ball color at a sanctioned event.

For recreational play, contrast against the court surface and the sky is what matters, and which pickleball color is easiest to see walks through the choice. Ball color also interacts with pickleball clothing rules.

How Many Balls Does a Beginner Need to Buy?

Three is a workable starting number, and a 3-pack is the smallest multipack Onix and Franklin list as of September 2026. A cracked ball ends a rally permanently and balls roll under fences, so one ball makes for a short session.

Prices as of September 2026, taken from manufacturer and retailer listings:

• Onix Fuse Indoor, 3-pack: $8.99, which works out to $3.00 per ball.
• Franklin X-40 Outdoor, 3-pack: $12.00, or $4.00 per ball.
• Dura Fast 40 Outdoor, 6-pack: $24.99, or $4.17 per ball.
• Dura Fast 40 Outdoor, 12-pack: $34.99, or $2.92 per ball.
• GoSports GS 40 Outdoor, in bulk packs: $1.39 to $2.00 per ball, per the Pickleheads ball guide.

Across every figure above the spread runs from $1.39 to $4.17 per ball. Within a single model, per-ball cost drops as pack size rises, since the Dura Fast 40 falls from $4.17 in a 6-pack to $2.92 in a 12-pack. Across brands a small pack can undercut a large one, since the Onix 3-pack costs $3.00 per ball against the Dura 6-pack at $4.17. About $9 to $12 buys a first 3-pack. Balls cost far less than a paddle, so the decisions worth real thought are the difference between 14mm and 16mm paddle cores and whether an expensive paddle earns its price. A fuller starter checklist appears in what equipment a beginner actually needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a tennis ball for pickleball?

No. A tennis ball is pressurized, felt-covered, and far heavier than the 0.78 to 0.935 ounce range set by the January 2025 revision of the USA Pickleball Equipment Standards Manual, and it bounces too high for a 20 by 44 foot court.

Is a pickleball the same as a wiffle ball?

No. A Wiffle ball has eight oblong slots on one hemisphere and a solid opposite hemisphere. A pickleball has 26 to 40 circular holes across the entire surface under the January 2025 revision of the USA Pickleball Equipment Standards Manual, in stiffer plastic.

What are pickleballs made of?

Molded plastic. Under the 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook the ball must be a durable material molded with a smooth surface and free of texturing, with no core, no cover, and no internal pressure.

How many holes does a pickleball have?

Between 26 and 40 circular holes under the January 2025 revision of the USA Pickleball Equipment Standards Manual. Indoor models commonly use 26 larger holes, outdoor models 40 smaller ones.

Does the ball have to be a specific color?

The 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook requires one uniform color apart from identification markings and allows colors to vary between models, so yellow, neon green, orange, and white all qualify.

Who picks the ball at a tournament?

The tournament director, who selects it from the official approved ball list posted by USA Pickleball under the 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook.

How high is a pickleball supposed to bounce?

Under the January 2025 revision of the USA Pickleball Equipment Standards Manual, a ball dropped from 78 inches onto granite at 70 degrees Fahrenheit plus or minus 5 degrees must rebound 30 to 34 inches to the top of the ball.

Can the same ball be used indoors and outdoors?

Yes. The 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook states that all approved balls are acceptable for indoor or outdoor play, though each type behaves differently in wind and on gym floors.

Once the ball question is settled, the next step is finding somewhere to hit it, and the directory of public pickleball courts lists open courts by city so a new 3-pack gets used the week it arrives.

Written by the Pickler Junction Team.