Aramith Billiards Balls FAQ: What to Know About the CBAT Cue Ball, Pool Table Dimensions, and Accessories

Most of my calls are last-minute. The cue ball splits on a Tuesday, the regional qualifier runs Saturday, and the client needs a replacement before the freight cutoff. I've handled maybe 200 of these rush orders over the years—actually, 180 might be closer to the real number. I'd have to check the system.

In my role coordinating equipment orders for pool rooms and tournament venues, I get the same questions again and again. So here they are, answered properly. If you're setting up a new space or upgrading what you have, this is what I'd tell you over the phone.

1. What's actually different about Aramith billiards balls?

Material. The Belgian-made Aramith balls are phenolic resin. Most budget sets are polyester. If that sounds like technical jargon, the practical difference is simple: phenolic is harder and denser, so it holds its shape and surface much longer under repeated play.

When I compared a used economy set and a used Aramith set side by side—same table, similar play hours, same cleaning routine—I finally understood why material matters more than the brand name. The polyester set had chips, scuffs, and a rough surface after about a year. The Aramith set just looked played in.

For a home table that gets used twice a month, polyester is probably fine. For a commercial pool room or a tournament calendar? I'd argue the upgrade pays for itself within a year, because the cheap set is usually the one that ends up replaced anyway.

Also worth noting: Aramith balls keep their white and colored surfaces longer than cheap sets. In a commercial space, dull balls look dirty even when they're not—and customers notice.

2. What is the Aramith CBAT tournament cue ball — and is it worth the premium?

The CBAT is Aramith's tournament-grade cue ball, from the same lineup that supplies televised events like the Mosconi Cup. It's made to tighter tolerances than a standard cue ball, which means it's rounder and more balanced. The red circle isn't just a design choice—it makes spin visible to players and cameras.

Is the premium worth it? In my opinion, yes for competitive play. Players can feel the difference in how it comes off the rails. For a commercial room, a standard Aramith cue ball gets you most of the way there, but the red circle is still a nice feature for customers learning to read spin.

In March 2024, a client called at 9 AM needing a CBAT for a qualifier the next morning. Normal delivery is two or three days. We found a distributor two hours away, paid $65 in courier fees—on top of the $89 base cost—and got it delivered by 6 PM. The client's alternative was running the event with a chipped house cue ball. Not a good look for a sponsor.

3. What are Aramith pool balls made of?

Phenolic resin, specifically a thermosetting phenolic that's cured under heat and pressure. That gives the ball uniform density throughout—not a hard shell over a softer core.

I used to assume "phenolic resin" meant roughly the same thing across every manufacturer. Didn't verify. Turned out the hardness, density, and curing process vary significantly between brands. Two balls can be the exact same size and still play completely differently.

The practical upshot: a phenolic ball resists chipping and doesn't pick up chalk and dirt as aggressively. And because the density is consistent, you don't get "dead balls" in the set. If you've ever hit a ball that feels off—dull sound, wrong weight—that's the inconsistency you're paying to avoid.

4. How long will an Aramith set last in a commercial pool room?

With regular cleaning, five to seven years in daily commercial rotation. We track replacement cycles across the rooms we supply, and six years is a realistic midpoint. Polyester sets under the same conditions usually last a year, maybe two if traffic is light.

That assumes you actually clean them, though. The damage comes from dirt and chalk grinding into the surface, not from the balls colliding. A set that gets cleaned monthly will outlast one that doesn't by a wide margin.

Cleaning is not complicated: apply a little polish, rack the balls with the Aramith cleaning ball at the front, and break. Two minutes, once a month. The rooms that bother doing this are the ones getting five-plus years out of their equipment.

5. What pool table dimensions should I plan around?

This comes up with every new venue. Standard pool table playing surfaces are:

• 7-foot bar table: 78" × 39"
• 8-foot table: usually 88" × 44"
• 9-foot tournament table: 100" × 50"

Per WPA equipment specs, pool balls are 57.15 mm in diameter, so ball size doesn't change with the table. What changes is the room around it.

BCA guidelines recommend at least five feet of clearance on each side so a 58-inch cue doesn't hit the wall. Do the math before you order: a 9-foot table needs a room roughly 18' × 14'. An 8-foot table needs about 17.3' × 13.7'. A 7-foot bar table needs about 16.5' × 13.25'.

Keep in mind these are playing surface measurements, not the full table footprint. The frame and rails add several inches on each side depending on the manufacturer. I've seen venues buy a 9-foot table for a room that would barely fit a 7-foot. Every few months, actually. Measure first—it's cheaper than reselling a table.

6. What pool table accessories should I buy with new balls?

This is where venues drop the ball, so to speak. Someone will spend $400 on a premium ball set and then cheap out on everything that touches those balls.

The accessories worth buying:

• Aramith cleaning kit — cleaning ball and polish in one kit. The best investment for extending ball life. Use it monthly on commercial tables.
• A straight racking triangle — a warped triangle sends the head ball off spot and messes up the break. Replace it the moment it starts to bend.
• A spare cue ball — more on this below.

The most frustrating part of accessory advice: you'd think a venue that buys tournament-grade balls would also buy the $30 cleaning kit, but many don't. The maintenance budget is usually the first thing to get cut—and it's the wrong one to cut.

Skip the gimmicks. You don't need an expensive ball polisher machine until you're running multiple tables—and even then, a microfiber cloth and the Aramith polish do 90% of the job.

7. Why buy a spare cue ball before you need one?

This is the question nobody asks until it's too late.

The cue ball is the one ball most likely to get lost or damaged. It gets separated from the set, walked off with, or cracked on a hard break. One of our larger clients went through four cue balls in eight months during 2024. Object balls lost: zero.

A replacement Aramith cue ball costs around $40–50. But if you need one overnight for a tournament, you're paying $100+ in shipping on top of that. Our company policy now requires a spare cue ball with every set we sell, because we've watched too many venues pay more in freight than the ball itself costs. That policy came directly from a $45 cue ball and a $110 rush delivery incident. The math never works in your favor.

If you remember one thing from this guide, let it be this: buy the spare cue ball with the set, not the day before the event.