Billiard ball

The number, type, diameter, color, and pattern of the balls differ depending upon the specific game being played.

Early balls were made of various materials, including wood and clay (the latter remaining in use well into the 20th century).

[citation needed] The billiard industry realized that the supply of elephants (their primary source of ivory) was endangered, as well as dangerous to obtain (the latter an issue of notable public concern at the turn of the 19th century).

[1]: 17  Inventors were challenged to come up with an alternative material that could be manufactured, with a US$10,000 (worth approximately $228,900 in 2025[3]) prize being offered by a New York supplier.

The material was a success, and was sold as Bonzoline, Crystalate, Ivorylene until the 1960s, and was used by prominent professional players such as John Roberts Jr (1847–1919), Charles Dawson (1866–1921), and Walter Lindrum (1898–1960).

The ivory substitute was one of the most significant early reinforced plastics; induced the global growth of billiards, pool, and snooker; and helped create a modern idea that the artificial can surpass the natural.

One of the most relevant is cellulose nitrate flammability, not because of making the billiard balls explode, as is often claimed, but because of the dangers of handling it in its pure form during manufacturing.

Another problem was related to camphor mass exploitation, leading to the devastation of Taiwan's forests and displacement of indigenous communities.

[4][7] Subsequently, the industry experimented with various other synthetic materials for billiard balls such as Bakelite, acrylic, and other plastic compounds.

Currently Saluc, under the brand name Aramith and other private labels, manufactures phenolic resin balls.

Such different sized cue balls are considered less than ideal because they change the dynamics of the equipment.

[14] Snooker sets are also available with considerably smaller-than-regulation balls (and even with ten instead of fifteen reds) for play on smaller tables (down to half-size), and are sanctioned for use in some amateur leagues.

There are also practical joke cue and 8 balls, with off-center weights in them that make their paths curve and wobble.

The 8 ball is frequently used in Western, especially American, culture as an element of T-shirt designs, album covers and names, tattoos, household goods like paperweights and cigarette lighters, belt buckles, etc.

The term "8-ball" is also slang both for 1⁄8 ounce (3.5 g) of cocaine or crystal meth, and for a bottle of Olde English 800 malt liquor.

It has also been used to refer to African-Americans, particularly those of darker skin tones, as in the films Show Boat and Full Metal Jacket.