Initially, cloth was laid on a billiard table to provide a flat surface and soften blows. Modern requirements have become much stricter. The quality of the cloth determines whether a decisive cue strike will lead the ball into the pocket or the player will suffer failure.
What is billiard cloth used for?
The history of the game of billiards goes back many centuries. First in Asia, and then in Europe, a game that looked like billiards was very popular - peasants rolled balls on the grass, which had to be directed precisely to the target with the help of sticks. The name of the game "billiards" itself has French roots: "bille" means ball, and "billart" - stick.
The first time it was decided to move the game indoors was in France. For this purpose, the master Henri de Vignem made the first billiard table, which was intended for King Louis XI himself. The table looked quite similar to a modern billiard table, it was located on a stone base and had a fence. It was covered with green cloth on top. The green color was chosen for a reason - to match the color of the grass on which the games had been played until then. Officially, the color of green cloth is called Olive.
The movement of billiard balls is subject to the laws of physics and geometry. A professional player calculates each hit, so the table surface should not affect the movement and sliding speed of the ball. A high-quality coating is designed to ensure the movement of the ball exactly along a given trajectory. The table cloth is subject to strong mechanical impacts - blows from a cue that has come off the ball tear the cloth and spoil the pile. Obviously, a high-quality coating is the key to a successful and comfortable game.
Important information! Poker table cloth looks very similar to billiard table cloth. But modern manufacturers improve its quality with a special Teflon coating or special impregnation. Such a coating has a water-repellent effect and is practically not afraid of dirt. This is especially important for poker material, since drinks, ashtrays are often placed on tables, and they are simply often touched by hands.
What requirements must such materials meet?
The requirements for the material are quite strict, since the billiard table cloth itself is one of the expensive elements of the equipment for the game.
- Quality fabric should be strong, elastic and durable. Excellent quality billiard cloth is made of wool with a small nylon content. Wool provides a long service life, gives the material fluffiness and density. The pile should be trimmed and be perfectly even to maintain the smoothness of the surface. To do this, woolen cloth is placed in a special solution, and after drying, the pile is "combed" in one direction. To ensure that the fabric fits tightly to the surface of the table, nylon is added to the material, which gives the material elasticity. According to the amount of wool and nylon in the material, the cloth is divided into the following types: 70 and 30 - universal, 90 and 10 - special for pool, 85 and 15 - for playing pyramid, 45 and 55 or 65 and 35 - cloth of low quality, suitable for home games or for inexpensive establishments, 100 and 0 - pure wool billiard cloth intended for playing snooker.
- The density of the billiard table fabric directly affects its durability. High-quality fabric has a density of 400 g/m2 or more; an inexpensive, budget option has a lower figure - up to 300 g/m2.
- The quality of the weave of the material directly affects the smoothness of the surface. High quality is achieved by tightly fitting the warp and weft threads to each other.
A good table covering does not fade or wear off for a long time, although sooner or later it will have to be replaced.
Material care
With prolonged use, crumbs, dust and other contaminants appear on the surface, this is inevitable. Cleaning should begin with dry cleaning. A brush with combined bristles - short and long - will do. Such a brush sweeps away contaminants from the main surface of the table and from hard-to-reach places.
For your information! It is important to move in the direction of the pile. After dry cleaning, proceed to wet cleaning to completely remove dust. For this purpose, you will need a rag that does not leave lint on the surface.
Wipe the sides along the perimeter with a damp cloth. Then wrap the cloth around the brush and wipe the main surface of the table, moving from side to side in the direction of the pile. To reduce the amount of dust that gets on the table, you can cover it with a special cover between games. You cannot stand on the billiard table with your feet, this will damage the table itself and also have a negative effect on the surface.
To eliminate the negative impact of the surrounding air on the fabric, the room where the table is located must maintain a temperature of 20-24 °C and humidity of 40-60%.
Important information! To remove a fresh stain, you can use a mixture of ethyl alcohol and water: carefully apply the liquid to the cloth with a brush and rub in the direction of the pile. If necessary, repeat the procedure.
Main brands and manufacturers
Billiard cloth manufacturers produce materials of varying quality. They can be divided by the level of professionalism of the players who will play at the table:
- for amateurs;
- material for intermediate level;
- professional cloth.
Amateur
This category includes brands of Turkish and Chinese manufacturers. The Turkish brand Mirtex and the Chinese Manhattan are more suitable for home use or entertainment venues where the game does not pretend to be of any professional level.
Intermediate level
The Czech cloth manufacturer Europool produces material for playing American pool and Russian billiards. This option is economical in cost, but without losing quality. The combination of wool and nylon provides good tension and a tight fit to the table. It can be successfully used in specialized billiard clubs.
Lithuanian factory Drobe has been producing high-quality, burn-resistant material since 1920. The composition is dominated by wool fibers, which ensures comfortable play.
Also, the Czech brand Eurosprint offers inexpensive high-quality cloth for clubs and bars. According to the composition, the materials are presented in two types:
- Eurosprint 45 Rus Pro - wool content 45%;
- Eurosprint 70 Rus Pro - cloth with 70% wool in more expensive materials;
- CARDINAL 165 - 45% wool, suitable for playing Russian pyramid and American pool.
Such brands are suitable for entertainment centers and leisure centers, where players gather who are calm about the quality characteristics of the coating. In terms of service life, mid-level brands are not inferior to professional materials, sometimes even surpass them. But sometimes this happens at the expense of reduced playing properties.
Professional cloth
The recognized world leader among manufacturers is the Belgian company Iwan Simonis. Since 1680, they have been producing cloth that lasts 2-3 times longer than cloth of all other brands. The manufactory arose exclusively as a manufacturer of cloth for billiard tables. The secret lies in the use of durable worsted wool as raw material. In addition to increasing the service life, this wool provides protection of the canvas from burning. Such cloth has absolutely no pile, so unevenness and faded spots are excluded.
Knots and roughness on the canvas are checked and removed manually by the company's employees. The super-strong weave of the threads gives the fabric water-repellent properties. Different combinations of nylon and wool content provide comfort during play for all types of billiards. The company produces the following brands:
- Simonis 860 - for pool;
- Simonis Rus Pro 950 - for the pyramid;
- Simonis 760 - for pool and Russian pyramid;
- Simonis Rus 930 - for the pyramid.
It is the Iwan Simonis Rus Pro 950 brand cloth that is tournament cloth. The Billiard Sports Federation recommends it for use in the World Professional Billiard Tournament. As the current head of the company claims, the Simonis brand is a precisely woven material developed specifically for professional play, which helps the ball roll straight, ensuring success. The company with more than 300 years of history has become a benchmark in the billiard cloth quality standard.
Since 1642, the English textile company Milliken & Company has also been producing billiard cloth, which is recognized by the International Billiard and Snooker Federation. In addition, Milliken cloth is used to sew uniforms for the Royal Guard. The Strachan No. 10 Championship brand is consistently used in international snooker tournaments. The Milliken SuperPro brand is impregnated with a special compound to improve water-repellent properties.
Billiard cloth is not just a piece of fabric that covers the game table. It is the most important element of the game, on which the perfect roll of the balls and the outcome of the game as a whole depend. Players can have different levels of training, but the cloth must withstand long-term loads and meet the requirements.
