Equipment, from the slate up.

Most of the figures in this section trace back to two kinds of source. The first is the rulebook: the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) equipment specification, which sets tournament limits for tables, balls, cues and lighting. The WPA site blocks automated reading, so the WPA numbers here come from two independent reproductions of its text that agree with each other. The second is the trade: manufacturers, retailers and teaching sites such as Dr. Dave Alciatore's. Where a figure is a manufacturer's claim we say so, and where sources disagree we give each version and who says it.

How the pieces fit together

Think of a table from the floor up. A frame carries the bed, which on regulation and tournament tables is always slate. Cushions of vulcanized rubber sit along the rails at a height set as a share of the ball's diameter. Cloth is stretched over both, and its type (napped woolen or napless worsted) changes how fast the balls run. Pockets are cut to a set mouth width and angle. Seybert's says a table should be fully re-leveled after any move, however short, and the cloth and cushion pages explain what to check before blaming either one for a poor roll.

On top of that sit the balls, whose size, weight and roundness are specified, and the cue, which is a chain of its own: butt, joint, shaft, ferrule and tip, with chalk between the tip and the ball. Around the table you need enough floor space to swing a cue on every side and light that covers the whole playing surface evenly.

What matters most for each kind of player

If you are buying a table for home

Start with the room, not the table. Room size depends on the table's playing surface and your cue length, and published recommendations for the same table differ by more than a foot between sources, so read the room size page before choosing a size. Olhausen says 8 ft is the most popular home size. Then decide on the bed: slate is what regulation tables use, while non-slate beds such as MDF are lighter and cheaper but can warp and lose a consistent roll. The pool tables and slate and cushions pages cover sizes, bed materials and installation.

If you are buying your first cue

PoolDawg names 58 in as the standard adult length and 19 oz as the most common weight, and recommends hard rock maple shafts over ramin wood. Joint, tip size and tip hardness are worth understanding before you upgrade. See cues, shafts and tips, and the beginner walkthrough at choosing your first cue.

If you play in a league

League rules can limit what you carry. The APA, for example, allows break cues for the break, allows jump cues only in its Masters divisions, does not let you break down a regular playing cue to jump, and bans laser devices, mechanical cues and training aids in league play while allowing bridges and cue extenders. Check your own league's equipment rules before buying a break or jump cue.

If you already own a table

Care is mostly cloth and balls: brushing or careful vacuuming, prompt spill blotting, a cover when the table is idle, and cleaning the balls. Sources disagree on how to clean cloth and how often to replace it, which the cloth and table care pages lay out. If your light is too low or too high, the lighting page compares the WPA minimum with retailer guidance for homes.

A note on the figures

A table's nominal size, such as 9 ft, describes the outside of the rails, not the playing surface, and manufacturers do not all build the same size the same way. When a page gives a measurement, it names the source. Some topics, such as table cover materials, brush bristles and ball-cleaning machines, could not be confirmed from any source we read, and those pages say so rather than guess.