Hot billiard cloth color for 2011

The hot cloth color this year is Simonis 860 in Tournament Blue. This color was scientifically developed to better focus on the balls and is now the color of choice in many professional billiards events.

Just what is worn billiard cloth?

There is a difference between "worn" and "looks bad".

If you have a worsted cloth on your table you will get the inevitable white marks. This is not wear but burn marks from friction between the cloth and the cue ball leaving residue from the ball on the cloth. Worsted cloth is extremely smooth with no nap. Better quality ball sets with a superior finish will reduce the severity of these burn marks. They look pretty bad but it's not "wear" of the cloth.

On more common "napped" cloth the burn marks will be barely noticeable due to the coarseness or "nap" of the cloth however this type of cloth will develop grooves and valleys in the nap which affects ball roll accuracy.

Once you've been playing on your cloth for some time you will become accustomed to how it plays. When it starts deviating from the ball rolls you expect then that's a sign that the cloth is starting to "wear" out and due for replacement.

When it's time for cloth replacement we feel the best cloth in terms of accuracy, speed and durability is Simonis 860

Why Billiard Cloth Prices Increase

There were no billiard cloth price increases during 2010 but that will change in 2011 due to higher prices for raw wool. Good quality billiard cloth is comprised of at least 75% wool sourced primarily from Australia and New Zealand. Wool prices have risen roughly 30% in the past year so expect this increase to be passed on to the consumer very soon.