Rules of Snooker - The Balls

The Balls

Snooker balls, like the balls for all cue sports, are typically made of phenolic resin, but are smaller than pool balls. Regulation snooker balls (which are specified in metric units) are nominally 52.5 mm (approximately 2 1⁄₁₅ inches) in diameter, though many sets are actually manufactured at 52.4 mm (about 2 1⁄₁₆ in.) Some recreational sets (which are usually not measured metrically) are 2 1⁄₈ in. (about 54 mm) up to as large as pool balls, at 2 1⁄₄ in. (about 57.2 mm); larger ball size requires wider pocket openings. Miniature sets also exist, for half-size home tables. There are fifteen red balls, six "colour" balls (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, and black), and one white cue ball. Usually none of the balls are numbered, though the six colour balls often are in the US, where they are easily mistaken at first glance for pool balls (the design is similar, but the numbering does not match pool's scheme).

At the beginning of a frame, the balls are set up in the arrangement shown in the illustration. The six colours (a term referring to all balls except the white and the reds) are placed on their own spots. On the baulk line, looking up the table from the baulk end, the green ball is located where the "D" meets the line on the left, the brown ball in the middle of the line, and the yellow ball where the "D" meets the line on the right. This order is often remembered using the mnemonic God Bless You, the first letter of each word being the first letter of the three colours. At the exact centre of the table sits the blue ball. Further up the table is the pink ball, which sits midway between the blue spot and the top cushion, followed by the red balls, arranged in a tightly-packed triangle behind the pink (the apex must be as close as possible to the pink ball without touching it). Finally, the black ball is placed on a spot 32.5 cm (12.8 in) from the top cushion.