How to Check If Your Table Tennis Paddle Is ITTF-Approved

Last Updated on May 3, 2024 by Alex Horscroft

If you’re a keen player and want to compete in leagues and competitions, you need to use a paddle that is approved by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

The process to check is simple enough, which I detail below. 

How to Check Your Rubbers

A good indicator that a rubber is approved is the presence of the ITTF logo and code on the top sheet. The ITTF logo is always present on approved rubbers, and approval codes are common, but some older rubbers don’t have them.

That being said, these alone do not guarantee that rubbers are legal. It just means at one time they were. You see, the ITTF conducts yearly checks to ensure that rubbers meet their strict standards. Manufacturers also have to pay an annual fee for this service, so if the rubber no longer adheres to the ruleset, or the manufacturer declines to pay, the approval of the rubber will expire.   

Fortunately, you don’t have to guess whether your rubber’s ITTF approval has expired. On the ITTF website, they have a database of approved racket coverings. Simply enter the name of yours in the search bar and it will tell you.

Read More: Best Table Tennis Rubbers 

Other Considerations

Even if your rubbers are on the ITTF-approved list, there are still a few qualities that can make them illegal on your paddle.

Firstly, one rubber must be black, and the other must be a bright easily distinguishable color. It used to be that just black and red were permitted, but now there are all sorts of other colors such as green, blue, and violet. 

Secondly, as per rule 2.4.7, “The racket covering shall be used without any physical, chemical, or other treatment.” What this means is that you can’t apply illegal substances to change how the rubber performs. This covers boosting, despite the fact many players do it, so boost at your own risk!

An Example of an Expiring Rubber

Above is a screenshot I took for some of Milky Way’s rubbers on the ITTF rubber approval list. As you can see, 9000, Mars, and Mercury are all expiring. Milky Way has until September 30th 2024 to renew. I believe that they will be letting these rubbers expire.

Note that they do not have approval codes, indicating they are older rubbers. I expect Milky Way to create new rubber moulds with approval codes for these, and then they will be added. But that’s just a guess, and I could be wrong.  

How to Check Your Blade

Unlike rubbers, the rules relating to blades are a lot more lax. There’s no ITTF-approved list, you can even make your own provided it adheres to the rules. 

The requirements are as follows:

• The blade must be flat, rigid, and of even thickness
• 85% should be made from natural wood
• Fibrous material such as carbon fibre is permitted, provided it is no thicker than 7.5% of the total thickness of the blade, or 0.35 mm, whichever is smallest

Closing Thoughts 

So there you have it. It’s easy to check the legality of your table tennis paddle. While the presence of the ITTF logo and an approval code is a good indicator that your paddle is allowed, you need to double-check on the ITTF website to be sure.

As for your blade, it is very likely legal as there is no approved blade list. That being said, there are some rules it must conform to such as being flat, rigid, and uniformly thick. 

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