The 8 Best Ping Pong Balls in 2024

Last Updated on July 10, 2024 by Alex Horscroft

In 2024, I feel the DHS D40+ is the best ping pong ball for keen players. DHS has long been hailed as one of the top table tennis ball brands, supplying balls for international competitions, and their D40+ does not disappoint.

While some players may slightly prefer other balls for ping pong, the DHS D40+ is leading when it comes to a mix of quality and value. 

Join me as I cover the top 3-star balls and training balls. By the end of this guide, you should have a strong grasp on which balls you want to test out. 

Best Ping Pong Balls Comparison Table  

The Best 3-Star Ping Pong Balls

1. DHS D40+ Ping Pong Balls

I’ve always been a fan of DHS balls, they were my go-to ball back when celluloid was all that was around. Their plastic ball is a little more expensive, but given that these balls last longer, the value for money is about the same, perhaps a little better. 

I find them to be very consistent and they feel great to hit. It’s also worth noting DHS makes a more expensive ball — the DJ40+. However, I do not believe I’ve used this ball before. It may well be worth the price jump, but I’m satisfied with the D40+.   

2. Nittaku Premium 40+ 3-Star Table Tennis Balls 

For as long as I can remember Nittaku have been known for making the highest-rated ping pong balls when it comes to quality, and I don’t see this changing any time soon. Their Premium 40+ balls ooze quality. They utilize a unique poly material that isn’t featured on balls from other brands.  

In my opinion, as far as quality goes, they are the best, if not one of the top few. However, like the Butterfly R40+, they are super pricey. This means if you pick them up you’ll likely want to reserve them for league play rather than casual matches. 

3. Nittaku Nexcel 40+ Ping Pong Balls

While many of us are used to playing with white balls, it doesn’t hurt to have some orange table tennis balls handy. This is especially important if you play in an area with a white/light-colored background or an area with poor lighting. 

It seems half of the venues I play at somewhat tick this criterion, so using orange-colored ping pong balls makes sense. However, there are very few orange balls to choose from — much less than when celluloid was the ball material of choice.

Fortunately, top ball brand Nittaku makes an orange ball: the Nexcel 40+. It’s a little different from their Premium ball, but not that much. Not only is it one of the few ITTF-approved orange balls available, but it was also the first to be released.

If you’re after an orange ball for match play, Nittaku Nexcel ping pong balls are the clear top choice.   

4. Butterfly R40+ Ping Pong Ball

Butterfly gear is always overpriced, but you can almost always be certain that it’s of good quality. One of the few times their products let me down was with their early plastic table tennis balls. They didn’t feel perfectly round and were a bit shiny and slippy for my liking.

However, that was some time ago, the R40+ is their third-generation plastic ball and represents one of the top-rated ping pong balls on the market. The trouble is it’s just so damn pricey. At $3 a ball, they are one of the most expensive. 

I don’t buy them as I think they’re overpriced, however, I see them all the time in my league. If quality is all you care about they are a solid option. 

5. Gambler P40+ 3-Star Table Tennis Ball

As far as value for money goes in the 3-star class, Gambler P40+ balls are the best you can get. At just 75 cents per ball, you will be hard-pressed to find a 3-star ITTF-approved ball for cheaper. While it’s true they do not feel quite as good as the top 3-star TT balls, they are still very high quality.

You can even bring down the cost per ball to 67 cents if you choose to purchase them as a pack of 36 rather than 6. 

Similar: The 10 Best Ping Pong Table Tops to Spice Up Your Games Room

The Best Table Tennis Training Balls

1. JOOLA 3-Star Advanced Training Balls

I feel the best table tennis training balls right now are JOOLA’s 3-star Advanced balls. They are made to adhere to the ITTF’s specifications for three-star ping pong balls, however, they are not approved, hence there is no ITTF logo on the ball.

As is the case with many JOOLA products, their Advanced Training ball works out very cheap in relation to the rest of the market. It’s the cheapest ball I could find from a trusted table tennis brand.

The cost per ball is just 16 cents! A superb investment for a table tennis club or a table tennis robot. 

2. Sanwei 1-Star 40+ Training Balls

The Sanwei 1-Star 40+ training balls are the one type of 1-star ball on this list, but I wouldn’t let this deter you from getting them. JOOLA’s 3-Star Advanced training balls may be classed as 3-star, but they are not ITTF-approved, so there is no guarantee the quality is higher.

In fact, Sanwei’s training balls are C.T.T.A. (Chinese Table Tennis Association) approved, so they are actually better backed! In terms of value, they are exceptional, but not quite as good as JOOLA’s 3-Star Advanced training balls, coming in at $0.27 per ball.

These bulk table tennis balls are available in quantities of 100, 500, or 3,000.

3. Butterfly 40+ Training Balls

One of the most popular types of training balls is the Butterfly 40+ Training Ball. As it’s made by Butterfly, it should come as no surprise that these balls are of good quality. However, they are wildly expensive compared to other brands — they cost more than twice as much as the training balls by JOOLA and Sanwei.

Surprisingly, they are actually within one cent of the price per ball of the Gambler P40+ 3-star ball. Given this fact, I see little reason to purchase them. 

However, like Apple fans religiously purchasing the latest iPhone every year, many Butterfly fans will stick with the brand as they continue to pump out overpriced gear. While it’s true they are being short-changed in terms of value, these are good table tennis balls as far as quality goes.     

Table Tennis Ball Buying Guide

Star Ratings

Star ratings are a visual indication of the quality of balls for table tennis. There are four types: 1-star, 2-star, 3-star, and no stars, these are commonly called training balls.

As you might expect, the quality rises as you go up in stars. However, while stars represent the quality of a ball, there is no guarantee of this quality unless it is approved by an organization such as the ITTF. That being said, here is what you can expect from the different types of balls. 

Training / 1-Star Table Tennis Balls

These are the lowest-grade of table tennis balls for serious players (don’t use generic unbranded balls). I consider training balls and 1-star balls to be roughly on par with one another. 

Many brands title their low-grade balls “training balls” as “1-star balls” sounds far inferior to “3-star balls.” Ultimately though, it just comes down to semantics. To me, training balls encompass all balls that do not meet the demands of match play.

In any case, balls marked as training or 1-star are the most inconsistent, and the furthest away from the requirements of an ITTF-approved ball. Generally speaking, I’ve found them to feel quite light which leads to overhitting.

1-star/training balls are the cheapest you can purchase and are available to buy as bulk ping pong balls. They represent an excellent investment for a club or robot as you will get through far more balls than the average player.

On the other hand, they are not a good choice for match play. Many serious players will refuse to play with them.  

2-Star Table Tennis Balls

2-Star balls are a step up from 1-star balls, but they don’t feel quite as good as balls with 3 stars. This is because they are right in the middle in terms of quality; their properties are middling at adhering to guidelines.

As they represent a good balance between quality and value they are well worth considering. However, you might struggle to track them down as they are the rarest type of ball. Many brands only produce 1-star/training and 3-star balls.

In terms of use cases, 2-star balls fill the same spots as 1-star and training balls. They are not good enough for match play, but they are a great option for general practice, and they should feel better to play with than 1-star balls. 

3-Star Ping Pong Balls

3-star balls are the most expensive balls you can get, but the quality is the best, so the price is warranted. 

There are lots of 3-star balls to choose from as almost all serious ball manufacturers have their own 3-star ball. To beginners, most of the balls in this class may feel the same. However, more skilled players will notice each ball feels different. So it is worth experimenting to see which ball you prefer the most. 

Factors such as hardness, roundness, weight, and texture all vary from ball to ball.

Regardless, 3-star balls are the ones you want for match play. You can use them for training too but they do not provide the best value. Despite this, many players such as myself exclusively use 3-star balls for training. They last a lot longer than the old 3-star celluloid balls used to, so I’m more than happy to pay extra and train with them. 

ITTF-Approval

Not all 3-star balls are born equal. You may notice that some balls flaunt an ITTF logo or “ITTF approved” text. These are the balls that sit at the top of the sport.

While all 3-star balls are designed to meet ITTF specifications, only those with a logo or ITTF text are verified. Therefore, all of your match balls should be ITTF-approved. While unapproved 3-star balls are a great choice for training, you can’t use them for official matches.

In case you’re wondering, here are the ITTF requirements for 3-star balls:

• Must be spherical
• Have a diameter of 40 mm
• Weigh 2.7 g
• Made of plastic, white or orange in color with a matt finish
• Must not veer
• Must bounce consistently
• Have a uniform hardness
• Be of the appropriate thickness

Closing Thoughts

There is a plethora of excellent ping pong balls to choose from and I hope that I helped give you some ideas of which balls to choose. 

To recap, my top 3-star ITTF-approved ball is the DHS D40+. It’s the perfect combination of quality and value, and DHS is one of the most trusted table tennis ball brands.

As for my favorite training balls, that would have to be the JOOLA Advanced Training balls. They are incredibly well priced at 16 cents per ball, yet based on their quality, you wouldn’t be able to tell they are so cheap. 

Want more help picking equipment? I have guides on the best table tennis rubbers and the best table tennis nets.