You can download the ITTF rubber approval table here.
Which table tennis rubber is the best for me?
If you are new to the sport of table tennis and want to buy a table tennis racket, you are faced with your first big challenge: Which table tennis racket is the right one for me? Do I buy a ready-made racket or do I choose my own table tennis racket and blade? But which table tennis blades are right for me? Here is a brief overview of the types of rubbers currently available:
Pimples inside or pimples outside – what do I need for my table tennis rubber?
If you take a closer look at a table tennis rubber, you will see that it consists of two different layers. One consists of the top rubber with pimples and a sponge underneath. If you now take a closer look at the top rubber, you will notice very big differences. On the table tennis rubber top sheet in question, there are narrow, thin, flexible pimples that can either face outwards or inwards (most common type: inner pimples).
Description of the inner studs – the top rubber of the covering:
With pimples inside or a „smooth rubber“ one always speaks of the surface structure of a table tennis rubber. If the pimples of the table tennis rubber point inwards, I get a „smooth“ and therefore grippy top rubber, which is very good for generating rotation. So keep in mind that the more grippy the top rubber of the rubber is, the more rotation you can generate with the right playing technique. For you, this is the first quality feature when choosing the right rubber.
Table tennis rubbers with pimples inside without sponge are not permitted.
In European and Japanese production (Donic, Andro, Butterfly, Xiom, adidas, Tibhar) the top rubber is usually grippy, in the Chinese production of rubbers (Friendship 729, DHS (Double Happiness) usually very sticky.
Type description of the nubs outside: Short, medium length, long:
Now for the big difference: If the pimples of the top rubber are facing outwards, the table tennis ball is also played with these. Such table tennis rubbers differ in their overall playing style from conventional table tennis rubbers with pimples on the inside. You can generate much less rotation or none at all. In addition, the alignment, shape and length of the pimples also play a major role.
If you opt for short or medium-length outer pimples, you still have the opportunity to create an offensive game at the table, as you can generate a little rotation yourself and even your own light topspins should not pose any problems. Nevertheless, the game with this type of table tennis rubber is based more on blocking and hitting. As another advantage of this rubber is that it compensates for technical deficits to a certain extent, these table tennis rubbers are particularly suitable for players who decide to use their technically strong side to attack and therefore rotate in order to increase their confidence in the game with their technically weaker side.In contrast to the short/medium-length pimples, the long pimples do not allow you to play your own offensive game. Instead, they are used to disrupt the opponent's game by causing a so-called „rotation reversal“ when the ball is played through the long pimples. You can generate little or no rotation yourself. This table tennis surface is also usually played on the technically weak side to compensate for deficits.
The area under the top rubber - the sponge:
As mentioned at the beginning, the table tennis rubber consists of two layers. We will now look at the second layer of the rubber, the sponge.
This always has an indirect influence on speed, ball control and the catapult effect. The softer the sponge, the slower the table tennis rubber, but the more control and rotation it can generate. Here is a brief overview of the sponge values:
- 30-35° - very soft sponge, slow + controlled
- 36-38° - soft sponge, slow + controlled
- 39-42° - medium soft/hard sponge, faster
- 43-46° - hard sponge, fast + less control
- 47-50° - very hard sponge, very fast + little control
The maximum thickness of top rubber and sponge must not exceed 4 mm
The use of table tennis rubbers in competition:
A table tennis rubber may only be played and used in competitions if it is approved, i.e. on the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) approval list. The table tennis surface you have now chosen must therefore be marked with an ITTF seal.
There are now almost 1000 table tennis rubbers from more than 100 manufacturers on this list, which is constantly renewed and updated over the years. Once a rubber has been removed from this list, it may no longer be used in competitions.
Table tennis brands:
Adidas, Andro, Donic, Friendship, Nittaku, Stiga, Tibhar, TSP, XIOM, Yasaka
Sponge hardness:
Soft, medium, hard
Surface:
Anti, sticky, control-elastic, short pimples, long pimples, medium-length pimples, spin-elastic, tempo-elastic