Many types of wood are used to make pool cues, including cherry, maple, ebony, mahogany, and even bamboo. While each style has unique characteristics, they all serve the same purpose – making great pool cues. Here is a list of some of the most common types of wood used in manufacturing pool cues.
Angelico Pool Cue Wood: Also known as Brazilian Cherry, it is a hardwood native to Brazil. Its grain pattern makes it very desirable for use in billiard table legs, ball returns, and other parts of the game.
Bocote Pool Cue Wood: This tropical hardwood is found throughout Central and South America. In addition to being used for billiards, furniture and musical instruments are often used.
Maple Pool Cue Wood: Maple is one of the hardest and strongest woods. Because of its strength, it is frequently used for billiard tables and billiard balls.
Mahogany Pool Cue Wood: Mahogany is another solid and durable wood ideal for billiard cues. It is also used to make guitars and violins.
What Is the Best Material for a Pool Cue?
There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a cue. For starters, you want something that feels good in your hands. You don’t want it to feel too light or heavy, either. A good tip is to try out several different types of wood and see what you think. Then, stick with it once you’ve found the one you like. As long as it doesn’t break easily, it’ll probably do fine throughout many games.
Maple Pool Cue
Pool cues are one of the oldest types of cue sticks around. They are usually made from hardwoods like hickory, mahogany, or maple. These woods are naturally very dense, making it easier to make a solid stick. Maple is generally considered the most popular choice because of its natural properties. Maple is a stronger wood than ash, which makes it better suited for pool cues. It is also much harder than ash, allowing players to hit the ball harder and longer.
The main strength of maple, though, is its durability. Maple is a solid, durable wood that does not warp or bend easily. As long as you treat it well, it can withstand constant use over many years without cracking or warping. Maple is an excellent choice for pool cues because it doesn’t warp, crack, or split.
Ash Snooker Cue
The popularity of ash wood in cue sports goes way beyond just snooker. Billiard players use it for both table tennis and nine-ball. It is the second most popular wood used in cues in America behind maple.
In addition to being used in snooker, ash is also commonly used in English billiards and European pools. However, it is rarely used in American pools due to the heavier weight of the balls used there.
Although it is not often used for American pools, it is still considered one of the best woods for shooting fast shots. Players like the lightness and ease of movement that ash provides. They also enjoy the grain pattern and feel of the wood.
Synthetic Materials
Wooden pool cues are synonymous with pool cues. You see them daily in most bars, billiards rooms, and even home pools. But there are plenty of other options out there. If you’ve ever wondered why your local bar might have pool cues with composite shafts or graphite handles, here’s how it works.
What Cues Do Professional Pool Players Use?
Professional pool players almost always tend toward maple wood. It is because it provides a nice balance of strength and flexibility. Maple is also reasonably resistant to cracking and splitting, making it ideal for long-term use.
Most professional-quality pool cues are made from solid hard rock maple. While there are often other types of woods used to complement the maple, they are almost always hard maple at their core. Why? Because that’s what makes the best pool cues.
It is because of the maple’s strength, durability, and balance. In the American pool, hitting hard is extremely important. The balls in the American pool require a lot of force, and thus a stronger and heavier cue is necessary.
