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{{Short description|Bounded table on which cue sports are played}}
{{More citations needed |date=September 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
[[File:A carom table in Café Zéphyr, Paris, France, 14 January 2007.jpg|thumb|Larger tables may require multiple lamps to properly light the playing surface.]]
[[File:"Billiard Table Manufactory, J. M. Brunswick & Bro., Proprietors, Cincinnati, Ohio" 1865 ad in Polk's Nashville (Davidson county, Tenn.) City Directory ... 1865 (IA polksnashvilleda00nash) (page 10 crop).jpg|thumb|Billiard Table Manufactory, J. M. Brunswick & Bro., Proprietors, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1865 ad]]
A '''billiard table''' or '''billiards table''' is a bounded table on which [[cue sports]] are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables (whether for [[carom billiards]], [[Pool (cue sports)|pool]], [[Russian pyramid|pyramid]] or [[snooker]]) provide a flat surface usually made of quarried [[slate]], that is covered with cloth (usually of a tightly woven [[worsted wool]] called [[baize]]), and surrounded by [[vulcanized rubber]] cushions, with the whole thing elevated above the floor.<ref name="Shamos 1999">{{Shamos 1999}}</ref>{{rp|115, 238}} More specific terms are used for specific sports, such as '''snooker table''' and '''pool table''', and different-sized [[billiard ball]]s are used on these table types. An obsolete term is '''billiard board''', used in the 16th and 17th centuries.<ref name="Shamos 1999" />{{rp|27}}<ref name="Everton 1986">{{Cite book |title=The History of Snooker and Billiards |last=Everton |first=Clive |author-link=Clive Everton |location=Haywards Heath, England |publisher=[[Transworld (company)|Partridge Press]] |pages=8–11 |date=1986 |edition=rev. ver. of ''The Story of Billiards and Snooker'' [1979] |isbn=1-85225-013-5}}</ref>

==Parts and equipment==
===Cushions===
Cushions (also sometimes called "rail cushions", "cushion rubber", or rarely "bumpers") are located on the inner sides of a table's wooden {{Cuegloss|Rail|rails}}. There are several different materials and design philosophies associated with cushion rubber. These cushions are made from an elastic material such as [[vulcanized]] [[rubber]] (gum or synthetic). The purpose of the cushion rubber is to cause the [[billiard balls]] to rebound off the rubber while minimizing the loss of [[kinetic energy]].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

The ''profile'' of the rail cushion, which is the cushion's angle in relation to the bed of the table, varies between table types. The standard on American pool tables is the K-66 profile, which as defined by the [[Billiard Congress of America]] (BCA) has a base of {{convert|1+3/16|in}} and a nose height of {{convert|1|in}}.<ref name="BCA Equip. Spec.">{{cite web |url= http://www.bestbilliard.com/resources/specs.htm |title=BCA Equipment Specifications |access-date=5 May 2007 |publisher=[[Billiard Congress of America]] |via=BestBilliard.com |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070404075919/http://www.bestbilliard.com/resources/specs.htm |archive-date=4 April 2007}}</ref> When installed properly the distance from the nose of the cushion to the covered slate surface is {{convert|1+7/16|in}}<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.poolfelt.com/cushrepl.html |title=Pool Table Cushion Replacement |work=PoolFelt.com |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081015043059/http://www.poolfelt.com/cushrepl.html |archive-date=15 October 2008 }}</ref> while using a regulation {{convert|2+1/4|in|adj=on}} ball set.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

On a carom table, the K-55 profile is used (with a somewhat sharper angle than pool cushions). K-55 cushions have cloth, usually canvas, vulcanized into the top of the rubber to adjust rebound accuracy and speed.<ref name="BCA Equip. Spec." />

Snooker tables use an L-shaped profile, such as the L77 profile.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Bed===
The bed table – the cloth-covered, horizontal playing surface&nbsp;– is, on high-quality equipment, made of solid, smooth slabs of [[slate]], most often from Italy, Brazil or China. Small pool tables may use only one or two pieces of slate, while carom, English billiards and tournament-size pool tables use three. Full-size snooker tables require five. The gap between slates is filled with a hard-drying putty, epoxy or resin, then sanded to produce a seamless surface, before being covered with the cloth. When several pieces of slate are joined poorly it is possible for the resin to deform and cause an uneven playing surface; it can also be difficult to move once joined.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Tables for the home market usually use slate beds as well, but the slate is often thinner, down to about {{nowrap|{{frac||1|2}} inch (13&nbsp;mm)}}. The early table beds were made of cloth-covered wooden boards. Today, inexpensive but not very rigid or durable materials used for the beds of low-end tables (e.g. for children's [[recreation room]]s) still include wood, especially [[medium-density fibreboard]] and [[plywood]], as well as plastics and other synthetic materials under various trade names.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Cloth===
Billiard cloth (sometimes erroneously called [[felt]]) is a specific type of cloth that covers the top of the table's "playing area". Both the rails and slate beds are covered with 21–24-ounce billiard cloth (although some less expensive 19-ounce cloths are available) which is most often green in colour (representing the grass of the original lawn games from which billiards evolved), and consists of either a woven [[wool]] or wool-[[nylon]] blend called [[baize]].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Most bar tables, which get much use, use the slower, thicker blended felt because it is cheaper. This type of cloth is called a [[woollen]] cloth. By contrast, high-quality pool cloth is usually made of a napless weave such as [[worsted]] wool, which gives a much faster roll to the balls. This "speed" of the cloth affects the amounts of {{Cuegloss|Swerve|swerve}} and {{Cuegloss|Deflection|deflection}} of the balls, among other aspects of game finesse. Snooker cloth traditionally has a directional [[Nap (textile)|nap]], upon which the balls behave differently when rolling against vs. running with the direction of the nap.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Markings===
{{cuegloss|Sight|Sights}}, also known as {{cuegloss|Diamond|diamonds}} (for [[Lozenge (shape)|their traditional shape]]), are inlaid at precise, evenly spaced positions along the rails of some tables (not usually on snooker tables) to aid in the aiming of bank or kick shots. There are six along each long rail (with the side pocket interfering with where the seventh one would go, on pocket billiard tables) and three along each short rail, with each of the four corners counting as another in the mathematical systems that the diamonds are used to calculate. These sights divide the playing surface into equal squares. Books, even entire series of books, have been written on geometric and algebraic systems of aiming using the diamonds.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Spots are often used to mark the {{cuegloss|Head spot|head}} and {{cuegloss|Foot|foot spots}} on the cloth. Other markings may be a line drawn across the {{cuegloss|Head string|head string}} (or across the {{cuegloss|Balk line|balk line}} with {{cuegloss|the D|the "D"}}, in British-style pool). Another case is the outline of the {{cuegloss|Triangle|triangle rack}} behind the foot spot where the balls are {{cuegloss|Rack|racked}} in [[straight pool]], since the outline of this area is strategically important throughout the game. In [[artistic pool]], lines may be drawn between opposite sights putting a grid on the playing surface. Other grid patterns are used in various forms of [[balkline billiards]]. A recent table marking convention, in European [[nine-ball]], is the {{cuegloss|Break box|break box}}.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

==Carom billiards tables==
Pocketless [[carom billiards]] tables are used for such games as [[straight rail]], [[balkline]], [[one-cushion billiards]], [[three-cushion caroms]], and [[artistic billiards]].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Dimensions===
Regulation 10 × 5-foot carom billiards tables have a playing surface (measured between the noses of the cushions) of {{convert|2.84|by|1.42|m|ft}}<!--These standards are given in metric.--> with a 5-millimetre allowance.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://files.umb-carom.org/Public/Rules/Carom_Rules.pdf |title=World Rules of Carom Billiard |date=1 January 1989 |work=UMB.org |publisher=[[Union Mondiale de Billard]]|url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130801042614/http://www.umb.org/Rules/Carom_Rules.pdf |archive-date=1 August 2013 |access-date=13 December 2015}}</ref> The standard height range of the table, measured from the playing surface to the ground is between 75 and 80 centimetres.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Bed===
The [[slate]] bed of a carom billiards table must have a minimum thickness of 45 millimetres and in tournaments recommended heating temperatures is {{convert|33|–|37|C|F}}, which helps to keep moisture out of the cloth to aid the balls rolling and rebounding in a consistent manner, and generally makes a table play faster. A heated table is required under international carom rules and is an especially important requirement for the games of three-cushion billiards and artistic billiards.<ref name="Shamos 1999" />{{rp|115, 238}}
{{Anchor|Pocket billiards (pool) tables|Pocket billiard (pool) tables|Pool (pocket billiards) tables|Pool (pocket billiard) tables|Pool tables|Pocket billiards tables||Pocket billiard tables|Pool|Pocket billiards}}

==Pool tables==
[[File:CueBallOneBallNearPocket.jpg|right|thumb|A {{Cuegloss|Cue ball|cue ball}} and the 1 ball close to a WPA-style pocket. (The balls are the same size; the cue ball looks large due to [[foreshortening]].)]]<!--Replace this image; due to wide-angle lens, it makes the cue ball look much larger than the object ball.-->

A [[Pool (cue sports)|pool]] table, or pocket billiards table, has six {{cuegloss|Pocket|pockets}} – one at each corner of the table ({{cuegloss|Corner pocket|corner pockets}}) and one at the midpoint of each of the longer sides ({{cuegloss|Side pocket|side pockets}} or {{cuegloss|Middle pocket|middle pockets}}).

===Dimensions===
[[File:British-pool-table-pocket.JPG|thumb|alt=British Pool Table|A WEPF-style pool table, showing a cue ball and red and yellow balls close to the small, rounded, nearly parallel-sided pocket]]
Pool tables come in different sizes, typically referred to as {{convert|9|foot|m|abbr=out|adj=on|sigfig=2}}, {{convert|8.5|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=on|sigfig=2}}, {{convert|8|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=on|sigfig=2}}, or {{convert|7|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=on|sigfig=2}} tables. In all cases, the table is rectangular with a {{nowrap|2:1}} ratio (e.g. {{nowrap|9 × 4.5 ft}}).{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

There are only two sizes approved for tournament play by [[World Pool-Billiard Association]] (WPA): {{nowrap|9 × 4.5 ft}} and {{nowrap|8 × 4 ft}}.<ref name="WPA Tournament Table and Equipment Specifications">{{cite web |url=http://www.wpa-pool.com/index.asp?content=rules_spec |title=WPA Tournament Table and Equipment Specifications |access-date=27 December 2008 |publisher=[[World Pool-Billiard Association]] |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070202181203/http://www.wpa-pool.com/index.asp?content=rules_spec |archive-date=2 February 2007}}</ref><ref name="BCA Equip. Spec." /> For a {{nowrap|9-ft}} table, the playing surface (the dimensions between the noses of the cushions) measures {{convert|100|by|50|in|cm|sigfig=3}} with a {{nowrap|{{frac||1|8}}-inch}} (3.2&nbsp;mm) [[margin of error]] for either dimension. For an {{nowrap|8-ft table}}, the playing surface measures {{convert|92|by|46|in|cm|sigfig=3}}, with the same {{frac||1|8}} inch variance allowed.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

In the UK as well as a number of other [[British Commonwealth]] and European countries, the typical pool table is a {{convert|7|x|3.5|ft|m|abbr=on}}, although {{convert|6|ft|m|adj=on}} tables for the [[Public house|pub]] and home market are also common. These are the sizes used by internationally standardized [[blackball (pool)|blackball]] and the amateur [[World Eightball Pool Federation]], as well as informal pub pool.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.libertygames.co.uk/information/british_vs_american_pool |title=British vs. American Pool |access-date=30 April 2010 |publisher=[[Liberty Games]]}}</ref> The 7-foot size is also frequently used in North American amateur leagues, and are common coin-operated fixtures in [[Bar (establishment)|bars]] and other venues. The playing surface for a 7-foot table is {{convert|76|by|38|in|cm|sigfig=3}}.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Pockets===
Pockets, typically rimmed at the back with leather or plastic traditionally have ''drop pockets'', which are small receptacles below each pocket to contain the balls. More modern tables may instead employ ''ball return pockets'', a series of gutters inside the table, which deliver the balls into a collection compartment on one side of the table, in a similar manner to the ball return on a [[bowling alley]]. On a coin-operated table, the object balls are deposited inside an inaccessible window until the table is paid again, allowing the balls to be released into the compartment, while the cue ball is usually separated into its own ball return, often utilizing a different sized ball. A possible result of drop pockets is that if too many balls go into the same pocket, it would fill up the receptacle and prevent any more balls from going in that pocket, requiring that some be moved out of the pocket manually before shooting again.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Regardless of table size, the WPA standard (sometimes informally called "American-style") table has wide, angular pockets that funnel notably inward, generally 1.75 to 2.25 times as wide at the opening as the diameter of the {{nowrap|{{frac|2|1|4}}-inch (57&nbsp;mm)}} balls, wider at the side (middle) pockets than the corners. WEPF pool (sometimes informally called "British-style" or "Commonwealth-style") is played with {{nowrap|2 to {{frac|2|1|8}}-in (51–54&nbsp;mm)}} balls, and this type of table has smaller, narrow pockets (the width is calculated as the ball diameter multiplied by 1.6, and is consistent at all six pockets), with rounded entrances and nearly parallel sides, like those on a snooker table. One tactical consequence of this design difference is that the jaws of the WPA-type pocket are often used exactly like a horizontal version of the backboard of a basketball goal, to rebound the ball into the pocket; this technique does not work on blackball tables, and even shots down the cushion into a corner pocket are more difficult.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Bed===
For tournament competition under WPA world-standardized rules (and league play under derived rulesets), the bed of the pocket billiard table must be made of slate no less than {{convert|1|in|cm|sigfig=3}} thick. The flatness of the table must be divergent by no greater than {{convert|0.02|in|mm}} lengthwise and {{convert|0.01|in|mm}} across the width.<ref name="WPA Tournament Table and Equipment Specifications"/>

===Scoring device===
Some pool tables may feature a mechanical scorekeeper on one side, which can be changed to denote points for games such as [[straight pool]] or [[Rotation (pool)|rotation]].

==Snooker and English billiards tables==
{{anchor|Snooker tables|Snooker|English billiards}}[[File:Snooker table drawing 2.svg|thumb|Snooker table, drawn to scale]]
A table designed for the games [[snooker]] and [[English billiards]] is usually called a '''snooker table'''.

===Dimensions===
The playing area of a tournament snooker table, as standardized by the [[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]] (WPBSA) and the amateur [[International Billiards and Snooker Federation]] (IBSF),<ref name="wsrulessnooker">{{cite web|date=November 2014|title=Official Rules of the Games of Snooker and English Billiards|url=http://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/official-rules-of-the-game.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715114453/http://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/official-rules-of-the-game.pdf|archive-date=July 15, 2016|access-date=July 1, 2016|publisher=[[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association|The World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association Limited]]}}</ref><ref name="IBSF 2011">{{cite web |url= http://www.ibsf.info/rules-snooker.shtml |title=Rules of the Game of Snooker |date=2011 |publisher=[[International Billiards and Snooker Federation]] |location=Reims, France |access-date=25 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120101220441/http://www.ibsf.info/rules-snooker.shtml |archive-date=1 January 2012}}</ref> measures 11&nbsp;feet&nbsp;8.5&nbsp;inches&nbsp;by&nbsp;5&nbsp;ft&nbsp;10&nbsp;in (3569&nbsp;mm&nbsp;by&nbsp;1778&nbsp;mm<!--Yes, the source was this precise.-->) with a tolerance of ±&nbsp;0.5&nbsp;in (13&nbsp;mm),<ref name="WPBSA 2011">{{WPBSA 2011|9–10|accessdate=24 December 2014}}</ref> though commonly referred to as 12&nbsp;ft&nbsp;by&nbsp;6&nbsp;ft, the nominal outer dimensions including the rails. Smaller tables, approximately 10&nbsp;ft&nbsp;by&nbsp;5&nbsp;ft down to half size, are also sometimes used in [[Public house|pubs]], homes and smaller [[snooker hall]]s. The height from the floor to the top of the cushion is between 2&nbsp;ft&nbsp;9.5&nbsp;in and 2&nbsp;ft&nbsp;10.5&nbsp;in (851&nbsp;mm and 876&nbsp;mm).<ref name="WPBSA 2011" />

===Pockets===
A snooker table has six pockets, one at each corner and one at the centre of each of the longest side cushions. The pockets are around 86&nbsp;mm (3.5&nbsp;in),{{clarify|date=February 2010|reason=3.5 in is 89 mm! Which is it, and convert more accurately, please. Also, what is actually being measured?}} though high-class tournaments may use slightly smaller pockets to increase difficulty. The amount of {{cuegloss|Undercut|undercut}} (trimmed underside of the rubber cushion's protruding {{cuegloss|Nose|nose}} at the pocket opening),<ref name="SnookerGames">{{cite web |url=http://www.snookergames.co.uk/glossary1.html |title=Definitions of Terms used in Snooker and English Billiards |last=Stooke |first=Michael P. |work=SnookerGames.co.uk |publisher=self-published |location=Dorset, England |date=14 March 2010 |access-date=25 December 2011 |archive-date=17 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417173644/http://www.snookergames.co.uk/glossary1.html |url-status=dead }}{{tertiary|biblio=yes}} Stooke is a snooker instructor and writer whose work appears to be presumptively reliable, based on the sources he does cite throughout his materials.</ref>{{rp|8}} if any, has a strong effect on how easily a ball is accepted by the pocket (the "{{cuegloss|Pocket speed|pocket speed}}"). On snooker and English billiards tables, the pocket entries are rounded, while pool tables have sharp "{{cuegloss|Knuckle|knuckles}}". This affects how accurate shots need to be to get into a pocket, and how fast they can be when not dead-on, including shots that run along and against a cushion, making snooker more difficult to play than pool. According to the WPBSA official rule book, "the pocket openings shall conform to the {{cuegloss|Pocket template|templates}} owned and authorised by The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA)".<ref name="WPBSA 2011" /> The WPBSA and IBSF rule books' equipment sections do not actually specify the measurements and shapes of these proprietary templates<ref name="IBSF 2011" /><ref name="WPBSA 2011" /> which change from time to time, requiring that the templates be dated.<ref name="BCCSS">{{cite web |url= http://pooltableindia.weebly.com/snooker-table.html |title=Standard Size of the Snooker Table|date=1995|publisher=India Cue Sports Society |location=Delhi, New Delhi, India |access-date=25 December 2011}}</ref> The organizations do not recognize tournament play or records ([[Highest snooker break|maximum breaks]], etc.) if not performed on tables that conform to then-current templates.<ref name="BCCSS" /><ref name="FCSnooker">{{cite web |url= http://www.fcsnooker.co.uk/latest%20links/147_breaks.htm |title=Maximum Breaks (Professional Competition Only) |at="Unofficial 147s" section |work=FCSnooker.co.uk |publisher=The Frank Callan Suite |location=Preston, England |date=2009 |access-date=24 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120108113450/http://www.fcsnooker.co.uk/latest%20links/147_breaks.htm |archive-date=8 January 2012}} FCS is a snooker equipment manufacturer that also runs a snooker statistics site.</ref>

===Cushions===
The cushions (sometimes known as rails, though that term properly applies to the wood sections to which the cushions are attached) are usually made of [[vulcanized rubber]].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Markings===
The {{Cuegloss|Baulk|baulk}} area is marked by a {{cuegloss|Baulk line|baulk line}} drawn on the cloth across the width of the table at {{convert|29|in|mm}} from and parallel to the face of the {{Cuegloss|Bottom cushion|bottom cushion}}.<ref name="WPBSA 2011" /> A semicircle with a radius of {{convert|11.5|in|mm}} centred on this line within baulk forms {{Cuegloss|the D|the "D"}}<ref name="WPBSA 2011" /> in which the cue ball must be placed when breaking or after the cue ball has been {{Cuegloss|Pot|potted}} or shot off the table. The position of four of {{Cuegloss|Colour ball|the colours}} are marked along the {{Cuegloss|Long string|long string}} (lengthwise centre) of the table, perpendicular to the baulk line: the {{Cuegloss|Black spot|black spot}}, {{convert|12.75|in|mm}} from the {{Cuegloss|Top cushion|top cushion}}; the {{Cuegloss|Centre spot|centre spot}} or {{Cuegloss|Blue spot|blue spot}}, located at the midpoint between the bottom and top {{Cuegloss|Cushion|cushions}}; the {{Cuegloss|Pyramid spot|pyramid spot}} or {{Cuegloss|Pink spot|pink spot}}, located midway between the centre spot and the top cushion; and the {{Cuegloss|Baulk spot|baulk spot}} or {{Cuegloss|Brown spot|brown spot}}, located at the midpoint of the baulk line<ref name="WPBSA 2011" /> (and, thus of the "D"). Due to its obviousness, the brown spot is not always marked (neither are the unmistakable {{cuegloss|Green spot|green}} and {{cuegloss|Yellow spot|yellow spots}},<ref name="WPBSA 2011" /> at the left and right intersections, respectively, of the baulk line and the "D{{"'}}s curve.<ref name="Shamos 1999" />{{rp|116, 278}}<ref name="WPBSA 2011" /> The exact placing of these markings are different on smaller tables, but proportional to the full-size model.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Bed===
The {{cuegloss|Playing area|playing surface}} of a good-quality snooker table has a {{cuegloss|Bed|bed}} of [[slate]]<ref name="themenscave">{{cite web |date=10 October 2017 |title=Pool Table Buyer's Guide |url=https://www.themenscave.sg/blog/pool-table-guide/ |access-date=12 October 2017 |work=TheMensCave.sg}}</ref> and is covered with [[baize]] cloth, traditionally green, though many other colours are now available. The thickness of this cloth determines the table's {{cuegloss|Speed|speed}} (lack of friction) and responsiveness to {{cuegloss|Spin|spin}}, thicker cloths being longer lasting but slower and less responsive. The [[Nap (textile)|nap]] of the cloth can affect the run of the balls, especially on slower shots and shots played with {{cuegloss|Sidespin|sidespin}} applied to the {{cuegloss|Cue ball|cue ball}}. A snooker table traditionally has the nap running from the baulk to the top end and is brushed and ironed in this direction.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

==Tables for other games==
Other types of billiard tables are used for specific games, such as [[Russian pyramid]] which uses a '12&nbsp;ft by 6&nbsp;ft' table (similar to a snooker table but with much smaller pockets), and Asian [[Four-ball billiards|four ball]] which uses a pocketless 8&nbsp;ft by 4&nbsp;ft table. Games such as [[bagatelle]] often had more than six holes, including straight through the bed in the middle of the table, a feature still found in [[bar billiards]] and [[bumper pool]].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

==Novelty and home tables==
There are novelty billiard tables, often for pool, that come in various shapes including zig-zag, circular, and (especially for bumper pool) hexagonal. A circular table featured prominently in the 1972 film ''[[Silent Running]]''. For the home market, many manufacturers have produced convertible billiard tables (in the broad sense) that double as dining tables or as [[table tennis]], [[foosball]], or [[air hockey]], tables, with removable hard tops.<ref name="themenscave" /> Home pool tables, which often lack a ball-return system, are commonly either 4&nbsp;×&nbsp;8&nbsp;ft or 3.5&nbsp;×&nbsp;7&nbsp;ft models, a medium between 3&nbsp;×&nbsp;6&nbsp;ft. bar/pub tables and 4.5&nbsp;×&nbsp;9&nbsp;ft tournament-size models. Low-end tables tend toward the smaller range, and may have [[Medium-density fiberboard|MDF]] or wood beds as an alternative to slate; those with light-weight beds may be foldable for storage, as with table tennis. Miniature tables range in size from [[Tabletop game|tabletop]] 1&nbsp;× 1.6&nbsp;ft to free-standing 2.5&nbsp;×&nbsp;5&nbsp;ft models, and use scaled-down cues and balls.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

<gallery>
File:Russian billiards ball at a corner pocket.jpg|[[Russian pyramid]] ball at a corner pocket. The relative size of the ball and the pocket makes the game very challenging.
File:Bar billiards table 1.jpg|A bar billiards table, showing the holes but not the mushrooms that are placed in front of the holes. All players stand in front of the table (no side access is permitted).
File:Bumper pool table.jpg|A rectangular bumper pool table
File:Ford Mustang As Pool Table -- Rear (MIAS '11).jpg|An [[Ford Mustang (first generation)|original Ford Mustang]] converted into a novelty pool table, exhibited at the 2011 [[Montreal International Auto Show]]
File:Seifert und Soehne 3668.JPG|A billiard table, the bed of which can be flipped over for use as a regular table; produced by Heinrich Seifert & Söhne around 1910
File:Kid's toy billiard table.jpg|A child plays a miniature billiard table set on a coffee table and using small balls.
File:Large oversized pool area at a student lounge in a college.jpg|[[Soccer]] billiards table, also known as ''footpool'' or ''[[snookball]]''. The balls are regular soccer balls coloured and numbered to resemble pool balls.
File:Ford Mustang Billiard Table - Red.jpg|Ford Mustang billiard table in a game table and sports store in Abu Dhabi, UAE
</gallery>

== Heating ==
Billiard table beds are commonly heated with electricity, in order to keep the cloth dry, and allow the balls to roll better.<ref name="MPZ">{{Cite web |url=https://milieuplatformzorg.nl/bibliotheek/maatregelen/937/tijdschakelklok-voor-biljartverwarming/ |title=Tijdschakelklok voor biljartverwarming |author= |work=Vereniging Milieu Platform Zorgsector |date= |accessdate=12 October 2022 |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="Wouters"/> [[Queen Victoria]] (1819–1901) had a billiard table that was heated using [[zinc]] tubes, although the aim at that time was chiefly to keep the then-used [[ivory]] balls from warping. The first use of electric heating was for an 18.2 balkline tournament held in December 1927 between [[Welker Cochran]] and [[Jacob Schaefer Jr.]] ''The New York Times'' announced it with fanfare: "For the first time in the history of world's championship balkline billiards a heated table will be used..."<ref name="Shamos 1999" />{{rp|115, 238}}<ref>{{Cite news |work=The New York Times |date=16 December 1927 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1927/12/16/archives/to-heat-table-for-first-time-in-world-title-billiard-match.html |title= To Heat Table for First Time in World Title Billiard Match |access-date=2 January 2007}} (Subscription required.)</ref>

An electrically heated table is required under international carom billiard tournament rules 'in order to ensure the best possible rolling', although temperatures are not specified.<ref name="UMB-II-11-9">{{cite web |url= http://www.umb.org/Rules/Carom_Rules.pdf |title=World Rules of Carom Billiard |at=Chapter II ("Equipment"), Article 11, Section 9 |work=[[Union Mondiale de Billard]] |location=Sint-Martens-Latem, Belgium |date=1 January 1989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928031638/http://www.umb.org/Rules/Carom_Rules.pdf |archive-date=28 September 2007 |access-date=5 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In tournaments, carom billiard tables have recommended heating temperatures of {{convert|33–37|°C|°F|abbr=on|lk=on}},<ref name="Shamos 1999" />{{rp|115, 238}} while billiard associations may heat their carom tables to as much as {{convert|45|°C|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref name="NOS"/> An average modern billiard heater has an output of 600 watts.<ref name="MPZ"/> If it is not switched off outside operating hours, consumption is 3,500 [[kilowatt-hour]] (kWh) per year,<ref name="MPZ"/><ref name="NOS"/> costing 525 [[euro]]s (0.15&nbsp;EUR/kWh).<ref name="MPZ"/> Switching off a billiard table heater whenever it is not used can save more than 50% in energy consumption and costs; this can be done automatically with [[timer]]s.<ref name="MPZ"/> Another way to reduce energy consumption and costs is to use synthetic cloth rather than wool cloth, which requires much more energy to warm up.<ref name="Wouters">{{Cite web |url=https://www.duurzamesportsector.nl/artikel/met-deze-investeringen-bespaart-biljartvereniging-horna-energie/ |title=Met deze investeringen bespaart biljartvereniging Horna energie |trans-title=With these investments, billiards club Horna saves energy |author=Sarah Wouters |work=Duurzame Sportsector.nl |date=17 September 2021 |access-date=12 October 2022 |language=nl}}</ref> A disadvantage of synthetic cloth may be that certain types of games, such as [[balkline]], may result in damaging the synthetic cloth too quickly because of the way players hit the balls.<ref name="Wouters"/>

The [[2022 Russia–European Union gas dispute]] caused rising energy costs around Europe, making heating billiard tables almost prohibitively expensive.<ref name="NOS">{{Cite news |url=https://nos.nl/video/2447893-biljarttafels-moeten-verwarmd-en-dus-zitten-clubs-nu-in-de-geldproblemen |title=Biljarttafels moeten verwarmd, en dus zitten clubs nu in de geldproblemen |trans-title=Billiard tables need heating, so clubs face financial troubles |author= |work=NOS.nl |date=11 October 2022 |access-date=12 October 2022 |language=nl}}</ref> The [[Royal Dutch Billiards Federation]]'s director said in October 2022 that "billiard and snooker localities are simply incapable of affording these energy prices anymore, as heating a billiard costs about 3,500 kilowatts a year (...). At current energy prices, that is about 2,400 to 2,500 euros a year per billiard table."<ref name="NOS"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{English billiards}}
{{Cue sports nav}}
==External links==
* {{commonscat-inline}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aF21EAAAQBAJ |title=The Illustrated Principles of Pool and Billiards |first1=David G. |last1=Alciatore |isbn=9781454927914 |year=2017 |format=ebook |publisher=[[Sterling Publishing|Union Square & Company]] |language=English}}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yLpsCQAAQBAJ&q=pool+billiards |title=The Sport of Pool Billiards 1: Techniques and Training Based on PAT Part 1 |first1=David G. |last1=Alciatore |isbn=9781454927914 |date=May 2017 |format=ebook |publisher=Union Square & Company |language=English}}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dG5INsTkJAsC&q=pool+billiards |isbn=9780156005548 |title=Byrne's New Standard Book of Pool and Billiards |year=1998 |type=Paperback |publisher=[[Harcourt Brace & Company]] |language=English |first1=Robert |last1=Byrne |authorlink1=Robert Byrne (author)}}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yLpsCQAAQBAJ |isbn=9783941484986 |date=May 8, 2015 |format=ebook |publisher=[[Litho]] |language=English |first1=Ralph |last1= Eckert |title=The Sport of Pool Billiards 1: Techniques and Training Based on PAT Part 1}}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C-mt6DVhbHkC&q=pool+billiards |title=Pool and Billiards For Dummies
|first1=Nicholas |last1=Leider |isbn=9780470633946 |series=[[For Dummies]] |date=February 12, 2010 |format=ebook |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]] |language=English}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Billiard Table}}
[[Category:Cue sports equipment|Table, billiards]]
[[Category:Tables (furniture)|Billiards table]]