The standard bowling pin weight is 3 pounds and 6 ounces (1.5 kilograms). The maximum weight is 3 pounds and 10 ounces (1.6 kilograms), per United States Bowling Congress standards. Bowling pins weigh about 25% of a bowling ball to make bowling challenging but not impossible to master. The heavier the pins, the more skill needed to knock them over.
Tenpins are the heaviest and most stable pins, providing a real challenge. Non-regulation bowling pins come in different weights. The classic ten-pin is the pin most people think of when it comes to bowling. At the end of the day, picking up a bowling pin offers a tangible experience of the game’s physicality – the solid thud as you place it at the rack, the reassuring weight as you cradle it. It connects you to the real objects and space of bowling.
So next time you face those majestic pins, remember – they’re not just passive targets. They’re carefully crafted objects with surprising heft, made to test your skill and send thrills down your spine when they fall.
Bowling pins are made of maple wood or oak. Historically, bowling pins were made of maple wood. Since pins would break, protective coating was added. Wooden bowling pins are made of maple or birch and have a glossy finish. Plastic bowling pins are also popular. Understanding materials used to make equipment is critical to maintain it.
The wood used must be hard, close-grained and free of knots. Hard rock maple wood’s durability makes it the perfect material for pins. The manufacturing process has changed. Pins aren’t ten maple blocks anymore. Every pin is a complex mix of materials. In the past, other core materials were used. Now, governing bodies require multi-piece cores of unused maple wood. Old single-block pins were prone to cracking.
Evidence suggests bowling dates to 3200 BC. Before WWII, manual pinsetters set pins. Thunderbowl is the largest U.S. bowling alley. Inazawa Grand Bowl in Japan is the world’s largest. Duckpin bowling uses smaller pins of hard maple wood. Nine-pin bowling, popular in Europe, uses nine pins instead of ten. Approved synthetics can be used. Synthetics sound different when hit.