Pool Cloth Types Explained: Simonis, Championship, and More

Worsted vs Woolen, The Fundamental Split

All pool cloth falls into one of two categories based on how the wool yarn is spun before weaving. Worsted wool uses long combed fibers spun tightly, creating a smooth low-nap surface. Woolen wool uses shorter fibers with more loft, creating a soft napped surface you can often see the fuzz on. The distinction matters because it changes every aspect of how the balls move across the table, speed, spin response, angle, and durability.

Worsted cloth is what serious tournament pool is played on. Simonis 860, Championship Tour, and Andy 988 are worsted. The surface is tight and fast, the roll is clean, and english translates predictably because there is minimal nap to interfere with the cue ball. If you play tournament pool, you have almost certainly played on worsted.

Woolen cloth is what most cheap bar tables, home tables, and snooker tables use. The nap grabs the balls more, slows the roll, and adds drag. On a snooker table this is intentional, slower speeds reward precision. On a bar pool table, it is usually a cost-cutting measure. A standard bar cloth feels noticeably sluggish compared to Simonis, and english behaves differently because the nap pushes back.

Speed Grades, 860, 760, and 20-20

Simonis uses a naming convention that roughly indicates speed and weight. Simonis 860 is the flagship, it is 90 percent wool, 10 percent nylon, and relatively heavy at around 22 ounces per square yard. Simonis 760 is lighter and faster, originally designed for carom billiards but popular for pool tournaments where speed is prized. Simonis 20-20 is a medium-speed hybrid. Simonis 300 Rapide is a fabric for carom.

Championship Tour cloth from Iwan Simonis's main competitor, Championship, comes in multiple grades too, Tour Edition, Invitational, and Valley backyard. Tour Edition is the one you see on most American pool league tables. Andy cloth from China has entered the premium market recently with their Andy 988 and Andy 988 Pro cloths competing with Simonis.

Speed as a property is measured by how far a cue ball travels under a standardized impact and condition. Faster cloth gives longer travel, which changes how you plan position. Players who learned on 860 sometimes struggle when switching to slower Championship Tour because the cue ball stops sooner than they expect. There is no universal 'right' cloth speed, but the faster cloths demand more speed control discipline.

Pool Cloth Versus Snooker Cloth

Snooker cloth is almost always woolen with a directional nap. The nap runs from the baulk end to the top cushion in a consistent direction, and when balls roll with the nap, they travel slightly faster than when they roll against it. Top players account for this. Pool cloth, by contrast, is nearly always worsted and non-directional, meaning the surface plays the same regardless of shot direction.

The nap on snooker cloth is not a defect, it is essential to the snooker game. The grain adds subtle cling and swerve that pros use strategically. Put a snooker ball on a Simonis 860 pool cloth and the shot plays completely differently. Conversely, play American pool on a snooker cloth and your english shots behave weirdly because the nap modifies the friction at every contact.

Strachan is the dominant snooker cloth brand, Strachan 6811, 6811 Yellow, 6811 Tournament, and the newer Strachan Premier cloths. Snooker tables get brushed and ironed regularly to maintain the nap direction, which is another maintenance ritual pool tables do not need.

How Long Pool Cloth Lasts

Pool cloth lifespan depends on how much play it gets, how clean the players keep the table, and whether chalk is allowed to accumulate. A home table with two to three hours of weekly play on Simonis 860 can easily last five to eight years if maintained. A bar or poolroom table getting ten hours of play daily may need recovering every one to two years.

The failure modes are wear points, not whole-surface degradation. The break-shot area wears first because of the violent impact. The rail nose wears next from cushion contact. The cue ball track patterns develop slightly over time. When any of these wear patches start visibly affecting play, it is time to recover. Most home players wait too long and play on dead cloth for months.

Chalk residue is the silent killer. Blue chalk dust accumulates in the cloth fibers and eats the wool over time. A monthly vacuum with an appropriate attachment extends cloth life by years. Hard balls dropped on the cloth create dead spots that never fully recover. Respect the surface and it lasts.

Replacement Cost and Process

Replacing a pool table cloth is not a trivial job. Most home players hire a mechanic rather than doing it themselves. Cloth cost alone for a standard 8-foot Simonis 860 set (covering the bed and cushions) runs $150 to $300 depending on the grade and supplier. Adding professional installation brings the total to $400 to $700 for most 8-foot tables. Nine-foot tables cost more because more cloth is needed.

Installation involves removing the rails, pulling the old cloth, cleaning the slate, stretching and stapling or gluing the new cloth on the bed, cutting pocket openings, and reattaching rails with fresh cloth on the cushion rubbers. The work takes a skilled mechanic about four hours. A bad install can ruin the cloth, wrinkles, poor tension, or off-center seams all show up immediately and force a redo.

If you are on a budget, Championship Tour Edition is a quality cloth at a lower price than Simonis 860. Both have similar lifespan in typical home use. Skip the unbranded Chinese cloths unless you are replacing a cheap bar table, the savings are eaten by shorter lifespan and worse play.

Cloth Colors, Beyond Tournament Green

Traditional tournament green is the default for a reason, it is easier on the eyes over long sessions and has historical continuity going back to the 1800s when tables used green cloth to simulate grass. But modern cloth comes in dozens of colors. Simonis offers tournament blue, burgundy, black, khaki, spruce, camel, gold, and more. Championship offers a similar palette.

Blue is the second most popular color and has become standard for some televised events because it reads cleaner on camera. Black and dark red are growing in popularity for home tables that function as room focal points. Some players find bright colors distracting, especially over long matches, but that is personal.

Performance is identical across colors in the same cloth grade. Simonis 860 in blue plays exactly the same as Simonis 860 in green. Pick the color you want to look at every day, it is your table. Just know that if you ever host a tournament or serious match, green is still the classical expectation.