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The first celluloid ball was introduced in England in 1900, at a time when table tennis had traditionally been more of a parlor game than a sport, using balls made from cork or other materials.
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The rackets looked like today's badminton rackets – with 50 cm long handles and a hitting surface usually made from parchment paper.
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In 1902, Englishman E.C. Goode put rubber on the racket for the first time.
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Use of the first offensive sponge bats began only after the 1952 World Championships in Bombay, when the Japanese players using these rackets proved to be quite a sensation.
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A plastic ball produced by the company Barna Dunlop was used for a short time in the 1980’s, but most players ended up rejecting these plastic balls as unplayable, because they were as hard as stone
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In 1900, the 38mm celluloid ball became the new standard, and remained this way until the year 2000 when it was replaced by a larger, 40mm ball.
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From the moment that plastic balls were introduced, all ITTF events from 2014-2015 and onward were required to use the new material. Celluloid remained in use only in lower categories and hobby matches.
