{"id":11459,"date":"2022-11-29T11:55:14","date_gmt":"2022-11-29T11:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soulspin.de\/uncategorized\/table-tennis-rubber-hardness\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T12:01:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:01:08","slug":"tischtennis-belag-haertegrad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soulspin.de\/en\/tips\/tischtennis-belag-haertegrad\/","title":{"rendered":"Table tennis rubber hardness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Updated: 20.02.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Content:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Which impact does hardness have on your game?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. What does the hardness level mean?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Hard rubbers<\/strong> – advantages and disadvantages of hard table tennis rubbers<\/strong><\/a>3.1 Which rubbers play hard?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Medium-hard rubbers<\/strong> – advantages and disadvantages of medium-hard table tennis rubbers<\/strong><\/a>4.1 Which table tennis rubbers are medium-hard?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Soft rubbers<\/strong> – advantages and disadvantages of soft table tennis rubbers<\/strong><\/a>5.1 Which table tennis rubbers are soft?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Conclusion<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Select the coating hardness level yourself<\/a>7.1 Comparison different Hardness of P24<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    What influence does the hardness of a table tennis rubber have on your game?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    Table tennis rubbers<\/a> are available in different degrees<\/strong> of hardness. From soft to extremely hard.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    We are often asked what is better – a hard or soft table tennis rubber? Of course, there is no general answer to this question, as it is often a question of preference<\/strong> and training level.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To give you an overview, we’ve described the differences between the various hardness levels <\/strong>in a little more detail here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    \"Table<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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    Table tennis rubber hardness – what does it say?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The hardness of a table tennis rubber is given in degrees. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    approx. 48 – 60\u00b0 = hard table tennis surfaceapprox. 38 – 47\u00b0 = medium-hard surfaceto approx. 37\u00b0 = soft surface <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    These values only indicate the hardness of the sponge<\/strong> without the top rubber. This is how many manufacturers do it. For our own rubbers, we always<\/strong> state the total hardness<\/strong>, i.e. sponge + top rubber<\/strong>. Simply because we think it makes more sense and is more meaningful. From our point of view, the sponge and rubber count as a unit <\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So please pay close attention<\/strong> to what the hardness grade information refers to and which manufacturer the rubber is from. Japanese manufacturers such as NITTAKU use different measuring methods than German manufacturers. The Japanese hardness must therefore be converted into German hardness. There is currently no standardized international solution, which makes direct comparison somewhat difficult. We have therefore already converted all degrees of hardness of NITTAKU rubbers into German hardness for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    The playing characteristics of a rubber depend, among other things, on the hardness of the sponge used<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
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    A hard sponge<\/strong> is compressed less<\/strong> than a softer sponge when the ball hits it. How much the sponge is compressed when the ball bounces affects the ball contact time<\/strong> and the bounce of<\/strong> the ball.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    \"Soft
    Table tennis rubber hardness: soft sponge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    \"hard
    Table tennis rubber hardness: hard sponge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    The more <\/strong>the sponge is compressed, the longer<\/strong> the ball has contact with the rubber. Accordingly, you as a player have more time to <\/strong> influence <\/strong>the ball in terms of direction, speed and spin. At the same time, this compression makes the rubber less<\/strong> precise and reduces the<\/strong> speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This means that the harder the sponge, the higher the speed, but the lower the control.<\/strong> Table tennis rubbers with hard sponges<\/strong> are therefore only suitable for experienced players<\/strong> who play technically clean. If you want to have a little more control<\/strong> over the ball, then a medium-hard rubber<\/a><\/strong> is most likely better for your game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Table tennis rubber hardness – hard <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Advantages and disadvantages of hard table tennis rubbers<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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    approx. 48 – 60\u00b0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Table tennis rubbers with hard sponge<\/strong> are perfect for spin generation<\/strong> and high rotation speeds<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hard table tennis rubbers<\/a> usually have little catapult<\/strong> and are therefore easier to control in short-short play<\/strong>. The balls are not catapulted out of the rubber as much and are easier to control.<\/strong> Short strokes<\/strong> are also easier to play<\/strong> with hard rubbers. Hard table tennis rubbers are generally easy to calculate in all game situations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, to fully exploit the potential of<\/strong> rubbers with hard sponge, you need a lot of training and conditioning. You have to work with strong arm pull<\/strong> and a lot of footwork<\/strong> and always stand right to the ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hard rubbers are therefore not necessarily recommended for beginners because they are more difficult to control. However, if you master the use of harder table tennis rubbers, you can get the most potential<\/strong> out of them. The harder<\/strong> the rubber, the more power<\/strong> it has. Higher rotation speeds<\/strong> can be played. However, as any table tennis rubber becomes harder, it also becomes harder to play.<\/strong> It is not for nothing that table tennis professionals <\/strong>mostly play rubbers with hard sponges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Advantages <\/h4>\n\n\n\n