Pool Cue Tip Hardness Chart

Below is the list of Cue tips along with hardness nature. Tips can be either super soft, soft, normal, hard and very hard. The pool cue tip hardness chart can help you identify what type of hardness of tip you feel more comfortable with.

My take on the hardness of the pool cue tip is very clear. To me, a pool cue tip is only related to personal choice. Some like the feedback of the soft tip while for other hard tips are better. Another wrongly stressed fact is that a tip softness is related to the spin on the cue ball.

Time Of Contact

I have stressed it on the best tip for backspin and best pool cues a lot that there is very little difference in time of impact for all types of tips hardness. The myth that softer tips have a longer time of contact with the ball which helps to transfer more spin onto the cue ball is wrong. High-speed cameras have proven that as soon as the tip contacts with the ball, because of the good felt and circular shape of the cue ball, the momentum is immediately transferred to the cue ball. It all depends on the skill level of the player. Someone, who always hits the cue ball at the aimed point will play a better game with any tip.

What actually matters is the tip ability to retain the chalk. Softer tips have lower density and have more space to store the chalk in comparison with a closely packed hard tip. You are more prone to miscues if you play with a hard tip when compared to a softer tip. Because harder tips need more frequent chalking than a softer tip. For more details on check this post on chalking.

Mushrooming

Another aspect which matters is the shape of the tip. Most tips are well rounded in packaging. This shape will help you contact the cue ball where you want to aim. A tip which is not in proper rounded shape can contact point in the immediate neighborhood the aimed point. It can add unintended Englishes or even linear momentum on to the cue ball.

A softer tip would lose it shape quicker than a harder one. You should try to maintain the shape of the tip as much as you can. In case, you observe that you are missing to pot the ball with even right cue action than the tip might be the culprit. A harder tip is better because it can retain its shape and is less vulnerable to mushrooming than a softer tip.

List: Pool Cue Tip Hardness