Lacrosse balls are one of the hardest balls in sports. The hard structure on the outside leads many people to think lacrosse balls have cement. Do lacrosse balls have cement in them?
Lacrosse balls do not have cement in them. The entire lacrosse ball is made from vulcanized rubber and polyurethane.
This article looks at the lacrosse ball and how it has changed over the years to become the ball today.
What Lacrosse Balls Are Made Of
The lacrosse ball is one of the more unique balls used in sports. Players can shoot its soft, rubbery texture at over 100mph+. When the ball hits the ground creates an opposite spinning motion that is then propelled at an even higher speed than the first bounce.
The lacrosse ball used to be played as a wooden ball passed around with 5-foot-long sticks. However, as time passed, the sticks became shorter, and the ball was no longer made from a hard piece of wood.
Lacrosse started to revolutionize in Canada, and by 1860, leagues were being played across the country. However, the original wooden ball saw above was replaced by a deerskin ball that was stuffed with fur. This soon became the ball that the modern-day ball was modeled after.
Do Lacrosse Balls Have Cement In Them?
Lacrosse balls do not have cement in them. They are made entirely of vulcanized rubber or polyurethane.
Players may think that lacrosse balls have cement because of the soft outside and what seems to be a hard center. However, the lacrosse ball throughout is made entirely of rubber.
Youth athletes will use a soft type of vulcanized rubber with additives to make the ball feel soft or not as rock-solid as a standard ball. These balls are still made from rubber entirely.
What Is The Lacrosse Ball Made Of?
The new NCAA year 2000 specs state:
“Section 17. The ball shall be white, yellow, or orange solid rubber between 7 3/4 and 8 inches in circumference, between 5 and 5 1/2 ounces in weight, and when dropped from a height of 72 inches upon the concrete floor, shall bounce 43 to 51 inches at a temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.”
These are the specifications for all lacrosse balls. The ball must measure a specific circumference and bounce at a certain height.
The typical lacrosse ball is made up of vulcanized rubber. Vulcanized rubber slowly faded out simply because of the separation process over time. The vulcanized rubber separation process makes the ball oily and greasy.
A newer manufacturing process from the company Pearl has developed a polyurethane ball. The polyurethane ball is unique because it doesn’t have a greasy feeling as the balls get worn down. The ball lasts longer than the traditional vulcanized rubber. Check out the Pearl Lacrosse balls here.
Whether rubber or polyurethane, present-day balls must meet NOCSAE standards and be NCAA & NFHS approved.
See Our Complete List Of Helpful Lacrosse Articles Here.
Why Are Lacrosse Balls Different Colors?
According to lacrosseballsdirect.com:
- Women’s Lacrosse uses Yellow and Orange Balls.
- Men’s Lacrosse uses White, Orange, Yellow, Lime Green, and Pink Lacrosse Balls.
- Girls NFHS and Youth use Orange, Yellow, and Lime Lacrosse Balls.
- Boys NFHS uses White, Orange, Yellow, and Lime Lacrosse Balls.
- Boys Youth use White, Orange, Yellow, Lime Green, and Pink Lacrosse Balls.
Here is a chart they’ve created for your reference as well.
Different leagues use different types of lacrosse balls. The purpose of the lacrosse ball is to separate the leagues. For instance, women will never use white balls in any league when looking at the chart. The NFHS, youth, and college all will use the white balls.
However, female lacrosse games strictly use orange-yellow and lime-colored balls except for the NCAA, which disallows for lime-colored balls to be in effect.
Each league has a strict guideline for the color ball to be used. Here’s a great video to describe these balls even further:
Conclusion
Since the beginning of time, Lacrosse balls were made out of wooden balls, deerskin stuffed with fur, vulcanized rubber, and now shifting to a newer polyurethane model. The polyurethane helps lacrosse balls last longer and provides a non-stick surface over time.
Lacrosse balls have a unique feel and bounce when playing on hard surfaces. If you’ve ever bounced a ball on turf or any hard surface, you’ll notice it bounces differently from any other ball.
The lacrosse ball generates a backspin immediately when it hits the ground. If you’ve ever thrown a ball with either a lacrosse stick or a hand, the ball doesn’t go as far on the first bounce.
However, the ball will fly forward at almost twice the speed on the second bounce. This is because of the vulcanized rubber and the spin that it generates when it hits the ground.
To test this, bounce a ball in the air and watch it hit once and twice off the ground.
Despite the softness of youth lacrosse balls and training balls, the lacrosse ball does not have cement in the middle and is composed entirely of a rubber material.