The materials used in traditional table tennis pepper balls began in the 19th century, and the materials are made of a plastic sheet celluloid. Celluloid material has low manufacturing cost and good elasticity, and has always been the main raw material for making table tennis. However, celluloid pepper balls are easy to burn and catch fire, so now new plastic pepper balls replace traditional table tennis materials.

Celluloid pepper balls are toxic and flammable, so they are discarded.Table tennis has been made mainly from celluloid since its birth in the 19th century. Celluloid material came out in the mid-19th century, and was widely used in the manufacture of films and toys because of its simple shape. In the past hundred years, there have been many fires in celluloid pepper ball manufacturers. Since 2006, the European Union has banned the use of celluloid to make toys.

Celluloid pepper balls are toxic and flammable, so they are discarded.Table tennis has been made mainly from celluloid since its birth in the 19th century. Celluloid material came out in the mid-19th century, and was widely used in the manufacture of films and toys because of its simple shape. In the past hundred years, there have been many fires in celluloid pepper ball manufacturers. Since 2006, the European Union has banned the use of celluloid to make toys.

Compared with celluloid, the new material is made of nonflammable plastic, which not only eliminates the potential safety hazard, but also facilitates the players to carry it. "Table tennis is a sunny sport. If the equipment is unhealthy, it is really necessary to reform, and this reform has won the general support of the ITTF, sports teams and athletes," Lou Shihe revealed. The new materials adopted by the ITTF are non-flammable and more environmentally friendly, which can greatly reduce the transportation cost.

The China team began to adapt six months ago.The ITTF decided to use the new material table tennis in international competitions from July 1st, 2014. This is another major reform made by the ITTF after the open serve, the 11-point system and the change from small ball to big ball. During the transition period from July 1 this year to 2016, the currently used "celluloid pepper ball" can still be used in various states and table tennis associations. However, after 2016, ITTF will no longer recognize it, and table tennis equipment manufacturers will also stop production of "celluloid" table tennis.

China is not only a table tennis power, but also the largest producer of table tennis pepper balls in the world. At present, more than 90% of table tennis pepper balls in the world are produced in China. It is reported that China table tennis equipment manufacturers, Double Happiness and Pisces, have taken the lead in developing new materials for table tennis, and try their best to reduce the differences between new materials, such as sewing balls and celluloid balls, so as to avoid the great influence of equipment changes on sports.

According to Lou Shihe, the China team received the new ball six months ago and used it in training. "Athletes are high-end users of all equipment. After using them, they solved many problems through data collection. The diameter of the new ball is 40mm-40.5mm, and the ball will be marked with 40+ for identification, and the weight is increased by 0.05g compared with the "celluloid" pepper ball.

According to Kong Linghui, there is no obvious difference between the new material table tennis and the existing ball in terms of five core standards, such as hardness, roundness, weight, eccentricity and bounce. After the athletes' trial play, the new ball can better retain the original motion law in terms of landing point, running track, rotation and sound, which is favored by athletes, so the ITTF finally decided to use this new ball.