Ever see someone drop a bowling ball on their foot? You might wonder: “Why would anyone play a sport with something that heavy?”
You’re not alone. Hundreds of people per month are asking the same thing: “Which sport uses the heaviest ball?”
Here’s the data to answer that question, using an average of weight ranges if specifics are not available. From the lowly ping-pong ball to sports where you really don’t want to get hit with one.
Sports that use light-weight balls (<8 oz)
| Sport | Metric Weight | Imperial Weight | Source |
| Table tennis | 2.75 g | 0.1 oz | Best Game Tables |
| Pickleball | 24 g | 0.8 oz | Pickleball Rush |
| Squash | 24 g | 0.8 oz | World Squash |
| Racquetball | 40 g | 1.4 oz | Dimensions |
| Golf | 45 g | 1.6 oz | Ivy Golf |
| Tennis | 58 g | 2.0 oz | International Tennis Federation |
| Baseball | 145 g | 5.1 oz | Major League Baseball |
| Lacrosse | 145 g | 5.1 oz | Signature Lacrosse |
| Cricket | 159 g | 5.6 oz | Lords |
| Field Hockey | 159 g | 5.6 oz | Gear Hungry |
| Pool | 171 g | 6.0 oz | Colorado State |
| Softball | 187 g | 6.6 oz | What Things Weigh |
Sports that use medium-weight balls (8 oz – 1 lb)
| Sport | Metric Weight | Imperial Weight | Source |
| Volleyball | 270 g | 9.5 oz | Volley Country |
| Football (Gridiron) | 411 g | 14.5 oz | National Football League |
| Water polo | 425 g | 15.0 oz | Dimensions |
| Football (Soccer) | 430 g | 15.2 oz | The Football Association (England) |
| Rugby | 435 g | 15.3 oz | Rugby How |
Sports that use heavy-weight balls (>1 lb)
| Sport | Metric Weight | Imperial Weight | Source |
| Football (Australian) | 475 g | 16.8 oz | US Australian Rules Football |
| Basketball | 624 g | 22.0 oz | Hoops Addict |
| Bocce | 920 g | 32.5 oz | Wiki How |
| Bowling | 6.4 kg | 15.0 lb | Skilled Bowlers (avg. male weight) |
| Shot Put | 7.3 kg | 16.0 lb | World Athletics (Olympic standard) |
As you can see, on average shot put is the sport that uses the heaviest ball. The sport’s Olympic standard weight is 16 pounds (7.3 kilograms). Bowling balls are close, but most players (even on the PBA tour) will use a ball below the league maximum weight of 16 pounds.
