Let's play ball - Ball Pools FAQ - updated!
The Ball Pool is synonymous with indoor play. Since launching our online shop quite a few years ago, we're confident that there's nobody out there selling more Ball Pool Balls than Soft Brick.
We get lots of enquiries from existing play facilities and from customers far removed from indoor play (museums, TV / game shows etc) - all asking similar questions. So here goes Soft Brick's guide to Ball Pool Balls!
How many ball pool balls do I need?
Well the first thing to calculate is the required depth - this depends on the age group you are catering for. For example, the guidelines on depth are as follows:
- Toddler areas - Approx 350mm depth
- Junior (main) area - Approx 450mm depth
So to calculate the required number of balls:
- For small ball pools (approx 6m² or less)
= 2000 balls per 1m³. (i.e. 2000 ball pool balls would fill a 1m x 1m x 1m space). - For larger ball pools (greater than 6m²)
= 2250 balls per 1m³ (i.e. 2250 ball pool balls would fill a 1m x 1m x 1m space)
Please note: the difference in the figures above is to account for steps into / out of the ball pool area - these take up considerable volume on small ball pool areas.
For example:
Let's say we have an area within a Soft Play Structure (Main Junior area) that is 2.4m x 2.4m and requires a depth of 450mm balls.
- 2.4 x 2.4 = 5.76m²
- 5.76m² to a depth of 450mm (based on 2000 balls per 1m³)
(5.76 x 2000) x .450 - = 5184 balls required
- 5184 balls / 500 balls per bag
- = 10.4 bags
- 11 bags (@ 500 balls per bag) required for an area 2.4m x 2.4m
Are all ball pool balls the same size / quality / grade?
No, the industry standard for Indoor Play is 75mm diameter. This is to comply with ISO10093, EN71-1, EN71-2, EN71-3 safety standards for Indoor Play. These are not to be confused with the smaller, cheaper, lower quality ball pool balls you can buy in toy shops. These are specifically designed for domestic use and are unsuitable for an Indoor Play facility.
What colours are there? Can I buy a selection of colours in one bag?
We have ball pool balls available in the following colours:
- Red
- Blue
- Green
- Yellow
- Purple
- Orange
- Pink (special order)
- Pearl (special order)
We do try to keep stock of the standard colours, but please contact us prior to ordering if you require a specific colour for a specific delivery date.
Our balls are sold in single colour quantities of 500.
Do you sell used ball pool balls?
All of our balls available online are brand new, straight from the manufacturer. We do occasionally receive batches of used balls when we carry out refurbishments or maintenance on existing sites. Please contact us and we will be able to advise on suitability and stock levels.
We already have a ball pool - can you clean it and replace any broken balls?
Yes! We have provide a ball pool cleaning service which involves emptying the ball pool, removing any foreign objects / broken balls and cleaning the balls before re-filling the ball pool. We offer this service to all of our Maintenance Contract customers!
Please contact us if you would like to arrange a ball pool clean for your play area, we will be happy to help!
Do you sell other play items or accessories suitable for a ball pool?
Yes we do! We have a broad and ever expanding range of Ball Pool accessories - including electronic features like Ball Showers and Ball Targets. We also know "accidents" often happen in Ball Pools - for such occasions, we developed the Ball Pool Isolation Kit - which enables staff to isolate the specific area and clean the affected balls / mats.
We also cater for Soft Play areas (those without a Soft Play Structure) - we have the standalone Baby Ball Pool (shown below) and the 2m x 2m Ball Pool (also shown below) - both of which are ideal for inclusion in Pack Away Soft Play areas.
Here's a selection of some of the Ball Pool items we have available:
If there's anything we haven't covered in this FAQ - we'd love to hear from you!
- The Soft Brick Team