How high should a padel ball bounce? The FIP number and comparison with tennis

FIP Requirement for Bounce Height - The Precise Figure

According to the official rules of FIP (Federación Internacional de Pádel), an approved padel ball must bounce between 135 and 145 cm when dropped from a height of 254 cm onto a hard surface. This is a very narrow window – only a 10 cm difference between the lowest and highest permitted bounce.

The 10 cm interval corresponds to approximately 53-57 percent of the drop height. A lot of energy must be retained upon impact with the court for the ball to bounce so high. This means that the rubber core, felt cover, and internal pressure must be in optimal balance.

Comparison with Tennis Balls

This is the fact most padel players don't know: the bounce requirement for padel balls and tennis balls is almost identical. The ITF requires 134.62 - 147.32 cm from the same drop height of 254 cm. When comparing the two standards:

Same bounce. Same weight. Same drop test. Why then does it feel like two vastly different sports to hit a padel ball versus a tennis ball? That's the interesting question.

Why does it feel different when the requirements are the same?

The difference doesn't lie in the vertical bounce height, but in what happens to the ball during active play. Three factors drive the difference:

1. Internal pressure: The padel ball has approximately 30 percent lower pressure than the tennis ball (10.5 vs 14 PSI). This gives the padel ball longer contact time with the racket and with the wall. The ball "sticks" for a fraction of a second longer, which provides both more control and a softer sound.

2. Smaller diameter: The padel ball is slightly smaller than the tennis ball. This reduces air resistance and changes how the ball flies through the air – faster and with a flatter trajectory.

3. Court surface and walls: A padel ball not only bounces off the court – it also bounces off glass and metal walls with high frequency. That's where the game is defined. Tennis play is exclusively about the court surface plus the net. The difference in where the ball meets resistance is a greater factor than the ball's own mechanical parameters.

The vertical drop bounce is identical on paper, but the game is different because the context is different. It's worth remembering next time someone claims padel balls are "slower" – it's not the bounce height, it's pressure, contact time, and court design.

How to measure bounce at home

You don't need FIP-accredited equipment. You need:

• A hard, flat surface – concrete, tiles, hardwood. Not linoleum or carpet.
• A measuring stick or tape measure to mark 254 cm on a wall or doorframe.
• A mobile camera for slow-motion recording if you want to be precise.
• Possibly a fresh ball as a reference point.

Mark 254 cm on the wall. Hold the ball so its bottom just touches the mark. Drop – do not throw. Measure how high the ball bounces back. Slow-motion video makes it much easier to read accurately. Make 3 drops and take the average.

Compare with the standard intervals:

What the bounce tells about the pressure

Bounce height and internal pressure are two sides of the same coin. When the pressure drops, the bounce drops with it – and this happens almost linearly within the realistic use range. Here is a realistic profile based on reported patterns in the Danish padel world, not laboratory data:

The figures are not laboratory-measured – they are Balcour estimates built on the physics that apply to pressurized rubber cores and common consumption patterns. The important principle is that bounce and pressure are linked. If the bounce has dropped, the pressure has dropped, and vice versa. This is why the bounce test is such a reliable stand-in for an actual pressure measurement. The full dive into pressure figures can be found in the article on pressure in padel balls.

When the bounce falls below the FIP limit

Most padel balls fall out of the FIP interval within 1-2 weeks of normal use. This is neither a marketing claim nor a conspiracy against ball manufacturers – it's physics. The porous rubber core slowly and constantly diffuses air, and each time the ball deforms upon impact, the process accelerates slightly.

What you can do to postpone this:

• Put the tube back with the lid on after play. The tube is not airtight, but it approximately halves passive diffusion. This is the simplest, free step.
• Store the balls consistently at 18-22 degrees Celsius. Heat accelerates diffusion through the rubber core.
• Avoid direct sunlight and moisture. UV degrades the felt cover, moisture changes the weight and affects playing feel.
• Active pressure storage. The only thing that genuinely stops pressure drop is to eliminate the pressure gradient – that is, store the ball in an environment with the same pressure outside as inside. This is the principle behind Pressurebox Pro. The internal compressor maintains approximately 10-11 PSI around the balls 24/7, so there is no pressure gradient for diffusion.

If you want to delve deeper into the topic, the guide on how long padel balls actually last is here, and the myth-busting guide on storage elaborates on where most storage advice fails. If you also play tennis, we have the corresponding set of signs of a worn tennis ball.

Tennis' parallel coverage can be found in the guide on tennis ball bounce with ITF figures and DIY testing. Bounce is only one of two official approval tests – the deformation test is the other, and you can get close to doing it yourself at home.