Competition Boules

"Boules from France, with Petanque America service" Most players will find the range of La Boule Obut more than sufficient, but as a service to those who are looking for a specific brand we can now supply any brand of boules. Instead of you ordering online from the respective websites in France, we: - provide faster service, and you can always call us to find out the status - charge your card at time of arrival in the US, not at time of order. - debit your card in US$, so no surprises - charge substantially less for freight, since we consolidate orders.

The basics of Competition Boules

The most important part is that you have a good hold on the boule: 72, 73 & 74 mm correspond to the average hand sizes.
Pointers usually prefer small boules (71/73), on the heavier side (720/730).
Shooters usually prefer bigger boules (74/75), on the lighter side (680/700).
Remember though that 1mm is only 1/25th of an inch, and 10 grams only 1/3 of an ounce, so the differences are small.
Patterns are very much a personal preference.
"Soft" boules play better as they have less rebound. But they may get dented a bit over time.
"Hard" boules last longer.


The specifics of Competition Boules

Weight
All weights are in grams (g): 1 ounce is 28 grams.
An average 720 gram ball thus weighs 1 Lb & 9 3/4 oz

Diameter
All diameters are in millimeter (mm): 1 inch is 25.4 mm.
An average 73 mm boule thus has a diameter of 2-7/8"

Pattern
Boules are either plain (like a billiard ball ) or have a pattern in the form of grooves cut around the ball. These patterns may differ from one alloy to the other. They are also called  "stripes" and then referred to as 1, 2, 3 or 4 stripes. Stripes enhance friction on the ground, and make it easier to identify your balls.

Official Regulation Size & Weight
Article 2 of the International Rules of Petanque reads as follows:

Petanque is played with boules approved by the Federation and are subject to the following conditions:
  a) The boules must be made of metal.
  b) The diameter of the boules must be between 70.5 mm. (min) and 80.0 mm (max).
  c) The boules must weigh between 650 g. (min) and 800 g. (max). The trademark of the manufacturer and the weight should be engraved on the boules and must be always legible.
  d) The boules must not be weighted, sanded down or tampered with in any way, nor changed or modified after production by the Federation approved manufacturer. However the name(s) or initials of the player can be engraved on them.

Availability
When you calculate the amount of possible combinations of weights, diameters and patterns, it gives you a total of roughly 500 different varieties, per alloy!.
Virtually impossible to have all in inventory at any given time, even for the factory itself. We therefore carry the most popular combinations.