Racket

Also known as Paddle (US) or Bat (Europe).

The device that is used to hit the table tennis ball, made up of the blade plus a covering.

The table tennis blade must be made primarily of wood, but may also contain carbon, fibreglass, aluminium or other materials. A rubber sheet must be applied to either (or both) sides to provide a striking surface for the ball. If both sides of the racket are used to hit the ball, one rubber must be bright red, whilst the other rubber must be black. If only one side of the racket is used, the rubber on that side can be red or black, but the side without the rubber must be given the other colour, usually by the application of a paint sheet.