Most articles will tell you padel balls are lighter than tennis balls. On the official specifications they are not: both must weigh between 56.0 and 59.4 grams. The real differences are smaller than you'd think, but you feel them on court.
The official numbers
| Padel ball (FIP) | Tennis ball (ITF, standard type) | |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 6.35 to 6.77 cm | 6.54 to 6.86 cm |
| Weight | 56.0 to 59.4 g | 56.0 to 59.4 g |
| Bounce when dropped from 2.54 m | 135 to 145 cm | 135 to 147 cm |
| Internal pressure | 4.6 to 5.2 kg per square inch (roughly 10 to 11.5 psi) | Higher; the exact figure varies by brand |
So a padel ball can be slightly smaller and has lower pressure. The bounce test is almost the same, but on court a padel ball comes off the racket and the glass a little slower and lower. That is what keeps rallies going in an enclosed court.
Can you play padel with tennis balls?
For a casual hit when nobody brought padel balls, yes. For a proper game, no. Tennis balls come off the glass faster and higher, so balls that should sit up for you fly past, and the back-wall game that makes padel what it is becomes harder. Use padel balls for anything you care about.
When to open a new can
Pressurised balls start losing pressure the moment the can is opened. After a few sessions they feel dead and bounce noticeably lower off the glass. For social games, open a new can when the old balls stop coming back off the back wall. Keep the old ones for practice.
Heat matters too. The air inside a ball pushes harder as it warms up, so on an outdoor court on a hot Indian afternoon the same balls play faster than in an air-conditioned indoor club.
Buying padel balls in India
Indian padel shops stock balls from Head, Bullpadel, Adidas, Babolat, Dunlop, Nox and others, usually in cans of three. When we checked in October 2026, a single can cost between about ₹500 and ₹700 at SCS Sports and Padel It. Clubs and regular groups save by buying cartons of 24 cans.