Ball Pit Balls

Choosing the right balls is a somewhat delicate process. When choosing balls, there are three things to keep in mind: cost, ball diameter, and durability.

How much do ball pit balls cost?

Ball pit balls are, by far, the most expensive part of this project. In general: Anything below those prices is a great deal.

Crush Proof vs. Non-Crush Proof Balls

You'll pay a premium for crush-proof ball pit balls, but they will be more likely to last longer. Crush-proof ball pit balls are best suited for public ball pits. If you're creating a ballpit for yourself at home, we've never had a problem - crushwise- buying non-destructible ball pit balls. We've never had an issue with crushable balls, and usually end up using crushable balls as it's the best option for the customer.

"...but...but won't your balls be crushed?"

While cheaper balls are crushed more easily, your weight is always distributed among hundreds of balls, when you're in the ball pit.It's pretty difficult to crush a ball pit ball unless you stand on one directly. The majority never get to the point where they are irreversibly crushed. At worst, a ball will crush inwards a bit, at which point you can pop the dent out.

Where can I buy ball pit balls?

The cheapest balls we have found that are still of sufficient quality come from Toys 'R' Us. If you wait until they have a sale going on, we've been able to get a 250 pack of balls for $20. Couple that with the free shipping they do on orders over $50, and you can fill a play pen for a few hundred dollars.

Shipping costs play a big part in the overall cost of building a ball pit.. If you buy online, odds are the shipping will eat away at your wallet.

If you're not afraid to wash your balls, check your local craigslist. Every so often, there will be an ad for some ball pit balls, almost always selling for much cheaper than what new balls sell for. Don't forget to hose them down. Ew.

How many ball pit balls do I need?

This really depends on a wide variety of factors - ball diameter, packing density, desired ball height. We've made a ball pit ball calculator for you that does the hard work and gives a rough estimation of how many balls you'll need. To give you a sense, a 4.5x5.5x2.5 foot ball pit needs 3500 balls to be able to completely immerse a person. However, the diameter of a ball plays an important role in the total volume of balls needed.

How big should my ball pit balls be?

 The diameter of the balls (the distance between the two furthest points on a ball) has a big impact on how many balls you'll need. If you get balls with a smaller diameter, they'll be slightly more sturdy, but you'll end up paying a lot more, as you'll need more balls to fill the same volumne in your ball pit. For example, it only takes 52 3 1/8" balls to fill up a cubic foot. It would take 280 2" balls to fill the same space. While you pay more per ball, the cost is offset by the total number of balls needed.

The recommended ball diameter is 2.5" (~25mm) to 3 1/8" (80mm). Anything less, and the cost of a ballpit increases exponentially.