Ball pit balls come in many different sizes. The most common are 2", 2.3", 2.75", and 3" in diameter. 

 

When shopping for ball pit balls, some of the things you'll want to consider are the following: 

• Home use vs. commercial use.
• The dimensions of the ball pit. 
• Longevity/durability of the ball. 

Ball Types: Home Use vs. Commercial Use

Most balls you'll find from major retailers, both online and in-stores, will typically be in the 2" to 2.3" range. This is typically influenced by how much volume/storage/shelf space these balls take up compared to the relative value of the balls. These smaller diameter balls will typically have a thinner shell which will cause the balls to be more easily crushed by weight and/or leak air more quickly from general use.

The larger 3" ball is less commonly seen as a retail item. These balls are more commonly used in commercial environments like your local indoor playground. These are also preferred as they are more durable, have a thicker shell which helps to prevent air leaks, and require much less in quantity to fill the same amount of space, when compared to the smaller diameter balls. 

How many balls do I need?

Through our experience with MESH kids co. events, we prefer to fill our ball pits using the following formula:

When using 3" balls:  

(Interior Width x Interior Length x Interior Height x 500) / 8) x .75

This formula was developed using a few static values to help with the calculations, which should still be applicable for you:

500 is the expected quantity of balls that we personally store in each of our outgoing rental boxes; with each box containing 8 cubic feet of balls. 

.75 is the fill height percentage that we target (75%) to avoid excessive spillage.

Example:

Interior Width = 6'8" or 5.67'

Interior Length = 8'

Height = 1'8" or 1.67'

Recapping the formula once more: 

(Interior Width x Interior Length x Interior Height x 500) / 8) x .75

which yields: 

(5.67 (width) x 8 (length) x 1.67 (height) x 500) / 8 x .75 = 3,550 balls

In comparison, if we were to try filling this ball pit with 2" balls, we would need about 12,000 balls! We would much rather handle 3,500 balls than 12,000 balls!

Stay tuned for more information to help with your ball need calculations.