What are dart boards made of? Find out what materials are used to make dart boards

What are dart boards made of? Find out what materials are used to make dart boards

Lenah Ann
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:23 PM

Darts is a sport where players throw small sharp pointed missiles with bare hands at a round target referred to as a dart board. Points are scored by hitting a specific board area; the closer to the centre, the more points. These dart boards are made of compressed sisal fibres glued to a board held together by an outer metal band.

What are dart boards made of?
A detailed view of the dart board during day nine of The Cazoo World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace on 28 December 2022 in London, England. Photo: Mike Owen
Source: Getty Images

Although various online sources have different explanations about how dart boards are made, this article details the materials used to make different types of dart boards.

What are dart boards made of?

Common dart boards are composed of compressed sisal fibres glued and held together by an outer metal band. According to how this kind of dart is made, it has some advantages; when the dart is removed from the board, the hole will heal immediately. This type of dart board tends to last longer than any other type.

A dart board that meets competition standards ensures a long life. Cheaper dart boards tend to wear more quickly compared to quality ones. Although sisal is a highly recommended and regarded fibre for bristle dart boards, damage will eventually occur to the dartboard.

Dart boards manufactured from sisal are susceptible to moisture damage, and therefore, they should be kept from moisture and stored in a dry place. Other materials such as cork, paper, wood, and plastic make them.

Bristle dart boards made of
Gerwin Price fetches a dart from the board in the match against Ritchie Edhouse during the PDC William Hill World Darts Championship on 15 December 2021 in London, England. Photo: NESImages
Source: Getty Images

Cork

Cork is often used to fabricate low-quality products that do not last for long, and it is lightweight and cheap and has an unfortunate tendency to wear out within a short period. Dart boards made from this product are not used in serious games.

In a competitive world of the dart, the players will never approve of a dart board made of cork because it has fallen into disrepute.

Paper

Paper is also used in the manufacture of dart boards worldwide. While making a dart board using paper, paper is wound and coiled together to form a striking surface of the board. Wound paper dart boards are cheaper and at least durable.

Although the wound paper dart boards might be durable for a while, they are prone to tear and wear because when the dart strikes the paper, it causes irreparable damage, thus not recommended for serious play.

Sisal fibres

The best dart boards made of
A board and jewelry in a window display at a Tiffany & Co. luxury goods store on Wednesday 14 April 2021 in Paris, France. Photo: Nathan Laine
Source: Getty Images

A Sisal dart board is a stiff, highly durable fibre made from the Agave Sisalana plant that is also used to make tequila. Sisal fibre is a flexible product used worldwide by industries to manufacture ropes, paper, cloths, and dart boards.

The fibre is extracted from the Agave plant through a decortication process. In this process, a machine removes the skin off the leaves so that the tough fibres beneath remain intact. They are then put out to dry and later brushed.

Sisal is in high demand for various reasons, to mention but a few; they are highly versatile, readily available, and cheap. They are made from sisal fibres are stiff and coarse-textured with an excellent grip and thus offer significant durability.

Unquestionably, sisal is the best material to manufacture dart boards, which has been proven repeatedly.

Plastic

Thanks to advanced technology, plastic has been used to make electronic dart boards and has surprised most people in recent years. Electronic dart boards offer some quality life advantages over traditional bristled fibre.

Good dart boards made of
A detailed view is seen during the First Round match between Josh and Diogo on Day 6 of the 2020 William Hill World Darts Championship on 18 December 2019 in London, England. Photo: Harriet Lander
Source: Getty Images

Electronic boards are pre-programmed with scoring variations in different dart games. Nonetheless, plastic electronics dart boards are expensive and thus limit the user to soft-tipped darts. There is no bounce out since the striking surface is made of hundreds of tiny holes that darts are stuck to.

Although plastic darts are commonly used, they have different durability since they are made from different materials. For instance, some companies use a thick plastic composite, while others use a moderate-quality material.

What are bristle dart boards made of?

Although most are made of sisal fibre, some of the best boards are bristle. The below clarifies what bristle boars are made of:

Bristle

Most dart boards all over the world right now are made out of bristle. However, bristle is not the only material used in making dart boards because other materials accompany it, and the end product serves a different impression based on the materials used.

Dart boards made from bristle materials are highly durable contrasted to plastic or paper materials. Professional players in a competitive match prefer these dart boards. Currently, dart boards made from bristle materials are the best in the world, even though sisal is still the most common.

Wooden

Professional dart boards made out of
Detailed view of a board with Darts on during Day One of the PDC Players Darts Championship at Butlins Resort on November 22, 2019 in Minehead, England. Photo; Harry Trump
Source: Getty Images

Dart boards made from wood have a high maintenance cost and hence are challenging to keep, and they are expensive since they are made from antique wood. The board is highly durable as there is actual wooden construction involved and offers a great value of darts touch, thus owned by crazy darts players.

Before every game, the wooden dart board is moisturized, requiring great care from the players.

Most top-grade dart board cabinets worldwide are made of wood, and few people own wooden dart boards.

Factors to consider when making a dart board

When choosing a dart board, there are various factors to consider. Below are the main factors to consider when making these boards.

  • The density of the paper coils or sisal fibres.
  • The amount of sanding done on the surface of the bristled board.

The sleek dart boards today have gone through significant changes in the past. In the past, an elm board was used to make a dart board. Even though it had many drawbacks, changes were made so that players could play consistently.

After a while, other innovations were introduced, adding significant functionality to the dart board industry. These modern materials sustained the quality of dart boards for a longer duration, and players could play continuously.

Most modern dart boards require little maintenance, and players do not have to worry about past marks.

Real dartboards made of
Lower Saxony, Göttingen darts PDC European Championship, 2nd round in the Lokhalle. Photo: Swen Pförtner
Source: Getty Images

What is the best material for a dart board?

The best material for making a dart board is sisal, which supports steel tip darts. Sisal is ductile, stiff and highly durable; hence not prone to wear and tear and lasts longer than any other material.

Are most dart boards assembled using horsehair?

It is just a myth that most people often believe. The boards are not made using hair from pigs, horses, or camels, and no such dart boards exist in the market.

Are tungsten darts better than steel?

The tungsten darts are the best; not even the highest-quality steel darts can match them. This is because tungsten darts are lightweight with great density, and offer excellent flight control compared to steel darts.

Dart board lovers have different tastes, so each type of material used to make a dart board is preferred. They come in varieties to meet players’ needs, and the choice depends on the requirements needed. Most of them serve a different purpose hence the difference in materials used in the construction process.

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Authors
Lenah Ann photo
Lenah Ann
Lenah Ann is a Kenyan-based content creator with 2 years of experience. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Media and Communication from Dedan Kimathi, Kenya in 2021.