How to Get a Custom Pickleball Paddle USA Pickleball Approved

USA Pickleball approval is the certification that lets a paddle be used in USA Pickleball sanctioned tournaments, the amateur competitive events run under its rules. If a paddle is only for recreation, gifts, promotion or a facility's house program, it does not need approval. If a brand wants its paddle used in sanctioned play, it does. This guide explains what the approval tests, what the limits mean in plain terms, how the lab measures them, and what the process asks of you.

Who USA Pickleball is and who does the testing

USA Pickleball is the national governing body for the sport in the United States. It publishes the rules of play and an equipment standards manual, and it maintains the list of approved paddles and balls. Manufacturers register a brand account on its equipment site, equipment.usapickleball.org, and submit paddles through it.

The physical testing is done by an independent accredited laboratory using calibrated instruments, not by USA Pickleball staff with a ruler. The lab issues a certification report that says whether each measurement is inside the limit. USA Pickleball then lists the paddle, or does not. A paddle on the approved list carries the USA Pickleball Approved mark.

What the standards are for

The standards exist to keep the game fair and safe: no paddle should hit harder, spin more or reach further than the rules allow, and nothing about a paddle should distract or endanger an opponent. USA Pickleball describes its requirements as a performance standard, not a design standard. It does not tell you how to build the paddle; it tells you what the finished paddle may and may not do.

Before anything is measured

Materials change with temperature and humidity, so submitted paddles are stored in a controlled room for at least a day before testing, at roughly room temperature and moderate humidity, and the tests are run under the same conditions. This matters for design: a paddle that only passes on a cold, dry day is not a paddle that passes.

The tests, in plain terms

1. Size

The paddle is laid flat and measured with a digital caliper. Two limits apply: the overall length may not exceed 17 inches, and length plus width may not exceed 24 inches. Both measurements include the edge guard, and the length includes the butt cap at the end of the handle. A long-handled elongated paddle spends its 24 inches differently than a widebody, but neither may go over.

2. Coefficient of friction

The coefficient of friction is a number describing how much a surface grips. The lab drags a weighted sled with a smooth plastic sheet across the face of the paddle and measures the force it takes to keep it moving. The limit on the average kinetic coefficient of friction is 0.1875. Each side of each paddle is tested three times. If the surface is not uniform, the lab tests the grippiest spot it can find, not the center. This is the first of two tests that cap spin.

3. Deflection

The face must be rigid. The paddle head rests on two blocks and a one-inch tip presses on the center with a small preload, then a set load, and the lab measures how far the face moves. The limit on the average deflection is 0.005 inches, five thousandths of an inch. Measurements are taken at the center and at two more points an inch away. This is the test that rules out a trampoline face.

4. Gloss

A gloss meter measures how much light the face reflects at a fixed angle. The limit is 80 gloss units, and the lab deliberately picks the three shiniest looking spots it can find. The purpose is to prevent a face that reflects sun into an opponent's eyes. For a printed paddle this means a high gloss clear coat can fail a paddle that is otherwise perfect, which is one reason a textured or satin finish is the usual choice on a certified paddle.

5. Surface roughness

Roughness is measured with a profilometer, an instrument that drags a fine stylus across the surface and records the height of the peaks and valleys in micrometers, millionths of a meter. Two numbers are reported. Rz is the average height from valley to peak across several sampling lengths; Rt is the total height from the deepest valley to the highest peak. The limits are an average Rz of 30 micrometers or less and an average Rt of 40 micrometers or less. Each side of each paddle is measured in six directions, because a grit or weave pattern can be rougher one way than another. Measurements are not taken across the edge of a sticker or decal. This is the second spin cap, and it is the test that shapes texture decisions more than any other.

6. PBCoR

USA Pickleball has added a paddle-ball coefficient of restitution test, PBCoR for short. Coefficient of restitution is how much of the ball's speed comes back off the paddle: a higher number means a livelier, more powerful paddle. The test fires a ball at the paddle face at a controlled speed and measures the rebound. It exists because a paddle can pass rigidity and roughness and still be built to return more energy than the game intends. The current limit and the way it is phased in for new and existing paddles are set out in the current standard, and they are the numbers to design against for any new submission.

Designing with a safety margin

Every limit above is a hard line, and materials vary. Two paddles from the same production run will not have identical roughness, and a paddle designed to sit at 29 micrometers will produce some paddles at 31. So a paddle meant for approval is designed with a margin: a target texture, thickness, stiffness and rebound that sit comfortably inside the limits rather than at them. We then validate by testing before anything is submitted. Sprayed grit, the most common spin finish, is tuned to stay under the roughness and friction caps; raw carbon and sandblasted faces are checked the same way; the clear coat over a printed face is chosen with the gloss limit in mind.

What gets submitted

USA Pickleball's equipment FAQ currently asks for nine paddles, shipped to six separate locations, for each paddle submission. Different colorways are accepted across those paddles as long as the paddle is otherwise identical: the same graphics process, the same finishing process, the same construction. The paddles need the brand and model identified on them, and the specification submitted is the specification kept on file, so that every later paddle of that model matches what was tested.

We build and ship ten. Nine paddles going to six addresses means six chances for a carrier to lose a box, and a missing paddle does not delay the test by a day; it stops it until a replacement is built, conditioned and delivered, which can mean weeks. A tenth paddle in the set is the cheapest insurance in the whole process. On our line the certification set is built inside the production run, not as a special batch, because a special batch proves nothing about the paddles that will be sold.

Fees, timing and results

USA Pickleball charges for testing and for listing, and those fees are paid by the brand directly to USA Pickleball. They are not part of the manufacturing price and we do not collect them. The fee schedule and current turnaround are published to registered manufacturers on the equipment site, and they change from time to time, so check there rather than relying on anything a manufacturer quotes. Expedited testing is not available in the run-up to USA Pickleball's major national events, which is worth knowing if a launch date is near one.

The lab reports the actual measurements, not just pass or fail, so a paddle that fails tells you by how much and on which test. Approval is never guaranteed; a paddle that fails can be revised and resubmitted, and revising it is work we do with you.

After approval: what you can and cannot change

An approved paddle is approved as a specific model: its shape, thickness, surface material, surface finish and construction. Changing the artwork alone generally does not change the tested properties, and different colorways of an identical paddle are treated as the same paddle. A meaningful change to thickness, shape, surface material, texture or finish can require a new certification. USA Pickleball also offers similarity certification for a variant that stays traceable to an already approved paddle, which is a lighter process than a full new test. In practice: settle the specification before you certify, certify the version you intend to sell, and treat any later change to the playing surface as a new model.

Approval and UPA-A certification are not the same thing

USA Pickleball approval covers amateur sanctioned play. The UPA-A, the governing body for the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball, runs its own certification for professional events. A paddle can hold either or both. Amateur events accept UPA-A certified paddles as well, but a USA Pickleball approved paddle on the current list is enough for amateur play. We have a separate guide to UPA-A certification, and the Build Room lets you choose USA Pickleball, UPA-A or both when you specify a build.

What we do

When a build is marked for certification we design to the standards with a margin, validate by testing, produce the certification set at the same specification as the run, and support the submission. The fees are yours; the engineering is ours. Testing, approval and listing are USA Pickleball's decision, which is exactly how it should be.

Common questions

Do I need USA Pickleball approval to sell a paddle?

No. Approval is required for a paddle to be used in USA Pickleball sanctioned tournaments. A paddle for recreation, promotion, gifts or a facility house program does not need it.

How many paddles does USA Pickleball require for testing?

USA Pickleball's equipment FAQ currently asks for nine paddles shipped to six separate locations. We build and ship ten so a paddle lost in transit does not stall the test. Different colorways are accepted across the recipients as long as the paddle is otherwise identical in graphics, finishing process and construction.

If I change the artwork on an approved paddle, does it need to be re-tested?

Artwork alone generally does not change the tested properties. A meaningful change to thickness, shape, surface material or surface finish can require a new certification. A variant that stays traceable to the approved paddle may qualify for similarity certification rather than a full new test.