What’s The Best Material For A Dart Board?

You already know that dart boards are manufactured from a wide array of materials. This is something that you’ll learn from the very beginning.

I concur that it is a good thing to have plenty of options. However, you must realize that plenty of options can make your decision so much more difficult.

You’ll obviously want to know which material is best for a dart board.

When I first started playing darts, I did a ton of research to understand what material works best. Here’s what I found.

Types of Dartboard Materials

During my research, I found that dart boards can actually be manufactured using a wide range of materials. Dart boards can be made with wood, paper, straw, plastic, and sisal fiber.

Despite some misconception, dartboards should not be made from animal hairs or fur.

You may also hear the term bristle dartboards. Just remember that these boards are made from hemp or sisal.

So, which material is actually best? In order to find the best dart board material, you will need to consider the type of darts that you’re using.

Some materials are better for certain darts and vice versa.

Bristle Boards

Bristle dartboards have been around for many, many years. I can remember playing darts in a pub using steel tip darts and a bristle board.

Despite the name, most boards are not actually manufactured using bristle.

Instead, there are much better materials for this specific purpose. Paper dart boards are very inexpensive. Nevertheless, I can tell you first hand that paper isn’t going to last very long.

You’ll be lucky to have a paper dartboard that lasts more than a few months.

Bristle boards are far better.

These boards are not made from pig bristles. Instead, most bristle boards are manufactured using sisal or hemp.

Sisal is grown in many different countries, but the quality varies. Nevertheless, sisal is the best material for bristle dart boards.

Just remember that bristle boards are only suitable for steel-tip darts. In American darts, the board may be made using basswood.

Plastic Boards

When I hear the term plastic, I generally believe that the product is going to be shoddy and flimsy. This isn’t always the case.

In fact, there are plenty of excellent dartboards manufactured using plastics. Just remember that plastic dartboards are not suitable for all purposes.

I can tell you straight up that plastic boards should never be used with steep-tip darts. Instead, plastic boards are only suitable for soft tip darts.

Plastic dartboards can be very good in some circumstances though. Generally, the plastic is used to make electronic dartboards.

Electronic boards are good for people that do not want to keep their own score. Just make sure you choose a board that is made from thick, durable plastic.

Overall

Really, the material of choice should depend on your playing style. If you want to play with steel tip darts, you should opt for a sisal board.

If you want to play with soft tip darts, a plastic board will likely be best.

I’d recommend checking out my buyer’s guide on how to choose the best dartboard to find my top picks for each type of dartboard material.