Key Differences Explained • Racket Insight

5-ply and 7-ply blades are two types of blade construction. But what do these concepts mean?

In table tennis, layers are called plies. That is to say, a 5-ply blade is composed of 5 layers of wood, and a 7-ply blade is composed of 7.

This key difference has massive implications when it comes to how both kinds of blades behave.

If you want to understand the pros and cons of both of these constructions, and which one you should choose, considering your style and level, this is the article to read. However, it’s not the only major decision, as you may also need to consider between all-wood or carbon blades.

In fact, it’s all covered in our ultimate guide to choosing a table tennis blade. You’re welcome!

What is a 5-Ply Blade?

A 5-ply blade is a table tennis blade made of 5 layers of wood: 1 core layer, 2 middle layers, and 2 outer layers.

5-ply blades are the simplest type of table tennis blade, and the most common kind of blade in all of table tennis.

Despite differences in shape and type, most 5-ply blades share similar advantages and drawbacks when compared to other blade constructions.

These are:

• High flexibility and ease of spin generation.
• Soft touch.
• Great feeling and control.
• A safe, high throw.
• Slower speed relative to other constructions.
• Usually lower weight than other constructions.

Because of these characteristics, the most common users of 5-ply blades are usually beginners, all-rounders, defenders, and all kinds of spin/control-oriented players.

Any player who benefits from more dwell time, control, and easier spin generation will benefit from this excellent blade construction.

However, those looking for extra firepower, high speeds, bigger sweet spots, and high stability at high-speed exchanges should look elsewhere.

To name a few, some of the most popular 5-ply blades are the Stiga Allround Classic, the Butterfly Primorac, the Butterfly Korbel, the Yasaka Sweden Extra, the Nittaku Acoustic, the Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive, and the Donic Defplay Senso, among many others.

What is a 7-Ply Blade?

Unsurprisingly, a 7-ply blade is (as the name suggests) a table tennis blade comprised of 7 layers of wood: 1 core layer, 2 inner layers, 2 middle layers, and 2 outer layers.

7-ply blades are a step up in terms of offensive potential and construction complexity from 5-ply blades. In today’s table tennis era, 7-ply blades aren’t as common as they once were, but they still hold a relatively high usage rate.

Even though there are 7-ply blades of all types and shapes, most 7-ply blades share the same pros and cons when comparing them to other blade constructions.

These are:

• Medium flexibility and relative ease of spin generation.
• Medium-hard touch.
• Great feeling and control.
• A more direct throw angle.
• Higher speed relative to 5-ply blades.
• Usually, higher weight than 5-ply blades.

Because of these characteristics, the most common users of 7-ply blades are usually offensive players who love the feel of all-wood blades but find 5-ply blades too slow.

Any player who loves the feeling, the feedback, the control, and the ease of spin generation of all-wood blades, but wants a bit more punch, hardness and stiffness, will benefit from this excellent blade construction.

To name a few, some of the most popular 7-ply blades are the Stiga Clipper, the Butterfly Korbel SK7, the DHS Power G7, the Victas Koki Niwa Wood, the Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition and the Victas Swat.

Direct Comparison: 5-Ply vs 7-Ply

Which Should You Choose?

After explaining the characteristics of each of the blades, we’ll go over who should choose one over the other.

5-ply blades

I believe the following players should pick 5-ply blades:

• Beginners and intermediate-level players who play an offensive game.
• All-rounders.
• Classic and/or modern defenders.
• Any player who loves the feel, control and ease of spin generation of 5-ply blades, even if they don’t fall into the other categories.

Let me tell you a quick story. I managed to reach the first division of my country playing a very offensive game with a 5-ply blade.

After some time, I learned that this decision was suboptimal, and that I could’ve gotten much more power with the current blade I’m using, a 5+2 composite blade.

But playing so long with a 5-ply blade didn’t do me much harm.

The way I think about 5-ply blades is that they are like an open canvas. They are the simplest of constructions, and they behave wildly differently depending on the rubbers you attach.

Think of a Butterfly Korbel, for example. It’s the most popular 5-ply offensive blade, with a classical limba-ayous construction.

If you pair it with two Rozenas, you’d have the perfect combination for a beginner. A nice throw angle, feel, good control, and enough speed.

However, if you glue Tenergy rubbers to that very same Korbel, the result is totally different. You get a very modern, fast and offensive combination.

Unlike with other constructions, 5-ply blades are blades that are very hard to go wrong with, as they only become suboptimal if you’re an advanced offensive player.

Of course, there is a huge spectrum of 5-ply blades, ranging from the DEF range to the OFF range, so if you want to play an offensive game, we recommend getting one of the faster ones.

7-ply blades

7-ply blades, in contrast, do have a more offensive nature, and they’re a step up in speed when comparing them to 5-plies.

You should choose them if:

• You’re an intermediate or advanced offensive player.
• You’re an all-rounder or a modern defender, and you want a bit more stability or punch on your shots.
• You like the hardness, stiffness and speed of the 7-ply blades.

7-ply blades are stiffer, harder, more direct, and faster than 5-ply blades.

However, they’re not quite at the level of the more offensive composite blades. They’re still all-wood constructions.

So, they’re also relatively hard to go wrong with, especially if you’re an offensive player.

We recommend you choose them if you already have a 5-ply blade and you want a step up without stepping into the world of composite blades.

If you like the feeling of all-wood blades and want an upgrade, this is the construction to get.

My Closing Thoughts

We’ve already talked about the differences between 5-ply and 7-ply blades. We’ve also discussed which one you should get depending on your style and playing level.

However, there’s something else I want to add, to close this article out – a very important caveat – the logical solution is not always the right one.

You should always try to test both types of blades if you have the means to.

Pick the blade that gives you the most confidence when playing, and the one that feels more fun to use.

Also, if you want recommendations on specific models, including 5 and 7-ply blades, make sure to check out our best blades roundup for recommendations.