Bowling pins are necessary for the game of bowling as they are the objects that are to be aimed at, hit, and knocked down - the target. The bowling ball knocks down pins to produce the score. The scoring may vary depending on whether the person is playing ten-pin bowling or five-pin bowling.
The commonly used pins are 4.75 inches in their width and they stand 15 inches in height. Their standard weight is 3lb. 6oz. but there are also pins that are now allowed (beginning in 1998) that weighs 3lb. and 10oz.
Bowling pins are made by gluing blocks of hard maple wood together. Makers of bowling pins use these blocks to create the pin shape by using a lathe. The formed shape will then be coated with hard layers of plastic material and are painted white to produce a finished product that is shiny and pleasing to the eye.
The ABC (American Bowling Congress) is an institution that specifies how the pins are to be made - according to their set standards. They are also the one responsible for checking the bowling alleys and the bowling lanes for compliance. Some venues may not have strict regulations or enforcement of pin shapes and sizes or the pin setting machine. These irregularities (if any) would affect every delivery of the ball as well as the scoring.
There are three types of pins that are commonly used in bowling. The first type is the Vulcan Vultex 2. This type of pin is popular with many bowling venues. They like its structure and that it is made with a molding that has a surlyn coating and it looks hard and heavy duty product. Although it can be one of the best pins to buy, the company that produces it eventually sold its rights to Brunswick.
The second type of pin is the Brunswick PBA gold pin. It weighs 3 lbs. 10 oz. and is much heavier than a regular pin. It features a colored PBA logo because these pins are standardized and are used only in tournaments set by the PBA. They also have pins that have logos on the bottom of the pin that may be used in a regular bowling game.
The third type of pin is the Wimsom pin. Brunswick has incorporated its production to the Brunswick "Max", with a trade mark logo on it. The cheap price of this pin surpassed the sales of the Canadian rock maple pins which are mostly exported to several Asian countries.
