How to Choose and Order Simonis Billiard Cloth: A Practical 5-Step Checklist for B2B Buyers

Who This Checklist Is For

If you’re responsible for ordering billiard cloth for a table manufacturer, a dealer network, or a repair service—say, processing 20–50 orders a year across a handful of suppliers—this is for you. Specifically, the kind of buyer who needs to balance quality, consistency, and budget without getting burned by mismatched specs or late deliveries.

I’ve been in that seat since 2020, managing roughly $80K in annual purchases across 6 vendors for a mid-size table assembly operation. This checklist covers the five things I wish someone had told me when I started. No theory—just steps you can follow today.

Step 1: Decide Which Simonis Cloth Grade You Actually Need

The first decision is Simonis 860 vs. 760. It’s not a technical debate—it’s a use-case call.

Simonis 860 Tournament Blue is the gold standard for competition tables. Warp-free worsted wool, tighter weave, consistent speed. If your customers run tournaments or serious league play, this is the default. As of Q1 2025, it’s also the most requested cloth in our orders—roughly 70% of our volume.

Simonis 760 is often described as “almost 860 but a bit slower.” It’s a blend (wool-nylon) that’s slightly more durable under heavy casual use. For bars, home recreation rooms, or tables that see daily play without strict speed requirements, 760 can save your customer 10–15% per cut. I don’t have hard data on defect rates across the two, but from our order history (maybe 300 rolls over five years), both have had under 3% issues. The real difference is in feel, not durability.

Quick rule of thumb: Tournament play → 860. General commercial or home use → 760. Both are Simonis quality—you’re not downgrading with 760, just optimizing for the use case.

Step 2: Verify the Cloth Is Genuine Simonis

Counterfeit billiard cloth is a real problem, especially for high-demand lines like Tournament Blue. A client of ours once bought what looked like 860 at a discount—turns out it was a Chinese knockoff with inconsistent nap. The table played differently after a week.

How to check authenticity (based on what I do now):

• Check the label roll. Genuine Simonis rolls have a holographic sticker with a serial number you can verify online. I keep a photo of our first verified roll on my phone for comparison.
• Measure the width. Simonis 860 is 68 inches wide; 760 is also 68 inches. Knockoffs often vary by 1–2 inches.
• Feel the texture. Real worsted wool has a distinct smoothness with minimal pilling. If it feels fuzzy or like cheap felt, it’s not Simonis.
• Source from authorized distributors. Simonis lists them on their site. We only buy from two distributors now—after a bad experience in 2023 with a third-party reseller who couldn’t provide proper invoices.

One more thing: if the price is significantly below market (say, 20% less than the average quote as of January 2025), it’s either fake or seconds. Don’t risk it.

Step 3: Don’t Forget the Cleaner—and Use It Right

Here’s the step most buyers overlook: adding Simonis X1 cleaner to the order. I didn’t include it in my first bulk order—or rather, I thought “cleaner is cleaner” and recommended a generic brand. That was a mistake.

Why X1 matters: Simonis cloth is treated with a specific finish that affects ball roll and speed. Generic cleaners—especially ones with wax or silicone—can strip that finish or leave residue. X1 is pH-neutral and designed to maintain the cloth’s playability. In our trial run, tables cleaned with X1 required re-cleaning half as often as those cleaned with a multi-surface spray.

When you order, add X1 as a line item. It’s a small add-on (around $12 per bottle as of Q4 2024) but it protects the cloth investment. I now include it in every recommendation to dealers—makes their customers happier and extends cloth life by maybe 20% based on our anecdotal feedback.

Step 4: Check Your Pricing and Lead Times (with a Grain of Salt)

Simonis pricing isn’t published uniformly, so you’ll need to ask. Based on my orders from 2024, here’s a rough guide (verify current rates before quoting):

• Simonis 860 (per roll, 68" x ~65 yards): ~$900–$1,100 USD depending on distributor and volume.
• Simonis 760 (same dimensions): ~$750–$950 USD.
• X1 cleaner (per 32 oz bottle): ~$10–$14 USD.

Lead times: Standard is 3–5 business days for in-stock items. If they’re out of 860 Tournament Blue (which happens, especially before major tournaments), expect 7–14 days. I learned this the hard way in March 2023 when we promised a 3-day turnaround and ended up with a 12-day delay. Now I always confirm stock on high-demand SKUs before placing the order.

Step 5: Order in Bulk—but with a Warning

If you manage multiple tables, bulk ordering Simonis 860 or 760 saves on per-unit cost and shipping. But bulk comes with a trap: storing cloth incorrectly.

Storage rule: Simonis cloth should be stored flat, in a climate-controlled space (around 60–75°F and 40–60% humidity). Stacking rolls on their sides or leaving them in a hot warehouse can cause the wool to delaminate or develop creases. A dealer friend of mine lost $2,000 worth of cloth in 2022 because their warehouse got too humid over summer. The cloth looked fine but played unevenly.

If you’re ordering for multiple customers, consider splitting the order into smaller lots or confirming their storage capacity. Otherwise, you’re buying risk.

Final Tips and Common Mistakes

Mistake #1: Assuming “Tournament Blue” is the same across batches. Simonis batches can have slight color variations—a real issue if you’re matching tables for a venue. Always order from the same batch for a project. I note the batch number on our order confirmation (a habit I started after a venue complained about a 2-shade difference).

Mistake #2: Forgetting the installation requirements. Simonis 860 requires professional stretching—it’s not a DIY job if you want tournament-level play. Make sure your customer has a trained installer. 760 is more forgiving, but still benefits from proper fitting.

Mistake #3: Ignoring the warranty. Simonis cloth has a manufacturer’s warranty against defects (usually 1 year from purchase). Register the purchase with Simonis within 30 days—I nearly missed a replacement claim because I didn’t keep the receipt. (This happened in 2021; since then, I file all invoices in a shared Drive folder.)

This checklist was accurate as of Q1 2025. Pricing, availability, and policies change—always verify with your distributor before committing.