Why Would a Bowling Ball Crack

Key Takeaways:

• Bowling balls can crack for a variety of reasons, including temperature stress and absorption by bowling lane oil.
• Other common reasons for bowling ball cracks range from the weakening of the bond between the ball’s inside weight and outside shell, as well as improper storage.
• Bowling ball cracks may also occur due to age and drilling stress.

You reach into your bowling bag for your go-to ball, ready to obliterate the pins staring back at you from the end of the lane. You’ve been practicing, and you’re confident you’ll see more strikes and spares in your future.

But that’s not what you see.

Instead, you notice something you never expected to lay eyes on: a cracked ball.

The reality is, bowling ball cracks happen more often than you might expect. This begs the question, why would a bowling ball crack, and can you fix a cracked bowling ball? Let’s explore the phenomenon of cracked bowling balls and how to successfully approach bowling ball crack repair before your next tournament.

Thermal Expansion and Temperature Stress

A top reason why a bowling ball would crack is that it expands and contracts with a change in temperature, but the core (the internal weight block) and coverstock (outer shell) fail to expand at the same rate. This expansion issue can easily occur if you leave your bowling ball in a hot vehicle, store it in the garage when it’s freezing outside, or move your ball quickly between cold and warm environments.

You can’t structurally repair a ball that has cracked due to temperature stress. Prevention is the best fix: keep your ball inside at a table temperature, and place it on a durable ball cup (stable support) to prevent it from resting on a cold floor. If a temperature–change–induced crack is cosmetic and small, a professional shop may be able to smooth its edges, preventing chipping, but your wall won’t have the same integrity as before the crack.

Oil Absorption

A reactive resin ball absorbs lane oil thanks to its microscopic pores. A common reason why a bowling ball would crack is that the oil saturates your ball’s shell over several years, weakening the resin and making the shell brittle and susceptible to cracking. If you don’t clean or resurface your ball, it will degrade more quickly since the oil stays trapped in the ball’s coverstock.

You can’t fix a cracked bowling ball in this situation, but you can dramatically slow the cracking with frequent deep cleanings, resurfacing, and oil extractions. A professional shop can examine your cracked ball to determine if resurfacing the ball is safe, but you’ll likely have to replace the ball since it’s reached the end of its lifespan.

Coverstock and Core Separation

Your ball’s coverstock, core, and filler bond together, but this bond can weaken over time due to manufacturing variations, heat cycles, and age. Bond separation is one of the main reasons why a bowling ball would crack. This bond separation can easily occur if a ball rotates quickly, causing deep, long cracks around it.

You can’t repair your ball once its components begin to separate, but you can prevent this from happening. Store your ball in a stable temperature, and use several balls so that a single one doesn’t absorb all wear. If you think your ball’s components have separated, take it to a professional shop to confirm this by looking for a weight or sound imbalance.

Improper Storage

Storing your ball improperly is another major reason why a bowling ball would crack. Avoid storing your ball on hard surfaces for years or even months, as this can create pressure points, that affect the coverstock. If you leave a ball on wood, tile, or concrete, especially in a basement or garage, it will likely crack. Storing it in a bowling bag can also cause cracking since the bag traps moisture and heat, weakening the ball’s structure.

You can’t fix a bowling ball that has cracked due to improper storage, but you can prevent cracking by using a padded stand or ball cup to distribute the ball’s weight evenly. Keep your ball on a padded or carpeted surface in a climate-controlled room. 

Age

This is one of the most common reasons why a bowling ball would crack. Every bowling ball degrades over time, as resin can lose its plasticizers (chemical additives used to make the ball more flexible), the ball’s urethane (coverstock) can dry out, and the polyester (the coverstock) can become brittle. Your ball is especially vulnerable to cracking if it is older and has been resurfaced several times, another reason why a bowling ball would crack, as the shell is thinner.

You can’t fix a bowling ball that has cracked due to aging, but you may slow age-induced brittleness by keeping your ball clean, storing it correctly, and resurfacing conservatively. It’s generally best to retire an old ball before it fails, since replacement is the only solution for an old, cracked ball.

Drilling Stress

Drilling is another noteworthy reason why a bowling ball would crack, as it adds stress points to the ball. Weak spots can stem from holes drilled without proper beveling, or from holes that are too close to each other or too deep. Repeated finger-and-thumb pressure over time can widen the microfractures near the holes.

Although you can’t repair a ball that has become cracked due to drilling stress, a reputable professional shop can smooth the crack so that your ball doesn’t chip, but the structural crack will remain.

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