Volleyballs

Indoor, beach or beginner: which volleyball to buy

Ball or pelota, it's the same here: the Spanish federation says ball and half of Spain says pelota de voley. What does change the product is where you are going to play.

The indoor one is the one in the regulations: 65-67 centimeters, 260-280 grams and a pressure between 0.30 and 0.325 kilos per square centimeter. Leather or synthetic leather cover, and rubber bladder.

The beach one is larger and at half pressure, and both are standard. It measures between 66 and 68 centimeters, weighs the same, and is inflated between 0.175 and 0.225 kilos per square centimeter. That's why it feels soft when you touch it: it's not a defect, it's how it has to be. And the beach regulations also require a material that does not absorb moisture, because matches are played even when it rains. That waterproofing is a requirement, not a brand improvement. In our collection, some beach ones have "beach" in the name; for the rest, look at the product sheet. In the list of FIVB approved beach balls, the Wilson OPTX appears, and the approval is for a specific model: the replicas and the mini of that line are not on the list.

The beginner one is distinguished by weight, not by material. A lightweight Mikasa training ball weighs about 198 grams, compared to the 260-280 of the regulation one. It is the data that someone buying for a child needs: less mass, less impact on the forearm. Soft does not mean light: in our collection, some soft balls declare the official size and weight in their sheet. For a child, look at the weight in the sheet.

Measurements, weight and size 4

Indoor, beach and youth categories, as published by the federations:

And size 4, which you will see in many sheets: is not defined by any organization. The FIVB regulations have a single set of measurements, and its testing protocols expressly state that they apply to the size 5 ball. There is no testing protocol or any approved ball in the children's category. When a manufacturer sells a ball as "size 4" or "junior", that label is theirs, not the federation's. The only children's ball with official measurements in Spain is the alevín and benjamín of the Spanish federation: 64-66 centimeters and 245-265 grams, and it describes it as spherical, soft and light.

Official ball: Molten on the Spanish court, Mikasa in the world

It depends on where you play, and they are two different brands. In the competitions of the Spanish federation the official ball is Molten: the V5M5000 in the two top national categories and the V5M4000 from First Division downwards, including the junior, youth, cadet and children's categories. Molten is the official brand of the federation, and its regulations say it in those words.

In the FIVB, the official ball is Mikasa, and it will continue to be so until 2032: it is the only ball in the international competitions since the Tokyo Games of 1964. The model is the V200W.

In the Spanish sand it is reversed: the national beach volleyball circuit of the federation is played with Mikasa. Molten on the court, Mikasa on the sand. If your club competes federated in indoor, the ball of your matches is a Molten; if you want the one from the Games, it is a Mikasa. And neither of the two is better than the other by regulation: both are approved.

FIVB Approved: what the seal guarantees and what it does not

That that model, not every ball, passed a laboratory test by a third party. To approve an indoor ball, the FIVB sends it to an accredited Swiss laboratory, which checks weight, circumference, sphericity, bounce and impact force, and subjects it to 10,000 impacts at 50 kilometers per hour. It also checks that it does not lose more than 10% of pressure in three days and that the textile does not carry prohibited azo dyes. That is what is behind the seal.

What is not: it is not a unit-by-unit control, a model is approved. It expires, after four years, renewable up to eight. It is lost if the manufacturer changes something about the product, even if the logo is still printed. And it says nothing about how it feels on the forearm: the court test is done by testers, and the FIVB itself calls it subjective.

There are also three seals, and they are not three levels. "IVS – Tested by FIVB" is the technical seal: the ball passed the test. "FIVB Approved" is exactly the same approval plus a paid brand license, with an annual fee. And "Official Supplier" is a supply contract, not a laboratory result. An IVS ball has passed the same as an Approved one.

And the most useful: a ball without a seal does not fail anything. It may not have been presented, because the laboratory fee leaves out small brands. What you can check in any sheet is if it meets the measurements of rule 3.1: 65-67 centimeters and 260-280 grams. And if you want the seal, it is verified by model code, never by brand: the public list of the FIVB is short and a whole brand is not approved, a model is.

Stitched or laminated

Two ways to build the ball, and Mikasa itself treats them differently even in care. Laminated has the continuous surface, without a recessed seam: it is the basis of flight technologies, such as the Double Dimple of Mikasa or the FLISTATEC that Molten declares stabilizes the trajectory. It is cleaned with a soft cloth and dried without direct sun. Stitched has grooves where dirt and sand settle, and Mikasa asks to clean them after each use.

What is not measured is that stitching hits harder on the arm or flies worse: no manufacturer publishes it. In our collection, some model has "laminated" in the name; for the rest, look at the sheet.

Complete your equipment

If you are going to renew something else, you have volleyball knee braces. All the material of the sport, in volleyball.

Doubts between indoor and beach, or between size 4 and 5? Write to us and we will tell you which one.

Guide updated in September 2026.