Sports goods · 02
A ball is a measured object, not a decorated one.
Circumference, weight, sphericity, rebound, water absorption and loss of pressure. Six numbers separate a match ball from a promotional one, and a buyer who quotes them gets a very different shipment from a buyer who sends a picture and asks for the price.
Thermo-bonded · hybrid · hand & machine stitched
Construction
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and futsal
Sizes
FIFA Basic, Quality & Quality Pro parameters
Standards
Jalandhar, Punjab
Cluster
Overview
Construction method decides everything downstream
Thermo-bonded, hybrid, hand-stitched and machine-stitched balls look similar on a shelf and behave nothing alike in rain. Choosing the construction is the first decision in any ball enquiry, because it sets the price band, the water absorption figure and the realistic playing life.
Thermo-bonded balls have panels heat-fused rather than sewn, producing a seamless outer with almost no water ingress — typically under 0.5% weight gain in the standard 250-cycle immersion test. They hold shape and pressure best and are what modern match balls use, but they need tooling per panel design and carry the highest unit cost.
Hybrid construction bonds the panels and then adds a reinforcing stitch, giving much of the water performance of thermo-bonding at a lower price. It has become the sensible default for serious training balls, where budgets do not stretch to full thermo-bonding but pitch conditions are wet.
Hand-stitched balls remain the workhorse of the global market. A skilled stitcher sews 32, 26 or 18 panels with polyester thread through pre-punched holes, at roughly 1,400 to 1,900 stitches per ball. Done well with PU laminate they are excellent; done cheaply with PVC they absorb water and go out of round. Machine-stitched balls are the lowest cost tier — appropriate for school, promotional and recreational use, not for league play.
Materials matter as much as construction. Casing laminates run from Japanese and Korean PU for match balls, through TPU and rubberised PU for training, to PVC for recreational goods. Beneath the casing sit two to four layers of polyester-cotton backing lamination, and inside is the bladder: latex for touch and rebound but with faster air loss, or butyl for air retention over weeks with slightly less feel.
Testing is what makes a claim credible. We measure circumference, weight before and after immersion, sphericity across sixteen diameters, rebound from a 2-metre drop, loss of pressure over 72 hours and shape retention after 2,000 impacts against a steel plate. Where FIFA Quality or Quality Pro marking is needed, production is routed through an approved factory and lab reports are issued with the shipment.
The range extends well past football. Volleyballs in soft-touch laminated and beach constructions, basketballs in indoor composite leather, indoor-outdoor rubber and outdoor rubber, rugby balls in match and training grades, handballs in sizes 1 to 3 with resin-friendly surfaces, netballs, water-polo balls, dodgeballs, medicine and gym balls, plus everything that surrounds training: nets, goals, bibs, cones and agility gear.
At a glance
- Size 5 football
- 68–70 cm circumference, 410–450 g, 0.6–1.1 bar inflation
- Panels
- 32, 26, 20, 18, 14, 12, 8 and 6-panel designs
- Water absorption
- Under 0.5% thermo-bonded, 5–15% hand-stitched PU
- Bladders
- Natural latex or butyl, 3.5–4.5 mm wall
- Printing
- Pad print, heat transfer, full-panel sublimation
- Lead time
- 30–45 days; 50–60 days with new panel tooling
How we work
We source from India's established brands — we do not manufacture
Akarta Exports is a sourcing and export house. We do not own factories and we do not claim to. Our value is that we know which well-known Indian brands and manufacturers make what, to what standard, and at what price — and we buy from them to the exact specification you give us.
01 — Your specification, written down
We start from your specification, not from a catalogue. Grade, dimension, tolerance, finish, test standard, pack, artwork and labelling are put in writing and confirmed with you before a single enquiry goes out.
02 — Matched to the right Indian brand
We place that specification with established, well-known Indian brands and manufacturers in the cluster that genuinely makes the product — Morbi for tiles, Rajkot and Ludhiana for machinery, Meerut and Jalandhar for sports goods, Kerala and Gujarat for spices.
03 — Offers compared on merit
Because we own no plant and owe no factory a minimum offtake, we compare offers openly on quality, consistency, capacity and price — and tell you where a lower price will not hold up in your market.
04 — Inspected, consolidated, shipped
Our own inspectors clear the goods at the brand's plant and again before loading. Multiple brands and multiple divisions consolidate into one container, one invoice and one document set.
Brand names are disclosed to you on the offer and named on the inspection report, so you always know whose production you are buying. Where a buyer already has a preferred Indian brand, we are happy to source that brand and handle only the inspection, consolidation, documentation and shipping.
The range
Every inflatable ball and training item we export
Grouped by sport, with construction tiers shown because the tier is what determines both price and performance.
- Footballs — match grade
- Thermo-bonded 12, 14, 18, 20 and 32-panel match balls in size 5 and 4; hybrid-bonded match balls; FIFA Basic, Quality and Quality Pro parameter builds; high-visibility winter and hi-vis yellow balls; low-bounce and futsal match balls; club-crest and league-branded editions.
- Footballs — training & club
- Hand-stitched PU training balls in 32 and 26 panels, rubberised PU all-weather balls, hybrid training balls, size 5, 4 and 3 club balls, heavy training balls, skills and technique balls, weighted goalkeeper training balls, lightweight junior balls in sizes 1, 2 and 3.
- Footballs — recreational & promotional
- Machine-stitched PVC balls, rubber moulded balls, beach footballs, mini and souvenir size 1 balls, signature and autograph balls, tournament giveaway balls with full sublimated print, blister-packed retail balls, deflated bulk-pack promotional balls.
- Futsal & indoor
- Size 4 low-bounce futsal match and training balls, felt-covered indoor balls, soft-touch indoor balls for sports halls, hall-safe foam and PU-coated balls for schools, indoor five-a-side balls with reduced rebound bladders.
- Volleyballs
- Laminated soft-touch match volleyballs in 18 panels, machine-stitched training volleyballs, beach volleyballs with water-resistant laminate, rubber recreational volleyballs, junior soft-play volleyballs, sepak takraw balls, volleyball nets, antennae, posts and referee stands.
- Basketballs
- Indoor composite-leather match basketballs in sizes 7, 6 and 5; indoor-outdoor hybrid balls; outdoor rubber balls; size 3 mini and size 1 souvenir balls; deep-channel and pebble-grain surfaces; basketball rings, nets, backboards and portable stands.
- Rugby & oval balls
- Match rugby union balls in sizes 5, 4 and 3, training rugby balls with pimpled grip, rugby league balls, touch and beach rugby balls, mini and midi balls, tackle bags, tackle suits, scrum machines, kicking tees and rugby posts protectors.
- Handball, netball & other
- Handballs in sizes 3, 2, 1 and 0 with resin-friendly and resin-free surfaces, netballs in sizes 5, 4 and 3, water-polo balls, dodgeballs, kabaddi balls, throwball, korfball, medicine balls, slam balls, gym and stability balls, playground and multi-sport balls.
- Goals, nets & posts
- Full-size, junior and mini goal nets in 2–4 mm knotted and knotless polypropylene and nylon, portable pop-up goals, freestanding steel and aluminium goals, rebounders, futsal goals, volleyball and badminton nets, cricket and multi-sport netting, net clips, ground pegs and goal anchors.
- Training & field equipment
- Marker cones and discs, agility ladders and hurdles, speed and resistance parachutes, training poles and slalom sticks, agility rings, training bibs and mesh vests, corner flags and boundary flags, whistle and referee sets, tactic boards, ball carry bags, nets and hoppers.
- Protective & goalkeeping
- Goalkeeper gloves in latex, roll-finger, flat-palm and negative cuts; goalkeeper padded shirts and shorts; shin guards with and without ankle protection; slip-in and strap shin pads; ankle guards; captain armbands; grip socks and sleeve protectors.
- Inflation & care
- Hand pumps, double-action pumps, foot pumps, electric inflators, pressure gauges, inflation needles, valve lubricant, bladder repair kits, ball carry nets and racks, ball storage cages and cleaning kits.
Technical data
Ball technical specifications
Governing figures where a standard exists, and our quoted factory envelopes where it does not.
Swipe table to see all columns →
| Ball | Size | Circumference | Weight | Inflation | Construction / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Football | 5 | 68–70 cm | 410–450 g | 0.6–1.1 bar | Thermo-bonded, hybrid, hand or machine stitched |
| Football | 4 | 63.5–66 cm | 350–390 g | 0.6–1.1 bar | Youth under-12; same construction tiers |
| Football | 3 | 58.5–61 cm | 300–320 g | 0.6–0.8 bar | Under-8 junior play |
| Football | 1 / mini | 43–48 cm | 180–230 g | 0.4–0.6 bar | Skills, souvenir and promotional |
| Futsal | 4 low bounce | 62–64 cm | 400–440 g | 0.6–0.9 bar | 50–65 cm rebound from 2 m |
| Volleyball | 5 | 65–67 cm | 260–280 g | 0.30–0.325 bar | 18-panel laminated soft touch |
| Beach volleyball | 5 | 66–68 cm | 260–280 g | 0.175–0.225 bar | Water-resistant laminate |
| Basketball | 7 | 74.9–78 cm | 567–650 g | 0.55–0.65 bar | Composite leather, indoor match |
| Basketball | 6 | 72.4–73.7 cm | 510–567 g | 0.55–0.65 bar | Women's and youth |
| Rugby union | 5 | 740–770 mm long axis | 410–460 g | 0.62–0.70 bar | 4-panel, pimpled or laminated grip |
| Handball | 3 | 58–60 cm | 425–475 g | 0.4–0.6 bar | Men's, resin-friendly surface |
| Netball | 5 | 69–71 cm | 400–450 g | 0.45–0.55 bar | Rubber or laminated casing |
Water absorption is measured over 250 immersion-compression cycles: under 0.5% for thermo-bonded, 1–5% for hybrid, 5–15% for hand-stitched PU and above 15% for economy PVC. Loss of pressure over 72 hours is under 20% for butyl bladders and under 30% for latex.
Applications & markets
Specification by use case
The same size 5 football exists at four very different price points. These are the four builds we quote most often and what each is actually for.
League & match play
- Thermo-bonded casing with Japanese or Korean PU
- Four-layer polyester-cotton backing lamination
- Butyl bladder for multi-week pressure retention
- Under 0.5% water absorption, verified by lab report
- FIFA Quality or Quality Pro marking where required
- Full-colour sublimated or heat-transfer branding
Club & academy training
- Hybrid-bonded or premium hand-stitched PU casing
- Three-layer lamination for shape retention
- Butyl bladder, all-weather rubberised surface options
- Built for daily use on abrasive and artificial pitches
- Volume pricing across sizes 3, 4 and 5
- Club crest and squad-number printing
School & institutional
- Hand-stitched or machine-stitched TPU casing
- Latex or butyl bladder to budget
- High-visibility colours for outdoor group use
- Soft-touch indoor and low-bounce hall variants
- Class-set packs of 10, 12 or 20 balls with hoppers
- EN 71 and REACH declarations for junior use
Promotional & retail
- Machine-stitched PVC or moulded rubber casing
- Full-surface sublimation for sponsor artwork
- Mini, size 1 and signature ball formats
- Deflated bulk packing to cut freight per unit
- Blister and net-bag retail packaging
- Low MOQ launch runs for marketplace sellers
Division in numbers
1,400+
Stitches per ball
Hand-stitched 32-panel construction
<0.5%
Water absorption
Thermo-bonded casing, 250 cycles
2,000
Impact test cycles
Shape retention against steel plate
12,000
Balls per 40' HC
Inflated; roughly 3× deflated
Quality assurance
Nothing leaves India until our own inspectors clear it
Akarta runs an in-house quality department with inspectors assigned to each division. Goods are checked at the factory during production and again before loading, against the written specification agreed on your purchase order — not against the factory's own grading.
- Pre-production sample approved by the buyer before bulk manufacture begins
- In-line checks during production for shade, calibration, dimension and moisture
- Pre-shipment inspection with photographic report before container sealing
- Third-party inspection (SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek) arranged where required
ISO 9001:2015
Certified quality management system
Govt. approved
Registered Indian merchant exporter
In-house docs
Export paperwork prepared by our team
Packing & shipping
Packed the way your market receives it
Inflated balls buy shelf appeal and cost freight; deflated balls halve the container cost but need re-inflation at destination. We quote both and let the destination market decide.
- Match balls inflated, net-bagged or boxed individually with printed retail sleeve
- Training balls inflated to 60% pressure to protect panels and reduce crush risk
- Promotional and school balls shipped deflated in bulk with pumps and needles supplied
- Cartons of 10, 12, 20 or 25 balls in five-ply board with internal dividers
- Goalkeeper gloves poly-bagged in pairs with cardboard hand inserts
- Nets bagged with mesh size, colour and dimension tagged on each bag
- Cones, ladders and training gear nested and boxed by set
- Carton-wise packing list with SKU, size, colour and inflation state
Documentation
Paperwork prepared in-house, not outsourced
Every consignment travels with a complete document set, prepared by our own documentation team and checked against your letter of credit or contract terms before dispatch.
Ball specification sheet
Construction tier, casing material, lamination layers, bladder type, panel count, circumference, weight and inflation range per SKU.
Laboratory test report
Circumference, sphericity, weight, rebound, water absorption over 250 cycles, loss of pressure and shape retention after 2,000 impacts.
Compliance file
FIFA Quality or Quality Pro certificates where applicable, plus EN 71, ASTM F963, REACH and phthalate reports for junior and recreational lines.
Inspection & shipping set
AQL 2.5 pre-shipment report, invoice, packing list with cube, certificate of origin and bill of lading.
Global reach
Quoted in your currency, shipped from your nearest Indian port
Enquiries reach us from importers, distributors, contractors and retail chains across five continents — Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. We quote FOB, CFR or CIF, load from Mundra, Kandla, Nhava Sheva or Pipavav depending on your routing, and keep one commercial contact accountable for the consignment from purchase order to bill of lading.
Africa
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Sudan, Mozambique, Zambia, South Africa
Middle East
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq
Europe
Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, United Kingdom
Americas
United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile
Asia-Pacific
Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan
Load ports
Mundra · Kandla · Pipavav · Nhava Sheva
Incoterms
FOB · CFR · CIF · EXW on request
Correspondence
English, with documentation to buyer-country requirements
Buyer questions
What importers usually ask us first
Is a thermo-bonded ball worth the extra cost?
In wet climates and for match play, yes. A hand-stitched ball can gain 10% of its weight in a rainy game, which changes how it flies and how it hurts to head; a thermo-bonded ball gains almost nothing. For dry-climate training use, a good hybrid or hand-stitched PU ball at 40–60% of the price is the more rational purchase.
Latex or butyl bladder?
Latex has better surface feel and rebound and is preferred by many players, but loses pressure noticeably within a week. Butyl holds pressure for weeks with a marginally duller touch. For school, club and retail supply we recommend butyl, because a ball that arrives soft is perceived as a defective ball regardless of the reason.
Can we get FIFA marking on our own brand?
Yes. FIFA Basic, Quality and Quality Pro are ball-level programmes, not brand-level, so your branded ball can carry the mark if it is produced in an approved facility and passes lab testing. It adds cost and roughly two to three weeks to the schedule. We normally recommend it for a flagship match ball and quote unmarked equivalents for the rest of the range.
Should we ship inflated or deflated?
Deflated roughly triples the pieces per container and is the obvious choice for promotional, school and bulk institutional supply — we include pumps and needles. Inflated is better for retail, where a customer picks the ball up in a shop. Many buyers split the shipment: match and retail lines inflated, training and school volumes deflated.
How is print durability handled?
Pad printing sits on the surface and wears with abrasion; heat transfer and in-mould sublimation are integrated into the casing and survive far longer. For balls used on artificial or gravel surfaces we specify heat transfer or sublimation, because a size 5 ball on a hard court will scuff pad print within a season.
Do you supply the nets and training kit with the balls?
Yes, and consolidating them is usually the point of using us. Goals, nets, cones, bibs, ladders, hurdles, flags, pumps and carry bags load in the same container as the balls, on one packing list and one invoice, which is significantly cheaper and simpler than sourcing each item separately.
Common enquiries
Specifications buyers most often ask us to quote
These are the enquiries that reach this desk most weeks. If yours is on the list, we already have the grades, packing and loadability worked out — send the quantity and destination port and we will price it.
Also in this division
Related ranges
Export desk
Request a quotation
Send your product type, grade, quantity and destination port. Our export desk replies with available grades, packing options, loadability and indicative pricing — usually within one working day.