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Brunswick Certified Slate

The Brunswick Guarantee Brunswick’s high standards for product integrity are exactingly applied to every detail of the table, including the slate. Brunswick slate is diamond honed, precision machined and leveled to within 1/100 of an inch. Demonstrating our enduring commitment to superior performance, every piece of slate approved for use in Brunswick tables is stringently 100% tested for flatness, certified for quality and comes with a lifetime warranty.

What You Need to Know About Slate

Slate is a fine-grained, hard rock made up of clay, mica, quartz and other minerals. Because it is durable stone with a low moisture-absorption rate and a stable surface, slate is extremely well suited for use in billiards. In the United States, slate is located in Vermont, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Arkansas, and is also present in other countries such as Wales, Spain, China, Korea, Italy and Brazil. Depending upon the mineral content in any specific area, slate can be found in many colors. While most slate is gray or black, it can also be red, green and purple. It is important to remember that billiard slate quality is not measured by color or by country of origin, but by one key characteristic: a flat surface. Obviously, having slate of any particular color is of no advantage in playing billiards.

The Hard Flat Facts about Italian and Brazilian Slate

Italian slate is taken from underground, and is relatively soft. It is not suited for outdoor use but is fine for billiard tables. Because it is soft, Italian slate is more flexible. Italy has historically been the billiard industry’s prime source for slate. However, today’s global market has uncovered other excellent sources of prime quality slate. Mined from open pits, most Brazilian slate is harder than Italian slate*. The machining process is more difficult but Brazilian slate is not nearly as sensitive to abuse. It does not bend easily, so storage is less critical. It is also more difficult to break. Because of its hardness, Brazilian slate is subject to complex gauging and surfacing operations, which in turn produces a very flat surface. Remember that the essential element in slate quality is flatness. Properly processed, both Brazilian and Italian slate are well suited for use in billiards. Brunswick obtains slate from both of these quality sources.

Brunswick Uses Only The Finest Quality Slate

There is no better playing surface for a pool table than slate, and no other pool table manufacturer knows more about slate than Brunswick. Only the finest quality slate, obtained from select Brazilian and Italian sources, is exactingly manufactured to meet Brunswick’s strict quality standards. Flatness, the essential element in slate quality, is achieved through a precise art of machining and curing—a process stringently monitored by Brunswick professionals. This exacting craft of machining and curing produces premium quality, flat slate—the type of slate you are guaranteed to find in all Brunswick tables. In fact, Brunswick slate is 100% tested for flatness before it can earn Brunswick certification. Despite natural differences (such as color variations) occurring between Italian and Brazilian slate, the playability and warranties of the two are identical. You are assured that every piece of Brunswick slate meets rigid BCA specifications, is certified to offer exceptional playability and comes with a lifetime warranty.

* The hardness of some types of Brazilian slate is equal to Italian stone. This type of Brazilian slate is easy to machine and repair, and, after meeting all certification criteria, may also be used in Brunswick tables. All Content © Copyright 2002 Brunswick Billiards