What Is PBCoR? The Paddle Power Limit and How It's Tested

Coach Yoshi

Owner of Pickleball Lab

Published October 24, 2026

About 30 min read

18168 characters

What Is PBCoR? The Paddle Power Limit and How It's Tested

Have you ever seen "PBCoR .43" in a paddle's product description? PBCoR is the name of a test USA Pickleball has used since November 2024 to measure a paddle's power. The upper limit on this test's value is now the standard for how much power a paddle can have.

I'm Coach Yoshi. I've played tennis for 15 years and discovered pickleball in 2026. In this article, based on official sources as of October 2026, I'll go through why PBCoR was created and how it's measured, how to read the limit, and the models that lost their certification and the on-site testing at tournament venues. It's part of the same series as Foam Core Paddles Explained and The Pickleball Ball Wars.

What Does PBCoR Actually Measure?

Let's start with the name. PBCoR stands for Paddle/Ball Coefficient of Restitution.

In physics terms, the coefficient of restitution (COR) is the ratio between the speeds before and after a collision. The closer it is to 1, the better something bounces back without losing momentum. In other words, it's a measure of how well the ball travels and how much power you get. Picture it this way: a bouncy ball bounces high because its coefficient of restitution is high, and a lump of clay doesn't bounce because its coefficient is low.

This matters for paddles because of the "trampoline effect." As USA Pickleball explains it, this is when the face flexes the moment the ball hits and then quickly springs back into shape, launching the ball off the paddle. It gives the ball more speed and force than normal play would produce. PBCoR is a test that puts a number on how strong this trampoline effect is; in other words, on a paddle's power.

💡 Coach Yoshi's Tip This is an easy one to get wrong. What PBCoR looks at is how hard the paddle sends the ball back, in other words power, and nothing else. Spin is checked by a separate test. Until now, there were limits on the grit of the face (surface roughness) and on its coefficient of friction, but from October 1, 2026, paddles newly applying for certification are subject to a limit on the ball's spin rate itself (2,100 RPM). Power is PBCoR, and spin is RPM. They measure different things.

Why Was PBCoR Created? Runaway Power and "Hot" Paddles

So why was a standard like this needed in the first place? Behind it are two problems.

The first is that paddle power climbed too high (power creep). New designs and manufacturing methods, such as thermoformed construction, which molds the faces and core into a single unit with heat and pressure, and builds that add foam around the perimeter of a honeycomb core, have made paddles rebound harder. According to USA Pickleball, paddles with more rebound than before started appearing on the market from late 2023 into 2024. USA Pickleball says an overly strong trampoline effect reduces the role of delicate touch, control and skill, and can also lead to unfairness. Balls that come off the paddle too fast are a safety concern, too. I go into how the technology developed in detail in Foam Core Paddles Explained.

The second is the problem of "hot" paddles, which rebound harder the more they're used. As a paddle takes hit after hit, the core can gradually compress or the layers can separate (delamination), making the face flex more easily, and the ball can come off faster. Sources differ on which of these is the main cause, but a USA Pickleball official has explained that as a paddle gets broken in and its core wears down, deflection generally increases. A paddle that gets more powerful the more you use it may sound like a good deal at first, but it means performance varies from one paddle to the next even within the same model, and some end up exceeding the standard. That's why USA Pickleball states that "a paddle must comply with all certification requirements throughout its entire lifecycle."

There were certification incidents even before PBCoR began. In May 2024, some of JOOLA's third-generation (Gen 3) models were removed from USA Pickleball's Approved Paddle List. According to USA Pickleball's statements, this was because JOOLA notified it that it had "submitted the wrong paddles for certification," meaning the paddles submitted were different from the ones on sale, and the paddles it submitted afterward also failed to meet the standards (I also cover this in the JOOLA brand guide).

In its notice of proposed rulemaking, USA Pickleball explains that the earlier test measured stiffness (deflection) by pressing on the face of a stationary paddle and had been used as a stand-in for power, but that it could not fully capture the extra power produced by new designs and manufacturing methods. That's why a test that measures by actually hitting a ball against the paddle was needed.

How PBCoR Is Measured: Firing a Ball at the Paddle

USA Pickleball's notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM 24-002) describes the method as follows.

An air cannon fires a test ball at the face of a paddle mounted on a test rig. The standard speed is 60 mph (about 97 km/h)
The speed before impact and the rebound speed are measured, and the PBCoR value is calculated from them

According to the technical analysis site Pickleball Science, the paddle is mounted so that it can rotate freely about a single pivot point near the end of the grip.

What's interesting is that this test is based on the performance test for baseball and softball bats (ASTM F2219-14). In other words, a bat test used to keep batted balls from flying too far was adapted for paddles. The thinking is completely different from the earlier test, which measured stiffness with the paddle stationary. Because it actually hits the paddle with a ball and looks directly at how fast the ball comes off, the number captures power from everything, including the frame, the edge and how the face is built.

Diagram showing how PBCoR is measured. An air cannon fires a ball at about 97 km/h (60 mph) at the face of a paddle on a test rig. The value is calculated from 2 speeds, the incoming speed and the rebound speed, and the limit has been 0.43 since November 2025. Source: USA Pickleball's notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM 24-002)

The PBCoR Limit Is 0.43: How to Read the Number

I checked these numbers against USA Pickleball's notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM 24-002) and its standards manual.

Effective date	PBCoR limit (Not To Exceed)
From November 1, 2024	0.44
From November 1, 2025	0.43 (lowered by one step)

The limit started at 0.44 in November 2024 and was lowered to 0.43 in November 2025. Each limit applies to paddles that undergo certification testing after that date. For paddles certified before then, USA Pickleball has also collected paddles from the market and tested them, and decertified those that exceeded the limit (see the next section). As of October 2026, the limit in USA Pickleball's standards manual (Revision 3.0, January 2025) is still 0.43, and no further reduction has been announced.

The "PBCoR .43" you see in product descriptions is the manufacturer's own label, saying the paddle passed the test under the 0.43 limit. Whether you can use a paddle in tournaments depends on whether it's on USA Pickleball's Approved Paddle List. There was even a paddle with "PBCoR.43" in its model name whose production version failed the test, and USA Pickleball announced that it had not been fully certified and "should not be represented as such" (January 2025).

💡 Coach Yoshi's Tip You need to be careful about how you read this number. The notice of proposed rulemaking doesn't spell out the formula in detail (it explains that the test procedure it references also covers how to measure a paddle's balance point and moment of inertia, along with PBCoR). Working from reported figures, the technical analysis site Pickleball Science concludes that 0.44 is an "effective value" from a simple calculation, and that a physical coefficient of restitution that also accounts for losses from the paddle's motion and the ball's deformation would come out at around 0.6 (February 2025). It's safest to take 0.43 as "the line drawn in USA Pickleball's test." The limit has already moved once, from 0.44 to 0.43, so it could move again.

What Did PBCoR Change? Decertifications and On-Site Testing

The new limit has affected both manufacturers and players.

First, manufacturers. Where it used to be enough to go all out for power, I see the design battle as having shifted to how to draw out the most power and feel within the 0.43 limit.

Then there's the decertification of models that had already been certified. In December 2024, USA Pickleball announced that 7 models had exceeded the testing standard and could not be used in sanctioned tournaments from July 1, 2025 (JOOLA Perseus 14mm and 16mm Mod TA-15, Gearbox Pro Power Elongated, and the ProKennex Black Ace Ovation, Pro, LG and XF). Of these, the ProKennex Black Ace LG passed a retest, and its decertification was reversed on June 3, 2025. The remaining 6 models lost their certification for sanctioned tournaments on July 1, 2025, and they're not on the current Approved Paddle List either.

Separately, on February 13, 2025, the Chorus Fire EX and SX were removed from the Approved Paddle List for failing the PBCoR test, and could no longer be used in tournaments from that day. Paddles that could be used in sanctioned tournaments really have been pulled because of the new test (this doesn't mean they were banned from everyday play outside tournaments). I cover the basics of certified paddles in What Is a USAP-Approved Paddle?

On top of that, starting in January 2026, on-site paddle testing began at USA Pickleball's amateur tournaments (the Golden Ticket tournaments, which serve as qualifiers for the National Championships). The test takes less than 5 minutes per paddle. Initially, it measures coefficient of friction, face deflection, and weight and balance, and paddles that pass get an RFID sticker. The data is stored on the sticker and can be read at the next venue's testing. PBCoR and spin measurements are to be added once the required laboratory certification is complete (as of October 2026, I haven't found any announcement that they've been added). According to USA Pickleball, more than 2,000 paddles had been tested by March, and about 6% failed to meet the standards. The most common case was a paddle that had broken down from use. Certification isn't a matter of "get it once and you're done"; a paddle is expected to stay within the standards the whole time it's in use.

📝 Pro Tournaments Use a Separate Certification Pro matches on the PPA Tour and in MLP require a certification separate from USA Pickleball's, called "UPA-A." UPA-A measures power with its own value, called "PEF," and sets the limit at 0.385 or less for a new paddle and 0.405 or less even after a test that simulates a broken-in paddle (ABI). Spin is also limited to 2,100 RPM or less, including after break-in (regulations v26.6, July 2026). Because the testing bodies and procedures are different, it's safer not to compare these with PBCoR's 0.43 just by which number is bigger. I've summarized the differences between the 2 certifications in USAP vs. UPA-A Certification.

What matters is that certification is model by model, and it can change over time. That's why you can't say "everything from this brand is fine." Before you buy, check the certification shown on the product page, and if you plan to play in tournaments, also confirm the model name on USA Pickleball's Approved Paddle List. Models under investigation and the like are listed on the Compliance page of the same site.

The Future of Paddles: Life After the Power Limit

Finally, here's my own outlook.

A limit on power means it gets harder to stand out on raw power alone. When that happens, I think the areas manufacturers compete on will shift to other dimensions.

Spin: From October 2026, paddles newly applying for certification will be competing within the spin-rate limit (2,100 RPM). I wrote about how face materials relate to spin in Raw Carbon Grit and the Science of Spin.
Swing weight and weight balance: Under the same power limit, how well a paddle is tuned to swing easily and stay solid against hard-hit balls starts to make a difference. I've covered the physics of how a paddle feels to swing in Swing Weight vs. Twist Weight.
Control and forgiveness: A wide sweet spot and an honest feel. The thinking in Control vs. Power Paddles becomes important all over again.
Quietness: Noise can spark trouble with neighbors, and USA Pickleball also created a quiet category in September 2023 (Pickleball Noise Problems and Solutions). Quietness should become one more aspect of performance.

In short, we're moving from an era of hunting for "the paddle that sends the ball the farthest" to one of choosing "the paddle that suits you best within the limit." Personally, I welcome this. With power capped, there are likely to be more situations where spin, touch and how well your gear suits you make the difference. If you're unsure how to choose, try using The Complete Pickleball Paddle Buyer's Guide as your starting point.

Summary: PBCoR Is "a Line Drawn on Power"

To sum up PBCoR in a sentence: it's a line USA Pickleball drew, in numbers, on paddle power that had grown too strong.

New designs and manufacturing methods made paddles rebound harder, and paddles whose rebound increases the more they're used also emerged as a problem. So USA Pickleball set a limit of 0.44, followed by 0.43, using a test based on the one for baseball bats. For spin, too, paddles applying for certification on or after October 1, 2026 now face a limit set by spin rate. Separately from this, pro tournaments have their own UPA-A standards. When you buy, check on the product page and the Approved Paddle List whether that model is currently certified.

The Engage paddles we carry as Japan's exclusive authorized distributor and the Six Zero paddles we carry as an authorized dealer also show their certification status in the spec table on each product page. If you plan to use one in tournaments, check the Approved Paddle List as well. Knowing what the standards actually say also makes paddle spec tables easier to read.

If you're not sure which paddles you can use in tournaments, or which one suits you, feel free to ask me (Coach Yoshi) on LINE. You can add us as a friend through Pickleball Lab's official LINE account. You can also add us with the green "LINE Official" button at the bottom right of the screen.

References

Author

Coach Yoshi / Owner of Pickleball Lab

Former international ski competitor and active tennis coach. Discovered pickleball in LA in 2026 and has play-tested more than 100 paddles from Japan and around the world. Pickleball Lab is Japan's exclusive authorized distributor of Engage Pickleball (as of May 2026).

About Coach Yoshi →