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Grades of Bat Lumber

Not all pieces of lumber are created equal. Baseball bats already require a unique combination of strength, flexibility, hardness, weight and durability. Then after choosing some of the best species of wood, each piece needs to meet certain standards in order to make a bat that will hit well without breaking.  Lumber billets (the 2.75″ diameter wooden dowel a bat is made from) are graded primarily on grain straightness. The straighter the grain, the less likely the bat is to crack on a ball hit off the sweet spot.

Below are the grade options you will see throughout some of Webby Bats products.

Pro Maple

This is the highest quality maple stock Webby Bats has to offer. Each billet comes ink dot tested and will have long straight grain and a light color throughout the bat. The final bat will be visually inspected for grain straightness at the handle and will not come ink dot tested unless specially requested.

Grade A

Grade A bats are game ready and visually inspected for grain straightness and defects. The grain will be straight through the handle and free of any knots. Grade A bats will not come ink dot tested. This is a great option for most players in leagues that don’t require an ink dot test on Birch or Maple bats.

Grade B

Grade B bats will only be inspected for severe grain defects, knots in the handle area, or open knots in the barrel. These can be great for BP, and even leagues with moderate pitching speeds.

 

So what does this mean for your bat?

Straight and clean grain through the handle of the bat (16-20 inches from the knob) will give your bat the greatest amount of durability possible. Will a Pro grade bat hit the ball harder than a Grade A or Grade B bat, no, not necessarily. But the straighter and more uniform grain in a Pro or Grade A bat will increase its chances of surviving a hit off the handle or end of the bat.

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