The type of cloth chosen for the snooker table varies depending on its use. For club tables, thicker, hard wearing clothes might be used to increase the life span of the cloth where heavy use is expected. On championship snooker tables, thinner clothes are often used which increase the speed of the table and reduce the effects of the nap on the table.
World snooker have chosen to use snooker table cloth called the Strachen No.10 cloth. It is a thin cloth that plays very fast (although not the fastest) and is said to be the best all round cloth for playing good snooker. The professional snooker cloth. The official and exclusive cloth of World Snooker. Used at all ranking events worldwide since 1980. The ultimate playing surface.
The other type of snooker table cloth that is quite popular, is the 6811 snooker table cloth, which comes in a few slight variations. There is the thinnest 6811 cloth which is super fast and there are club level 6811 cloths available.
Again depending on the application of the snooker table, the type of cloth used should be considered.
Fitting a snooker table cloth should only be done by those who know what their doing. It is a highly skilled job to properly fit a cloth so that it is optimised to play at its very best.
Additionally, considerations should be made if table heaters are being used under the slate of the table, as heaters can dramatically increase the speed at which a cloth plays.
Keeping a snooker table cloth clean by brushing and ironing daily will keep the cloth in top condition.