What Are Hockey Pucks Made Out Of?

Hockey pucks are black discs that are composed of vulcanized rubber. Hockey pucks slide along the surface of the smooth ice because of their shape, and hockey players are capable of propelling the puck at speeds as high as 105 miles per hour with shots called slap shots. Hockey pucks are produced in just four countries around the world and are kept frozen until they are used in a National Hockey League game.

Vulcanized rubber is produced through a chemical process called vulcanization. During this process rubber is heated at high temperatures and compounds such as sulfur are added. The chemical reaction causes the various molecules involved to bond to each other. This serves to create a harder type of rubber that is extremely durable. Vulcanization also makes the rubber smoother, which is a major asset when using it to make hockey pucks.

An NHL puck is produced from granular rubber that is mixed with a specific material that enhances bonding to form vulcanized rubber. This rubber is then hand-packed into a mold and compressed. Through a procedure known as silk screening, in which a rubber-based ink is utilized, the logo of the NHL and of different teams will be put onto the puck. The pucks are produced at a rate of about 5,000 per week and shipped to their destinations in cases of 100 pucks each, separated by wax paper to ensure that the logos are not marred in any way.

The NHL has strict regulations regarding the size and weight of a hockey puck. The NHL puck must be three inches in diameter and one inch in thickness. Hockey pucks are required to weigh between five and a half and six ounces. On the edges there are a number of grooves that are shaped like diamonds, which give hockey sticks traction when they come into contact with the puck. While all NHL pucks are black, some of those used in junior hockey can be blue and weigh as little as four ounces.

Hockey pucks are manufactured in four countries--three in which hockey is considered a major sport. Hockey thrives in Canada, Russia, and the Czech Republic, while China also makes hockey pucks. The majority of those made in Canada come from a company called the Viceroy Reliable Group in Toronto, which sells as many as two and a half million pucks a year in Canada alone. However, the NHL pucks are made by the Inglasco Corporation in Quebec using a more complicated process than the one that Viceroy Reliable employs.

The puck is frozen for NHL games because when they are that cold, a very thin coating of ice will cover the puck. This lessens the amount of friction between the surface of the ice and the puck, allowing the puck to slide faster. The puck also tends to bounce less when it is frozen. A supply of frozen pucks is kept in a bucket by the timekeeper, who supplies them to the referee during the course of the game.