Picks
The Best Pool Table Covers
The cheapest thing you can buy for a pool table is also the thing that decides how long the cloth lasts. Size it to the table, then match the material to the room.
How these picks were made: from published manufacturer specifications, governing-body standards and the room arithmetic - not from first-hand use. We have not played on these tables. Read the method.
A pool table cover costs a rounding error next to the table and decides most of how long the cloth lasts. That is the whole argument, and it is not controversial: cloth does not usually wear out from being played on, it wears out from dust and chalk working down into the nap, from sunlight bleaching one half of the bed, and from one spilled drink. All three are things a cover stops.
What makes this a decision rather than a purchase is that covers are not interchangeable. A waterproof cover left on a damp table traps the damp. A heavy cover that is awkward to put back on stops being put back on. A one-size-fits-most drape leaves the rail tops bare, which is where things actually get spilled. So: size first, then material, then how the corners are held down.
Size the cover to the table, not to the room
Covers are sold by nominal table size - 7, 8, 9 or 10 feet - and that figure refers to the playing surface, not the cabinet. A 7-foot table has a 78 by 39-inch bed in a cabinet around 84 by 46 inches; an 8-footer is 88 by 44 inches of bed in a cabinet around 92 by 52. A cover sold as an 8-footer is cut for the cabinet of an 8-foot table, so the number on the box is the number you want.
| Cover size | Playing surface | Typical cabinet | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 ft | 78 x 39 in | ~84 x 46 in | The most common home size; widest choice of covers |
| 8 ft | 88 x 44 in | ~92 x 52 in | Standard home full size |
| 9 ft | 100 x 50 in | ~104 x 58 in | Tournament size; fewer options, heavier covers |
| 10 ft | 112 x 56 in | ~116 x 64 in | Rare at home; only specialist retailers stock it |
What the material is actually for
There are three material classes and they solve different problems. Buying the wrong class is the most common mistake in this category, because the expensive one is not the right one for every room.
- Coated leatherette or Naugahyde. Waterproof, tearproof, heavy. This is what you want if there is any chance of liquid - a garage, a basement with pipework overhead, a room where drinks get carried. It does not breathe, which is the trade.
- Nylon and polyester. Water-resistant rather than waterproof, light, cheap. It stops dust and the odd splash and it is easy to handle. It will not survive a glass going over on it.
- Plain dust covers. Unlined, uncoated, breathable. In a conditioned room where dust is the only threat, this is the right answer rather than the cheap answer - and because it is light, it gets used.
The side that touches the cloth matters as much as the outer face. A fleece or cotton lining sits on a wool-blend cloth without abrading it. Bare coated vinyl against the bed will, over years of being dragged on and off, polish the nap unevenly - which shows up as the ball running differently down the middle of the table than at the rails. The felt guide covers what cloth is made of and why the nap is the part that wears.
Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Material | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BEARCOVER Heavy Duty Leatherette Pool Table Cover | The cover most tables should have | Waterproof leatherette | |
| 2 |  Hathaway Fitted Pool Table Cover | A cover cut to the table rather than draped over it | Leatherette, cotton lined | |
| 3 |  Action Billiards Heavy Duty Pool Table Cover | A 9 or 10-foot table | Naugahyde weight | |
| 4 |  Iszy Billiards Pool Table Cover | A garage table on a budget | Nylon or leatherette | |
| 5 |  Action Billiards Standard Pool Table Cover | A conditioned room where dust is the only enemy | Lightweight dust cover |
The covers
Five covers, from the waterproof default down to the lightweight dust cover. Match the material to your room before you compare prices - the right cheap cover beats the wrong expensive one.
#1 · The cover most tables should have
BEARCOVER Heavy Duty Leatherette Pool Table Cover
Waterproof, tearproof leatherette with a high-density cotton-fleece backing, weighted corners and machine-sewn seams, sold in 7, 8 and 9 ft sizes and several colors.
This is the default recommendation. The listing describes waterproof, tearproof leatherette over a high-density cotton-fleece backing, with weighted corners and machine-sewn seams, in 7, 8 and 9-foot sizes and a long list of colors. Three details earn it the top slot: the fleece backing means the side touching your cloth is soft rather than abrasive, the weighted corners mean the cover sits where you put it instead of sliding off a rail overnight, and sewn seams outlast the heat-welded seams on cheap vinyl.
- What works
- Fleece backing against the cloth, which matters more than the outer material does
- Weighted corners - the single feature that separates a cover you use from one you stop using
- Waterproof outer, so a spilled drink or a leaking basement pipe is a wipe rather than a recloth
- Sold in 7, 8 and 9 ft, so it sizes to almost any home table
- What does not
- Waterproof means non-breathable: it must not go on a damp table or over wet cloth
- Leatherette creases where it is folded, and the creases do not hang out
- Heavier than a dust cover, which is the reason some people stop putting it back on
Skip it if: The table lives in a conditioned room, gets played weekly, and nothing ever goes near it with a drink. A dust cover is enough.
#2 · A cover cut to the table rather than draped over it
Hathaway Fitted Pool Table Cover
Hathaway lists a leatherette shell over a soft cotton lining with double-stitched reinforced seams, cut to fit a specific table length rather than draped over it.
Hathaway lists a leatherette shell over a soft cotton lining with double-stitched reinforced seams, sized to a specific table length rather than offered as one-size-fits-most. The difference is real: a fitted cover sits down over the rails and stays there, where a drape covers the bed and leaves the rail tops exposed - and the rail tops are where cues, elbows and drinks actually land. If your table is a nominal 7 or 8 feet from a mainstream maker, this is the tidiest-looking answer.
- What works
- A genuine fitted cut, so the rails are covered rather than just the bed
- Cotton lining, which is the gentlest thing you can put against a wool-blend cloth
- Double-stitched reinforced seams at the corners, where every cover fails first
- What does not
- Fitted means size-specific: order the wrong length and it does not work at all
- More expensive than a drape cover of the same material
- Non-breathable, with the same damp-table caveat as any coated cover
Skip it if: Your table is an odd size, or a combo table with a dining top. Fitted covers assume a standard cabinet.
#3 · A 9 or 10-foot table
Action Billiards Heavy Duty Pool Table Cover
A Naugahyde-weight cover stocked in 7, 8, 9 and 10 ft sizes through billiards specialists - the only size range here that reaches a 10-footer.
The size range is the reason this one is here. Action's heavy-duty cover is stocked through billiards specialists in 7, 8, 9 and 10-foot sizes, which is the only listing on this page that reaches a 10-footer - and a 9-foot slate table is exactly the table most worth covering, because it is the one with the expensive cloth on it. Naugahyde-weight material is thicker than the vinyl on budget covers, which is what you want if anything is ever stacked on or leaned against the table.
- What works
- Goes up to 10 ft, where most consumer covers stop at 9
- Thick enough to take a leaning cue rack or a stacked box without creasing permanently
- Bought from a billiards retailer rather than a general marketplace, so the size chart is the trade's
- What does not
- Specialist retail means fewer promotional prices and slower shipping than a marketplace listing
- Heavy to handle single-handed on a 9 or 10-foot table
- Plain finishes only - this is equipment, not decor
Skip it if: Your table is 7 or 8 feet and lives indoors. You are paying for weight you will not use.
#4 · A garage table on a budget
Iszy Billiards Pool Table Cover
Nylon and leatherette versions in 7, 8 and 9 ft with elastic corners, sold for indoor and sheltered outdoor use. The budget end of the category.
The cheap, sensible option. Iszy sells covers in 7, 8 and 9-foot sizes in both nylon and leatherette, with elastic corners, and describes them for indoor and sheltered outdoor use. Elastic corners are a step below weighted corners - they hold on a standard cabinet and let go on an oversized one - but they are far better than nothing, and at this price a garage table can have a cover for the cost of a tin of chalk.
- What works
- The lowest price in the category for a cover that still has shaped corners
- Nylon version is lighter and easier to put back on, which means it gets put back on
- Available in the three sizes that cover almost every home table
- What does not
- Elastic corners stretch out over a couple of years and stop gripping
- Nylon is water-resistant rather than waterproof - fine for dust, not for a leak
- Thin enough that a sharp corner leaning against it will eventually go through
Skip it if: The table is slate and the room is damp. Spend the extra on something waterproof with a soft backing.
#5 · A conditioned room where dust is the only enemy
Action Billiards Standard Pool Table Cover
The lightweight dust cover, stocked in 7, 8 and 9 ft. No waterproofing and no weighted hem - it is there to stop dust, which in a conditioned room is the whole job.
The honest minimum, and for a lot of tables the correct answer. Action's standard cover is the lightweight version, stocked in 7, 8 and 9 feet: no waterproofing, no weighted hem, nothing clever. In a finished basement at stable humidity, dust and chalk fallout are the only things attacking the cloth, and a light cover stops both while being easy enough to pull on that it actually happens every night rather than most nights.
- What works
- Light enough to put on one-handed, which is the real determinant of whether a cover gets used
- Breathable, so it is the one cover here you can leave on a table that is not bone dry
- Cheapest way to stop chalk dust and ceiling dust settling into the nap
- What does not
- No waterproofing at all - a spilled drink goes straight through
- No weight in the hem, so it shifts if anyone brushes past the table
- Thin material shows wear within a couple of years of daily handling
Skip it if: The table is in a garage, a basement with a sump, or anywhere a cat goes. Buy something coated.
How these were chosen
We have not stress-tested these covers, and this site publishes no scores, star ratings or review counts, because inventing them would be the easiest lie in this business. Every material, size range and construction detail below came from the manufacturer's or retailer's own published listing, each checked as currently stocked while this page was written.
- The material is named. Leatherette, Naugahyde, nylon, polyester - not "premium fabric". A listing that will not name the material cannot be matched to a room.
- The size range is published. Covers sold by nominal table size, with the sizes stated. "Fits most tables" is not a size.
- Something holds the corners down. Weighted hems, elastic corners or a fitted cut. A flat rectangle laid over a table is a dust sheet, not a cover.
- The seams are described. Machine-sewn and double-stitched seams outlast welded ones, and the corners are where every cover gives up first.
- It is currently stocked. Each listing was checked while this page was written, not carried over from an older roundup.
Fitted or drape
A drape cover is a rectangle with shaped corners that lies over the table and hangs down a few inches. A fitted cover is cut to the cabinet and pulls down over the rails like a bed sheet. Drape covers are cheaper, more forgiving about size and quicker to handle. Fitted covers protect the rail tops and look like furniture rather than a sheet.
The rail tops are the real argument. A drink set down on a pool table is set down on a rail, not on the bed, and a cue leaned against the table rests on a rail. A drape leaves both exposed. If the table is in a room where people stand around with glasses, pay for the fitted cut. If it is in a dedicated game room where the cover's whole job is overnight dust, a drape is fine and you will put it on more often.
When a cover makes things worse
Two situations, both worth knowing before you buy the most waterproof cover you can find. The first: a coated cover on a table that is damp, or in a room where the humidity swings hard, traps moisture against the cloth and the bed. On an MDF bed that is how a roll starts; on a wool cloth it is how mildew starts. If the room is genuinely damp, fix the room, use a breathable cover, and read how long a pool table lasts for what humidity does over years.
The second: a dark coated cover in direct sunlight. It will protect the cloth from UV, which is good, and it will get hot doing it, which is not. In a conservatory or a garage with a south-facing window, a light-colored cover or a blind on the window is the better answer. Sunlight is the most underrated enemy of pool cloth - it bleaches the half of the bed it falls on, and the fade is permanent.
Garage and outdoor tables are a different problem
A cover is a dust and spill solution, not a weather solution. It will not stop condensation forming on a cold slate bed in an unheated garage, and it will not stop seasonal humidity swinging an MDF bed out of flat. If the table lives in a garage, the cover is the second thing to buy and a dehumidifier or a sealed, heated space is the first. The garage pool table page covers which tables tolerate that room and which do not.
If the table is genuinely outdoors or on a covered patio, you want a purpose-built all-weather cover with straps or a drawcord, not a billiards dust cover - the failure mode is wind, not dust. Most of the covers on this page are sold as indoor products and the honest advice is to treat them that way.
Looking after the cover
Coated covers wipe down with a damp cloth and nothing else - solvents craze the coating and it goes brittle in a season. Nylon and polyester covers can usually be washed cold and air-dried, never tumbled, because heat shrinks the shaped corners and a shrunk cover no longer fits. Store a cover flat or rolled rather than folded: a crease in leatherette becomes a permanent crack along the fold.
And expect to replace it. Three to five years of daily handling is a reasonable life for a cover that is actually used, and a worn cover with a split corner is doing less than no job, because it holds dust against the cloth where the split is. That is a cheap replacement on a table that is not.
Prices, and why there are none on this page
Covers are a high-churn accessory category: listings come and go, sizes sell out individually, and promotional pricing moves weekly. Printing a number would mean printing a number that is wrong next month, so every button goes to the live listing instead. In rough brackets: a lightweight dust cover is the cheapest item on this site, a nylon cover sits just above it, and fitted leatherette and Naugahyde covers run into the mid two figures. Every one of them is a small fraction of what a recloth costs.
What we have not done
We have not weathered these covers, measured water resistance, or run any of them for the three years it would take to see which seam fails first. Every material, size, lining and seam description above is from the manufacturer's or retailer's published listing, checked as currently stocked while this page was written. The judgments - which material suits which room, why weighted corners matter, when a cover makes things worse - come from how cloth and coated fabrics behave, which is well understood. Where a figure could not be verified, it is not on this page.
