When you think of the game of bowling your mind will inevitably conjure the image of the classic bowling pin. It's sleek, curvaceous shape, red crown, and uniform appearance makes each pin seem hauntingly identical. It is with good reason that each pin seems no different than any other pin in neighboring lanes. Each pin is truly unique to its own variation of the game. But it is also created exactly the same as each pin standing next to it on the lane. There is a definite science to the art of the bowling pin.

With variations such as tenpins (the American standard of bowling), fivepins, duckpins, and candlepins to name a few, it is interesting to note the difference between the pins for each game. It is also interesting to understand the process each endures in being constructed.

The standard bowling pin for the game of tenpins is constructed of hard rock maple at its core. Several blocks are first glued together to form a very rough resemblance of what will be the finished product. After the wood is glued, it is turned on a wood lathe to form the shape we have all come to know. After being lathed to its form, it is then coated in a hard plastic to protect the wood. Once the plastic coating has bonded it is sanded and ready for finishing. This is often completed with the logos of companies or with decorative illustrations placed over a glossy finish.

Each bowling pin is made to the exact standards set forth by the American Bowling Congress (ABC). Each pin is exactly 15 inches in height. At the very widest point, it is 4.75 inches, and weighs in at 3 pounds, 6 ounces (although the ABC has recently approved pins at 3 pounds, 10 ounces).

As the name implies, candlepins are shaped quite similar to that of a candle. This bowling pin is the most unique of all the pin varieties. The candlepins are taller, thinner, and lighter than its counterparts. And because of their unique shape - with no definitive top or bottom to their construction - candlepins are able to be set at either end. They are formed as a tall column and tapered at each end.

Duckpins are shaped similar to the classic pin of tenpins, however they are much shorter and thicker. They resemble a duck squatting down for a rest. Fivepins fall in between tenpins and duckpins in size and shape. The unique attribute of this pin is the thick rubber band around the widest part. This increases the pin action when struck by the bowling ball.

Although each bowling pin is unique to its own variation of the game, each is also made to the uniform specifications as set forth by its governing body. It is because of its steadfast uniformity that the pin has become the classic representation of this game.