Just curious 

Can you please show which sub-section of Rule 2.4 The racket , in the ITTF Handbook that defines this ?

https://ittf.cdnomega.com/eu/2019/08/2019ITTFHandbook_v2.pdf" rel="nofollow - https://ittf.cdnomega.com/eu/2019/08/2019ITTFHandbook_v2.pdf

This rule:

2.4.2 At least 85% of the blade by thickness shall be of natural wood; an adhesive layer within the blade may be reinforced with fibrous material such as carbon  fibre, glass fibre or compressed paper, but shall not be thicker than 7.5% of the total thickness or 0.35mm, whichever is the smaller.

The word 'within' implies it can't be an outer layer.

Ambiguous 50-50 

Once you aren't restricted to wood, you can use materials with more consistency.   You can also use different materials to create a different variety of spin/speed producing effects.

Not ambiguous at all.

Correct. In the late nineties-early noughties, Butterfly put out a Kreanga blade with an outer composite layer. Referees did not allow the blade. I think that ITTF issued a clarification stating that the Kreanga was illegal for competition. This is from my sometime flaky memory.

What I do remember is that the blade was very expensive so several players lost out financially.

I suppose that today, Butterfly would have to refund or replace.

Usually when I have seen the terms inner and outer denoting ZLC blades it is the positioning of the fiber within the blade.  If the fiber is only one layer under the surface then it is "termed" an outer layer, while if it is buried deeper under the surface then it is termed and inner layer.  In both cases the fiber is under the wood, just depends on how many layers of wood are above the fiber.  One would be considered outer, 2 or more layers of wood above the fiber would be an inner positioning. 

https://www.tabletennis11.com/other_eng/tibhar-black-carbon" rel="nofollow - https://www.tabletennis11.com/other_eng/tibhar-black-carbon

https://es.aliexpress.com/item/32604243926.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.98a32851fov0uE&algo_pvid=7188fb73-17ed-4714-8819-73917a7d5f7f&algo_expid=7188fb73-17ed-4714-8819-73917a7d5f7f-29&btsid=1df6e20a-655e-4c37-8bb0-4a12388b4e2a&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_1,searchweb201603_52" rel="nofollow - https://es.aliexpress.com/item/32604243926.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.98a32851fov0uE&algo_pvid=7188fb73-17ed-4714-8819-73917a7d5f7f&algo_expid=7188fb73-17ed-4714-8819-73917a7d5f7f-29&btsid=1df6e20a-655e-4c37-8bb0-4a12388b4e2a&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_1,searchweb201603_52

https://es.aliexpress.com/item/32847763334.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.98a32851fov0uE&algo_pvid=7188fb73-17ed-4714-8819-73917a7d5f7f&algo_expid=7188fb73-17ed-4714-8819-73917a7d5f7f-30&btsid=1df6e20a-655e-4c37-8bb0-4a12388b4e2a&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_1,searchweb201603_52" rel="nofollow - https://es.aliexpress.com/item/32847763334.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.98a32851fov0uE&algo_pvid=7188fb73-17ed-4714-8819-73917a7d5f7f&algo_expid=7188fb73-17ed-4714-8819-73917a7d5f7f-30&btsid=1df6e20a-655e-4c37-8bb0-4a12388b4e2a&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_1,searchweb201603_52

Wow! Now these do appear to have the fiber on the outside of the blade.  It will be interesting to see if they get ITTF approval. Thanks for the links.

Do blades need ITTF approval ?

I was told you don't. 

All this is very confusing.

I am new & am trying to buy a racket and don't want to buy wrong one and get banned by ITTF

They could of course revise that leaflet to allow this but I for one doubt they will.

Thank you . But you keep referring to this Leaflet over & over.

Where can I find this leaflet ? Does it cost me to buy  from ITTF ?

Why does ITTF make things so difficult ? All they need to do is remove the word "within" and add a clause that says " The outermost layers have to be only wood" .

As far as I see it now, "within" to me means anything within the racket including outerlayer. I strongly disagree with poster BAAL

It is like I need a legalman (attorney ot advocate or barrister as they say)  before a new person like me buys a racket and goes to a competition ( only to be banned from ITTF in shame)

Search for it and you will find it easily.  It's pretty dull reading.

As for why ITTF uses such strange wording, it has bugged me for a long time especially when it comes to enforcing serve rules.  In the case of the racket it is pretty clear.

The rackets and rubbers sold by main TT online vendors will be legal.  Aliexpress is very hit or miss but even there most blades you could buy would be legal.  Also in Germany where you live there are actual TT shops with experts who can help you buy the right stuff.  You live in one of the best places in the world for a TT enthusiast.  Clubs everywhere and lots of good players.

unless you are in the national team at 15 years old, you probably don't need to worry about what ittf wants.

WRONG

If you are from same Association , I think you just enter.

If you are from a different national association,  that association needs to give you an OK I think but for that I do not think you need to be on National Team

 

Congratulations , you reposted something from ITTF that was already posted in the beginning of this thread.  Still does not explain what "within" means which is open to very subjective interpretation. I could interpret it to mean any layer within the blade meaning including outermost layer

I'm not talking about associations.

I'm talking about playing level.

The people who play ittf tournaments all have this playing level.

If you go to an ittf tournament with a poor playing level you will get crushed in the group zone.

it's a waste of time and money.

NaanAvana

I already quoted from the document from ITTF that should have proved to you what the regulation is.  Your argument about the meaning of "within" or other stuff doesn't matter.

Check here:  https://tabletennis523.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/t4_racket_coverings.pdf" rel="nofollow - http://tabletennis523.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/t4_racket_coverings.pdf

The relevant section is A. Qualitative Criteria and Paragraph 2.  I already quoted it but you can click here and check it for yourself.  To be honest, any further argument as to what the actual regulation is (regarding whether you can have a composite as the outer layer) will be interpreted as trolling.

As of September 2019, such a blade would be illegal and would not be allowed if it was checked by a tournament official.

This is correct.  That blade had a layer of silver-gray paint all over the blade surface that made it so you could not feel or see the underlying grain of the wood.  (See my earlier post on Technical Leaflet T4 where they use that as a criterion).  The blade is something of a collectors item now.  As an aside, a clubmate of mine had one and it was really hard to get rubbers to stick to it.  It still amazes me that a company like Butterfly would manufacture a blade like that with great fanfare (for one of their signature international players) and then come up with something illegal!

This is what it looked like (it's the blade on the top left when you click the link below):

BTW...the blade is now with alexli. For historical purposes...

The Iliad:

http://mytabletennis.net/forum/kreanga-carbon-legal-modification_topic13723_page1.html" rel="nofollow - http://mytabletennis.net/forum/kreanga-carbon-legal-modification_topic13723_page1.html

The Odyssey: 

http://mytabletennis.net/forum/the-thrilling-journey-of-the-retrieved-modified-kc_topic13773_page1.html" rel="nofollow - http://mytabletennis.net/forum/the-thrilling-journey-of-the-retrieved-modified-kc_topic13773_page1.html