Candlepin

Comparison to ten-pin bowling

• Candlepin involves three rolls per frame, rather than two rolls as in ten-pin.
• Candlepin balls are much smaller, being 4+1⁄2 inches (11.4 cm) in diameter and have a maximum weight of 2 lb 7 oz (1.11 kg) They are almost identical in weight to a pin, as opposed to ten-pin balls whose maximum allowable weight is more than four times that of a pin.
• No oil is applied to the lane, so the ball does not skid but rolls all the way down the lane.
• Candlepin balls lack finger holes.
• Candlepins are thinner (hence the name "candlepin"), which increases the amount of space between pins, further reducing scoring.
• Fallen pins ("wood") are not cleared away between rolls during a frame, so long as the entire pin stays behind the "dead wood" line, which is 24 inches (61 cm) in front of the "head pin" spot. Wood in the gutters is "dead wood", which means that if the ball makes its first contact with it, the pins felled do not count, nor are they re-spotted.