The short answer
Quick picks
Ranked on published specs, not on play we have not done. Tap any row to jump to the full write-up further down this page.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photo GoSports 90 mm Soft Bocce Set Eight 90 mm balls with a composite rubber surface at a published 1 lb 11 oz each, plus a pallino and a carrying bag, published for concrete, grass, gym floors, carpet and hardwood — bocce you can play indoors. | Best for kids and indoors | 7.6/10 | |
| 2 | No photo GoSports 90 mm Backyard Bocce Set The 90 mm version of the same set, case and measuring rope included — the one to take to a park because the whole thing is smaller in every dimension. | Best light carry | 7.4/10 |
Bocce is one of the best games we cover for children: it is played standing still, the throw is an underarm roll, and a small child can beat an adult on judgment. The obstacle is the ball. Competition bocce uses a 107 mm ball, and that is a lot of weight for a small hand.
The answer is a 90 mm set — and then a second choice between a hard resin ball and a soft one, which comes down to where the game is going to be played.
Published specs
Soft or resin
| Soft bocce | Resin bocce | |
|---|---|---|
| Ball diameter | 90 mm | 90 mm |
| Ball surface | Composite rubber | Resin |
| Published ball weight | 1 lb 11 oz each | Not published |
| Balls | 8 plus pallino | 8 plus pallino |
| Published surfaces | Concrete, grass, gym floors, carpet, hardwood | Grass, sand |
| Indoors | Yes, stated | Not stated |
| Carry | Carrying bag | Carry case and measuring rope |
| USBF competition diameter | 107 mm | 107 mm |
The surfaces row decides it. The soft set is the only bocce set on this site published for indoor floors — gym floors, carpet, hardwood. It is the one for a rainy day, a garage or a school gym. The resin set is the outdoor set, published for grass and sand.
The soft set also publishes its weight — 1 lb 11 oz a ball — which is rare in this category and useful when you are buying for a child.
On-repo question
The beach, specifically
“Bocce set for the beach” is one of the most common bocce searches, and for a good reason: sand is a genuinely good bocce surface. The ball stops where it lands, the court is whatever you draw, and nobody minds a dive.
Both 90 mm sets work. The resin set is published for sand. The soft set's rubber surface does not scratch and sand brushes off it. The wider list of games that play well on sand is in beach and sand games.
Criteria
How we picked
- Verified in stock at the maker before writing.
- A child-sized ball. Both are 90 mm, under the 107 mm competition size.
- A full set. Eight balls and a pallino — the real game, not a toy.
Neither publishes an age floor. We have not played with either — how we pick. For the head-to-head with the other rolling game children love, see bocce vs lawn bowling.
The picks in full
Every pick, with its published specs
Best for kids and indoors
GoSports 90 mm Soft Bocce Set
GoSports
Our spec score
7.6/10
- Spec completeness
- 8/10
- Footprint clarity
- 5/10
- Durability
- 7/10
- Pack-down
- 8/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
Eight 90 mm balls with a composite rubber surface at a published 1 lb 11 oz each, plus a pallino and a carrying bag, published for concrete, grass, gym floors, carpet and hardwood — bocce you can play indoors.
Skip this if
Skip this if you want a ball that runs true on long grass. A soft-surfaced ball is built for hard floors and short turf; it is the wrong ball for a shaggy lawn.
What works
- A published per-ball weight, which most bocce sets omit
- Published for indoor floors — the only bocce set here that is
- A soft surface will not chip a patio or dent a floor
- 90 mm is a comfortable size for a child's hand
What does not
- Well under the 107 mm competition size
- Soft balls do not run on long grass
- No published age floor
Published specifications
- Ball diameter
- 90 mm
- Ball surface
- Composite rubber
- Ball weight
- 1 lb 11 oz each
- Balls
- 8 plus pallino
- Carry
- Carrying bag
- Surfaces
- Concrete, grass, gym floors, carpet, hardwood
- Indoor use
- Stated indoors or outdoors
- Competition diameter
- 107 mm
- Age floor
- —
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: United States Bocce Federation
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing
Best light carry
GoSports 90 mm Backyard Bocce Set
GoSports
Our spec score
7.4/10
- Spec completeness
- 6/10
- Footprint clarity
- 8/10
- Durability
- 7/10
- Pack-down
- 9/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
The 90 mm version of the same set, case and measuring rope included — the one to take to a park because the whole thing is smaller in every dimension.
Skip this if
Skip this if your lawn is long or uneven. A lighter ball is easier to throw and easier to stop early.
What works
- Lightest full set here
- Measuring rope included at the low end of the price band
What does not
- Not regulation diameter
- Light balls stop short in unmown grass
Published specifications
- Court footprint
- About 60 ft x 12 ft (backyard)
- Ball diameter
- 90 mm
- Balls
- 8 with pallino
- Included
- Carry case and measuring rope
- Ball weight
- —
- Surface
- Grass, sand
Source: Commonly published recreational court size
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Not published by the manufacturer.
Source: United States Bocce Federation
Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
What size bocce balls are best for kids?
Can you play bocce indoors?
What is the best bocce set for the beach?
Is soft bocce the same game?
Why you can check our work
We have not played these. Every figure above is copied from a manufacturer's published listing or a governing body's published rules, and named so you can verify it. Where a maker publishes nothing, the field is blank rather than filled in. How we pick explains the whole method, including what would change a recommendation.
Read next
Related pages
Picks
Best bocce ball sets
Six sets compared on published ball diameter, material and weight — including the size question nobody explains.
Comparison
Bocce ball sizes compared
90, 100 or 107 mm — what the diameter changes, and which size suits which household.
Picks
Best yard games for kids
Games chosen on published age floors and equipment weight, plus the ones to avoid outright.
Picks
Best games for beach and sand
The games that get better on sand, the ones that stop working, and why.
Picks
Yard games for indoors and the garage
Which games move indoors intact, which shrink to fit, and which must not come inside.
Comparison
Bocce vs lawn bowling
Judgment against a straight arm — which rolling game suits your crowd, with the published figures.
Sources
- GoSports — 90 mm soft bocce set
- GoSports — 90 mm backyard bocce set
- United States Bocce Federation — open rules
Every figure on this page is copied from one of these sources. If you find one that is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.