Types of marbles
Every schoolyard has its words for marbles. Players name them by what they look like (a cat's eye, a swirl), by what they are made of (an aggie, a steelie, a clay marble) and by their size (a peewee, a shooter, a boulder). Here are the names you are most likely to hear.
Names by pattern
| Name | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Clearie | Transparent glass of a single colour, with nothing inside. Clear, light blue, light green or amber. |
| Cat's eye | A clear marble with coloured blades (vanes) inside, like the pupil of a cat's eye. One of the most common marbles today. |
| Swirl | Ribbons of colour twisted through the glass. |
| Opaque | Solid-coloured glass that you can't see through. |
| Onionskin | A swirl whose colours cover the whole surface in thin layers, like the skin of an onion. |
| Sulphide | A large clear marble with a small white figure inside, often an animal. Old ones are collectors' pieces. |
Names by material
| Name | Made of |
|---|---|
| Aggie | Agate, a banded stone, or glass made to look like it. |
| Glassie | Glass: most marbles you can buy today. |
| Steelie | Steel. Heavy for its size, so it hits hard and is often banned as a shooter. |
| Clay marble (commie) | Baked clay. Cheap and light, the everyday marble of older schoolyards. |
Names by size
Most marbles are about 5/8 inch (16 mm) across. Players name the others by comparison:
| Name | Size |
|---|---|
| Peewee | Smaller than a standard marble, about 1/2 inch (13 mm) or less. |
| Standard marble, mib | About 5/8 inch (16 mm): the usual target marble. |
| Shooter, taw | About 3/4 inch (19 mm): the marble you shoot with. |
| Boulder, masher | About 1 inch (25 mm) and up. |
Many games limit the size of the shooter: a bigger or heavier marble knocks the others out too easily. Agree on it before the game, like everything else in the rules of marbles.
Which marble makes a good shooter?
- A little bigger than the targets: it carries more weight into the hit.
- Round and smooth: a chipped marble wobbles and misses.
- One you like: players keep their favourite shooter for years and never play it for keeps.
Collect marbles online
In MIBS, the free marble game in your browser, your marble grows as it sinks the others, through the same sizes: peewee, shooter, boulder, then mammoth. And the heaviest marble at the bell wins the round. Along the way you collect 165 marbles (clear glass, swirls, cat's eyes and many more), plus trails and effects. No download, on phone or computer.
New to the schoolyard game? Read how to play marbles, or how to play MIBS.