The numbers
Specifications
The size range is the headline, not the hardness
The federation’s legal window is 70.5 to 80 mm and 650 to 800 g, and the maker offers 71 to 80 mm and 650 to 800 g.
Weights come in 10 g steps across that span, so a player who needs 760 g or a 79 mm boule can order one.
Not every pairing is made
The maker’s English product page lists diameter and weight pairings it does not produce, and some of them are common sizes.
Confirm your exact pairing with the maker before paying rather than assuming the order form covers it. Diameters of 77 mm and up also carry a surcharge.
Stainless still wants a wipe
The satin stainless needs no oil. La Boule Bleue still advises an occasional clean after play on damp ground, or about once a month.
The carbon version is different. It ships under a black protective varnish that wears off in the first game, and it needs oil to keep rust away.
Pétanque, once a month
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Suitability
Who it is for
Suits you if
- Shooting is the role you get picked for
- Your hand or your throw sits outside the usual 680 to 700 g
- You have never oiled a boule and never will
- You buy equipment once and keep it for a decade
- You are shopping in the off-season
Look elsewhere if
- Pointing is most of your game
- You need boules before your next tournament
- You want to hand over a card and be finished
- Your budget stops well short of $300
In the hand
How it plays
Why a shooter wants it
A soft boule absorbs the energy of a hit rather than bouncing off. Struck cleanly, it tends to stop in the space the target occupied, which is the carreau sur place every shooter wants, and the glossary defines the terms if any of that is new.
Firmer boules rebound, which is how a clean hit still ends with your boule twenty feet away and the head no better than before.
Why a pointer should not
The same softness kills run. A pointed boule settles almost where it lands instead of rolling the last stretch to the jack.
On a long flat court that means carrying the boule most of the way through the air, which is a harder shot to repeat. A firmer boule does the work for you.
On different ground
Hard packed gravel is where it earns the money. That is the surface where firmer boules rebound most and this one does not.
On loose or sandy ground the advantage narrows, because the ground is already absorbing energy.
Living with stainless
No oil and no rust. Wipe it after damp ground and put it away.
Soft steel marks more readily than hard steel, stainless or not, so expect a used-looking set sooner than you would with a 130. That is cosmetic.
The balance
Pros and cons
Pros
- 110 kg/mm2 is the softest band there is, which is what a shooter wants
- Nearly the full legal range, 71 to 80 mm and 650 to 800 g, fits players most boules here cannot
- Five-year warranty, the term La Boule Bleue gives its competition boules
- Stainless, so no oiling and no rust
- More than 30 striation patterns, or smooth, chosen at order
Cons
- Three to five weeks from order to a North American door, because each set is made to order
- No North American distribution, so it is an import
- About 270 euros before shipping, 55 euros more than the carbon version of the same boule
- Too soft to be a sensible choice for a pointer
- Some diameter and weight pairings are not produced, so confirm before ordering
The score
How this review scores it
Alternatives
How it compares
| Specification | La Boule Bleue Prestige Inox 110 | La Boule Bleue Prestige Carbone 110 | Toro Petank Carbon Smooth | MS STRX Inox |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material | Stainless steel | Carbon steel | Carbon steel | Chrome-nickel stainless steel |
| Hardness | 110 kg/mm2 | 110 kg/mm2 | 110 kg/mm2 | 115 kg/mm2 |
| Diameters | 71 to 80 mm | 71 to 80 mm | 71 to 76 mm | 72 to 76 mm |
| Weights | 650 to 800 g | 650 to 800 g | 680 to 700 g | 680 to 720 g |
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years | 1 year | 2 years |
| Price | About 270 euros in France | About 215 euros in France | About $204 in the United States | About $219 in the United States |
| Maintenance | No oiling | Oiling required | Oiling required | No oiling |
| Distribution | Imported from France | Imported from France | Sold in the United States | Sold in the United States |
Carbon or stainless, same boule
La Boule Bleue makes the Prestige Carbone 110 at the same hardness with the same five-year warranty, and it costs about 215 euros in France. The difference is maintenance: carbon needs oiling, stainless does not.
If you are disciplined about a cloth and a drop of oil, the carbon version saves money for the same play.
Against the boules sold in the United States
The Toro Petank Carbon Smooth is the same 110 kg/mm2 and sells for about $204 in the United States. It gives up the weight range, the warranty and the stainless.
The MS STRX Inox is slightly firmer and forged with internal ribs, at about $219 in the United States. It suits a player who both points and shoots; this one does not.
Before you order
Buying advice
Confirm the size pairing before you order
Not every diameter and weight combination is produced, and the maker publishes a list of the pairings it does not make.
Ask for your exact pairing in writing before paying, because a made-to-order set cannot be swapped for another size. The boule selector gives you the diameter to ask for.
Plan around the lead time
The maker puts an order into production early in the week after it arrives and ships it that Friday or the Monday after. Post outside France then takes 15 to 30 days, so ordering in June for an August tournament is cutting it close.
Order in the off-season. A set arriving mid-season is a set you have not practiced with.
Budget for the landed cost
The maker and French specialist shops both ask about 270 euros for a set, or about 280 euros from 77 mm up. Shipping and any import duty or tax come on top.
No North American distributor was found in September 2026, so every route means importing. Compare the landed total against the MS STRX Inox at about $219 in the United States.
Smooth or striated
More than 30 striation patterns are offered, plus smooth. Striations give grip in the hand and in the wet; smooth is easier to clean and releases more consistently for some players.
Choose at order, because it cannot be changed afterward. The equipment page covers the markings a competition boule must carry with either surface.
Common questions
Questions about the La Boule Bleue Prestige Inox 110
What does 110 kg/mm2 mean in practice?
It is the softest hardness sold for competition. Soft steel absorbs the energy of an impact instead of rebounding, so a shot boule tends to stay where it lands.
The federation’s minimum for steel boules is 110 kg/mm2, or 35 HRC, and this sits right at it.
Is the five-year warranty unusual?
It matches the longest warranty on the boules reviewed here, and La Boule Bleue gives the same five years on its other competition boules. Most other makers give one to three years.
The maker excludes normal wear of labels, markings and striations.
How long is the wait?
About a week to make, because each set is built to the diameter and weight you order. The maker then puts the post at 15 to 30 days outside France.
Plan on three to five weeks from order to a North American door.
Can I buy it in North America?
No North American distributor was found in September 2026. Buying means ordering from La Boule Bleue or a French specialist and importing.
Budget for shipping and any duty or tax on top of the 270 euro price.
Should I get the carbon version instead?
The Prestige Carbone 110 is the same hardness with the same warranty and costs less. It needs oiling, which the stainless does not.
If you maintain your equipment anyway, the carbon is the better value. If you do not, the stainless is worth the difference.
Does the stainless need any care?
Very little. The maker advises an occasional clean after play on damp ground, or about once a month.
There is no oiling and no varnish to wear through. The carbon version is the one that ships varnished and needs oil.
How this was verified
- La Boule Bleue, Prestige Inox 110 hardness, sizes, weights, price and pairings not made
- La Boule Bleue, manufacturing and delivery times
- La Boule Bleue, five-year warranty, federation approval and stainless care
- FIPJP, approved boule labels including Prestige Inox (May 2024 update)
- FIPJP, homologation standards for competition boules
