Where the shuttle comes from and what it is made of
A very old idea, feathers from geese and ducks on a cork base, synthetic alternatives, and why feathers are in the news.
The idea is very old
Hitting a small feathered object back and forth with a bat is an old game. A history of the sport (Bernard Adams, The Badminton Story, as reposted online) says "battledore and shuttlecock" was played for at least 2,000 years in several countries of Asia and Greece, and in Europe from the Middle Ages. Nobody knows who first made the shuttle. One theory in that text is that loose feathers were pushed into a piece of cork to store them, and someone noticed how well the bundle flew. It is only a theory.
The sport took its name from Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England, where a version of the game was played by the late 1850s, according to the same text. Modern rules were written later; see our rules articles for that story.
What a shuttle is made of today
- Feathers. A feathered shuttle has 16 feathers (Laws of Badminton, law 2). General references say they come from geese or ducks, from one wing only per shuttle, because left and right wing feathers curve differently (Wikipedia, Shuttlecock). A 1999 note compiled from a Taiwanese maker describes feathers from birds raised for food, sorted by species and by left or right wing (World Badminton, Shuttle construction).
- Base. A rounded cork base, covered with thin leather according to the general references. Some makers use one piece of natural cork, others glue pieces together.
- Synthetic shuttles. A plastic or nylon skirt replaces the feathers. The laws accept them if the flight is similar. Synthetic shuttles last longer but, according to the general references, leave the racket more slowly and slow down less at the end of the flight, so they feel different.
Speeds: a number from the maker
Makers sell shuttles in several speeds so that players can adapt to heat, cold and altitude. The number on the tube is each maker's own choice: "each company is free to set their own specifications" (World Badminton, 1999). The laws only define a test (see our article on what the laws say about shuttles).
Why feathers are in the news
Press reports in 2025 and 2026 say that China is the largest producer of shuttles, that duck and goose supply has fallen and that prices of feather shuttles have risen. The same reports say the BWF approved trials of synthetic shuttles at lower-level international events in April 2026. These are news reports, not BWF documents we could open; check the BWF site before relying on details.
Mistakes to avoid
- Thinking a number on the tube means the same speed for every brand.
- Assuming a synthetic shuttle flies like a feathered one.
- Treating a theory about the shuttle's origin as established fact.