What Is the Ink Dot on a Wood Bat?

The ink dot is the small black dot on the handle of a Tater® wood bat, and on every pro-grade maple and birch bat. It's a grain test: a drop of ink soaks into the bare wood and runs along the grain, showing how straight it is. Straight grain through the handle means a stronger bat. Here's what the dot checks, where to find it and why every bat we make gets one.

What does the ink dot test?

It tests the slope of the grain: how straight the wood fibers run down the length of the bat. When the ink goes on, it seeps up and down along the grain. If the lines it leaves run within 3 degrees of straight, the bat passes. If they angle off more than that, the grain runs out of the handle at an angle, and that's where bats break.

Is the ink dot an MLB rule?

Yes. Every big league bat has to have an ink dot, and the grain has to run within 3 degrees of straight to pass. Major League Baseball requires the ink dot on maple and birch bats, so those are the woods you'll see it on.

Where is the ink dot on a bat?

On the handle. It goes on the bare wood before the paint and clear coat, so on a finished bat it shows as a small dark spot under the finish.

Why every Tater bat has one

We only make maple and birch bats, and we use pro-grade wood for every one, no matter who it's for. So every bat we make gets an ink dot, and a bat that doesn't meet the standard doesn't leave the shop.

The dot is the last check on wood we're already picky about:

• Hand-split billets. Splitting along the grain keeps the grain straight from the start.
• Fresh wood. New shipments arrive every couple of weeks, and leftover billets from an old shipment get scrapped.
• Every billet inspected by hand. A knot, a blemish or off grain means it's firewood. We turn away about 5 to 10% of incoming billets.
• Moisture-controlled storage, so the wood stays right until it's turned.

See where the ink dot fits into the build in how a wood bat is actually made.

Does the ink dot matter if I'm not a pro?

It matters for anyone who wants a bat that lasts. The ink dot tells you the grain was tested against the same standard the pros use. Without one, you don't know how straight the grain is.

Tater bats with the ink dot

Every bat we make has one: every custom bat, every stock bat and every youth bat. That includes Nick Kurtz's signature KURTZ16 in pro-grade hard maple, and our most popular models like the X4, X24 and X12, in maple or birch. Compare the two woods in maple vs birch.

FAQ

What does the ink dot on a bat mean?

It means the bat's grain was tested for straightness. A drop of ink shows how straight the grain runs through the handle, and the bat passes only if it's within 3 degrees of straight.

Do birch bats have an ink dot?

Yes. MLB requires the ink dot on maple and birch bats. Every Tater bat is maple or birch, and every one gets an ink dot.

Where is the ink dot on my bat?

On the handle, under the finish. It goes on the bare wood before the paint and clear coat.

Do softball bats have an ink dot?

No. The ink dot is a baseball standard, and our wood softball bats don't get one.

Key takeaways

• The ink dot is a grain test: ink runs along the grain on the bare wood and shows how straight it is.
• The grain has to run within 3 degrees of straight; MLB requires the ink dot on maple and birch bats.
• Every Tater baseball bat gets an ink dot, and a bat that doesn't pass doesn't leave the shop.