Having a basketball hoop at home is one of the best ways to get consistent practice in, especially if you’re looking to try out for your school team, join a recreational league, or just practice for pick-up games. But when you start shopping around, you’ll see that not all backboards are made the same.
The biggest difference is the material used to make the backboards. Two of the most common kinds are acrylic and polycarbonate backboards. In this article, we will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each to determine which one is ultimately the better choice.
Acrylic vs. Polycarbonate Backboard Prices
Arguably the biggest factor in determining which backboard is better suited for you is pricing. After all, if you are a casual player looking to shoot around from time to time in your driveway, you might just want the backboard that will hurt your pockets the least.
When looking at price, it’s important to understand two things: which material is the most expensive by itself, and which material tends to cost more on a hoop. This is important because, even if you were to buy a hoop with an acrylic or polycarbonate backboard, you may need to replace them at some point in time. Given that these two materials have different breaking points (which will be discussed later) you’ll want to know how much the replacement material costs.
Below, we’ve compared some of the biggest e-commerce sites out there that sell basketball hoops and are seeing which kind of hoops is more expensive on average.
Acrylic Hoop Cost On E-Commerce Stores
| E-Commerce Site | Hoop Name | Price |
| Dick’s Sporting Goods | Spalding 52” Basketball Backboard & Rim Combo | $350 |
| Dick’s Sporting Goods | Spalding 54” Basketball Backboard & Rim Combo | $400 |
| Dick’s Sporting Goods | Lifetime 54” Backboard & Rim Combo | $300 |
| Dick’s Sporting Goods | Lifetime 48” Backboard & Slam-It Rim Combo | $230 |
| Amazon | Spalding Performance Backboard & Rim Combo | $300 |
| Amazon | Lifetime 48” Shatterproof Fusion Backboard & Rim Combo | $145 |
| Average Cost | — | $288 |
Polycarbonate Hoop Cost On E-Commerce Stores
| E-Commerce Site | Hoop Name | Price |
| Dick’s Sporting Goods | Spalding 48” Shatterproof Backboard & Rim Combo | $250 |
| Amazon | Lifetime 73729 48” Shatterproof Backboard & Rim Combo | $200 |
| Amazon | Lifetime 71526 54” Backboard & Rim Combo | $250 |
| Amazon | Spalding Shatterproof Backboard & Rim Combo | $180 |
| Amazon | Lifetime 90087 52” Shatterproof Backboard & Rim Combo | $210 |
| Average Cost | — | $218 |
On average, polycarbonate hoops run cheaper than acrylic hoops do, although several factors play into the price besides backboard material (specifically rim material, backboard size, and brand). Additionally, all these items are backboard and rim combos; the options get more expensive if you need a base, an adjustable neck etc.
When it comes to backboard replacements, you can either go directly through the brand in which you purchased the backboard or use a third party. Spalding provides an acrylic backboard replacement for around $280, whereas a third-party vendor such as American Super Sports charges a much higher fee (almost 3x the price of Spalding’s).
Interestingly, there are not many options out there for polycarbonate replacements; the providers mentioned above do not have options on their sites for it. Additionally, another backboard provider called First Team doesn’t even provide polycarbonate backboards because of the material’s its properties when exposed to UV light over time. If you think you’ll be playing basketball for a while and want to get replacement parts instead of buying a whole new hoop, acrylic backboards are your best option.
Are Acrylic Backboards Better Than Polycarbonate?
The next factor of comparison is quality. After all, if you want to play on the same hoop for many years, you may be willing to shell out a bit more cash for the backboard that will last longer. Below, we’ve created a list of pros and cons for both materials so you can see what a better fit for you might be.
Acrylic Backboard Pros
- Unaffected by UV light
- 17x the impact resistance of standard class
- Multiple replacement options
Acrylic Backboard Cons
- Less impact-resistant than polycarbonate
- Higher likelihood of chipping / cracking
Polycarbonate Backboard Pros
- 250x the impact resistance of standard glass
- Better flexibility than acrylic
- Cheaper as whole than acrylic
Polycarbonate Backboard Cons
- Can become brittle and discolored within a few years of constant UV light exposure
- Higher likelihood of scratching
- Minimal replacement options
As you can see, both materials are essentially even in terms of what is working with them and against them. However, acrylic takes the edge since most people looking to purchase a basketball backboard (and basketball hoop in general) are looking to use it outdoors. Given this, acrylic will last you much longer in this environment, even though polycarbonate backboards are much stronger from an impact perspective.
In Conclusion: Acrylic vs. Polycarbonate Backboard
Because both kinds of backboards are similarly priced when buying the hoop entirely, acrylic is likely your better option. It is true that polycarbonate is stronger, but the most impact that a backboard will experience should just be a basketball and nothing more. This makes the impact resistance almost irrelevant.
What this ends up boiling down to is durability. If you plan on using your hoop outdoors, acrylic is best. If you want to use it for an indoor court, then either material is sufficient.