In some tables, smooth table surfaces, usually plastic, are used to save manufacturing and maintenance costs and avoid the use of machinery. Please note that these tables are not technically air hockey tables because they do not involve air, but they are still generally understood as such due to the basic similarity of the game. There are also ice hockey balls that use batteries and fans to produce their own air cushions, but they are usually sold only as toys because they are easy to break.

Air hockey is a disc made of Lexan polycarbonate resin. The standard USAA and AHPA approved hockey balls are yellow, red and green. In competitive competitions, place a thin layer of white tape face up. The air table was originally a transfer technology that allowed heavy objects, such as cardboard boxes, to slide easily across the table surface.