How Many Feathers Are Used To Make Badminton Shuttle?

The traditional shuttlecock contains sixteen overlapping goose feathers that are embedded in a cork base. The cork base is rounded and covered with thin leather. The shape of the shuttlecock makes it extremely aerodynamic. Regardless of its initial direction, it will always fly cork fist. The shuttlecock is also known as a shuttle, a bird or a birdie.

The feathers in a shuttlecock are brittle and so they break very easily.  They generally need to be replaced several times during a game. To combat this problem, synthetic Plastic shuttlecocks were developed. They proved to be more durable and lasted for many matches. Since the prices of both were approximately the same, plastic shuttlecocks became a better option. The only snag was that the playing characteristics of both were very different. Also the skirt of a plastic shuttle can fold if it is hit powerfully making it fly much faster, and thus making the game one-sided. Experienced players   prefer feathers and serious tournaments invariably use feathered shuttles.