Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Kookaburra Sport produces thousands of test match grade cricket balls every week in their Melbourne factory — but have you ever wondered exactly what goes into making one?
Dr Karl visits the Kookaburra factory to take us inside the surprisingly intricate process of turning cork, rubber, wool and leather into the ball used by professional cricketers around the world.
From a cork and rubber core fused in a colossal oven, to a hand-stitched leather seam with 68 precisely placed holes — every elite cricket ball is a feat of traditional craftsmanship that's barely changed in over a century.
📺 Dr Karl's How Things Work — Stream now on ABC iview: ab.co/DrKarlHowThingsWork
This is an excerpt from Dr Karl's How Things Work, Series 1, Episode 4.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:19 Raw materials
0:58 Weighing, pressing and moulding the core
1:28 Into the oven
1:47 Building the quilt
2:14 The science of cork: viscoelasticity explained
2:40 Why use wool?
3:43 Applying the leather cover
4:33 Hand-stitching the seam
6:30 Nitrocellulose lacquer
6:48 Quality testing: 'The Basher'
8:02 Branding: heat-pressed foil finish
9:09 Outro
Subscribe: ab.co/2YFO4Go
Like: facebook.com/ABCScience
Follow: instagram.com/ABCHealth
---------------------------------------------------------------
This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation YouTube channel. Please see the ABC Online Terms of Use for the reasons why we may remove content from this page, or ban people: http://about.abc.net.au/terms-of-use/
Kookaburra Sport produces thousands of test match grade cricket balls every week in their Melbourne factory — but have you ever wondered exactly what goes into making one?
Dr Karl visits the Kookaburra factory to take us inside the surprisingly intricate process of turning cork, rubber, wool and leather into the ball used by professional cricketers around the world.
From a cork and rubber core fused in a colossal oven, to a hand-stitched leather seam with 68 precisely placed holes — every elite cricket ball is a feat of traditional craftsmanship that's barely changed in over a century.
📺 Dr Karl's How Things Work — Stream now on ABC iview: ab.co/DrKarlHowThingsWork
This is an excerpt from Dr Karl's How Things Work, Series 1, Episode 4.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:19 Raw materials
0:58 Weighing, pressing and moulding the core
1:28 Into the oven
1:47 Building the quilt
2:14 The science of cork: viscoelasticity explained
2:40 Why use wool?
3:43 Applying the leather cover
4:33 Hand-stitching the seam
6:30 Nitrocellulose lacquer
6:48 Quality testing: 'The Basher'
8:02 Branding: heat-pressed foil finish
9:09 Outro
Subscribe: ab.co/2YFO4Go
Like: facebook.com/ABCScience
Follow: instagram.com/ABCHealth
---------------------------------------------------------------
This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation YouTube channel. Please see the ABC Online Terms of Use for the reasons why we may remove content from this page, or ban people: http://about.abc.net.au/terms-of-use/
