| Paintballs A paintball is a round capsule with colored liquid inside it. A paintball's thin outer shell is usually made of gelatin. Paintballs are similar to large round vitamin capsules or bath oil beads. The most common paintball size is .68" in diameter.
The fill inside a paintball is non-toxic, non-caustic, water-soluble and biodegradable. It rinses out of clothing and washes off skin with mild soap and water.
Paintballs come in a rainbow of colors, such as blue, pink, white, orange, red, yellow, green, and other bright hues. The outer shell of a paintball may be a color swirl, or two-toned. The inner fill may be a different color from the color of the outer shell.
When a paintball tags a player, the thin outer layer of the paintball splits open, and the liquid fill inside leaves a bright "paint" mark. A player who is marked is eliminated from the game. Usually the mark must be the size of a U.S. quarter to be considered big enough to eliminate the player. Smaller amounts of fill that mark a player are called splatter and usually do not eliminate the player.
Flags and Armbands A flag as used in paintball is generally a rectangular piece of cloth about 24" x 12" in size. Players wear colored armbands to distinguish one team from another.
In tournament games where each team has a flag to protect, usually a teams armband color will match the color of the flag they are protecting. In recreational games, the two flags should be of contrasting colors, or one should be patterned or striped, so that the flags do not look alike. | 
