What Are Paintballs Made Of?


According to widely available material safety data sheets (MSDS) published by a major paintball manufacturer, a paintball contains such ingredients as “polyethelene glycol”, “wax”, “gelatin”, “sorbitol”, “canola oil”, “soy lecithin” and “water”. The amounts of these ingredients will vary from one manufacturer to another depending on their specific manufacturing technique. One major paintball manufacturing company has likened the paintball manufacturing process to “making food” and this is very much a correct statement, as modern paintballs are water-soluble, biodegradable and generally safe for any environment, wild animal or human with which they might come into contact.