BUTTERFLY

What BUTTERFLY does

BUTTERFLY is the Korean distribution and sponsorship subsidiary of Japanese parent Tamasu (다마스), operating as Tamasu Butterfly Korea Inc. (주)다마스버터플라이코리아 and headquartered in Korea. The company manufactures and distributes a full-stack portfolio of premium table tennis equipment spanning rubber sheets (Tenergy, Dignics, Rozena, Glayzer), blades (signature models such as Harimoto Tomokazu Innerforce Super ALC, Fan Zhendong ALC, Cypress V-MAX, Viscaria Super ALC-CS), shoes (Lezoline series), apparel (game shirts, training wear), ITTF-certified 3-star balls, competition tables, and maintenance products. Core technology is materials-science driven, centered on proprietary Spring Sponge X rubber (advertised ~14% easier deformation, ~3% improved rebound vs. prior generation), High Tension rubber chemistry, and specialized blade carbon-fiber configurations (Super ALC, ZLC, CNF, CAF).

Revenue is generated through one-time/perpetual hardware sales priced in Korean Won across a wide ladder (6,000 KRW socks to 2,000,000 KRW competition tables). Distribution runs through authorized dealers and dedicated table tennis clubs (Buckwon Sports, LTC Korea, Sunshine Table Tennis Supplies), a direct dealer/table-rental inquiry line, and event-driven channels such as athlete sponsorships, tournament hosting (Butterfly Cup events), and grassroots mass-sports programs. The customer base spans professional/elite athletes (Fan Zhendong, Harimoto Tomokazu, Dimitrij Ovtcharov), amateur lifestyle-sport players (~30 sponsored annually), schools (Pohang Duho HS, Cheongmyeong MS/HS), para-table-tennis organizations, and provincial federations. The brand holds the ITTF official ball partnership for the World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2024-2026 and supplied equipment for WTT Champions Yokohama 2026.

Name

BUTTERFLY

Legal name

(주) 다마스버터플라이코리아 (Tamasu Butterfly Korea Inc.)

Website

https://butterfly-korea.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

BUTTERFLY is the Korean subsidiary of Japanese parent Tamasu, manufacturing and distributing premium table tennis equipment (rubbers, blades, shoes, apparel, balls, tables) to professional athletes, amateur players, clubs, schools, and federations through authorized dealers and dedicated clubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Table Tennis Equipment

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (339920)

akta.pro primary industry

Table Tennis (Ping Pong) Equipment Retail (CRAMAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Racquet Sport Training Aids & Practice Equipment Retail (CRAMAFAJ), Racquet Sport Balls & Shuttlecocks Retail (CRAMAFAH)

Keywords

• Table tennis equipment
• Table tennis rubbers
• Table tennis blades
• Competition balls
• Table tennis tables

Headquarters

HQ city

Sugimi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Table Tennis Equipment Sales: Primary revenue stream from manufacturing and selling table tennis equipment including rubbers, blades, shoes, apparel, bags/cases, balls, maintenance products, tables and equipment. Sold through authorized dealers, dedicated table tennis clubs, and direct dealer inquiries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BUTTERFLY manufactures and sells table tennis equipment including performance rubbers, carbon-fiber and wood blades, competition-grade tables and balls, specialized table tennis shoes (Lezoline series), technical apparel, and racket maintenance accessories. Products are sold through authorized dealers and dedicated BUTTERFLY table tennis clubs to competitive and amateur table tennis players.

Product overview

BUTTERFLY is a comprehensive table tennis equipment manufacturer offering a complete product portfolio centered around high-performance rubbers and blades. The core products include the Tenergy series (10 variants of Spring Sponge rubbers) and Dignics series (premium rubbers with Spring Sponge X technology), complemented by professional-grade blades featuring Super ALC, ZLC, and CNF carbon technologies in signature models for athletes like Tomokazu Harimoto and Fan Zhendong. The product line extends to table tennis shoes (Lezoline series), apparel (game shirts, training wear), balls (ITTF-certified 3-star balls), table equipment (competition tables, nets, scoreboards), and maintenance products (cleaners, adhesives, rubber protection films). The company positions itself as a premium table tennis brand serving both professional athletes and recreational players through authorized dealers and dedicated table tennis facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tenergy Series: High-performance rubber series for table tennis
• Dignics Series
• Rezoline Series

Products and services

• Tenergy Series Rubbers

Quantifiable outcome

• Butterfly is the official ball partner for the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2024-2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WTT (World Table Tennis)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Butterfly served as the official equipment partner for the 2026 WTT Champions Yokohama tournament. The company supplies official balls (3-star R40+) for the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2024-2026.
• Korea Para Table Tennis Association (대한장애인탁구협회)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2026Butterfly Korea's official dealer Buckwon Sports (북원스포츠) sponsors the Korea Para Table Tennis Association. A joint training camp was held at the Icheon Athletes' Village in June 2026 between Korean and Japanese para table tennis national teams, with both the association and Tamasu Butterfly Korea attending the welcoming ceremony.
• Japan Para Table Tennis National Team (일본 장애인탁구 국가대표)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2026The Japanese para table tennis national team, sponsored by Butterfly's parent company Tamasu, participated in a joint training camp with the Korean para team at Icheon Athletes' Village, Korea in May-June 2026. This reflects the cross-border partnership between Butterfly's Korean and Japanese operations.
• Buckwon Sports (북원스포츠)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 May 2026Official dealer and major distribution partner of Butterfly Korea. Sponsors the Korea Para Table Tennis Association and co-hosted the 2026 Korea-Japan Para Table Tennis joint training camp at Icheon Athletes' Village.
• Cheongmyeong Middle and High School Table Tennis Team (청명중·고등학교 탁구부)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2026Cheongmyeong Middle and High School signed a 2026 sponsorship contract with Tamasu Butterfly Korea. The school receives equipment support for its table tennis team.
• Korea Youth Table Tennis Federation (한국유소년탁구연맹)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2026Butterfly signed an official sponsorship partnership with the Korea Youth Table Tennis Federation to support the discovery and development of promising youth table tennis talent in South Korea.
• Gyeongnam Large Ball Federation (경남라지연맹)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 April 2025Gyeongnam Large Ball Federation signed an official sponsorship contract with Sunshine Table Tennis Supplies (선샤인 탁구용품점), a Butterfly exclusive table tennis club, on April 24, 2025. Butterfly equipment will be used at all federation-organized tournaments and events.
• Sunshine Table Tennis Supplies (선샤인 탁구용품점)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 April 2025Butterfly exclusive table tennis club (table tennis hall) in Gwangyang, Jeonnam. Signed official sponsorship contract with Gyeongnam Large Ball Federation on April 24, 2025.
• Gyeonggi Province Table Tennis Association (경기도 탁구협회)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 April 2025Gyeonggi Province Table Tennis Association signed an official sponsorship contract with LTC Korea (Butterfly's authorized dealer) on April 18, 2025. A separate equipment supply agreement was signed on April 23 for official ball adoption in Gyeonggi Province tournaments, aiming to promote large ball table tennis across 31 cities and counties.
• LTC Korea Co., Ltd. (주식회사 엘티씨코리아)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 April 2025Authorized dealer of Butterfly Korea, based in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Signed official sponsorship contract with Gyeonggi Province Table Tennis Association on April 18, 2025, to promote large ball table tennis in the Gyeonggi region.
• Pohang Duho High School (포항 두호고등학교)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 February 2025Pohang Duho High School is a sponsored school by Butterfly Korea. The school's table tennis team won consecutive gold medals at the 105th National Sports Festival and achieved a 2-year championship streak, receiving the Best Team Award at KTTA Awards 2025.
• Zhang Jike (장지커)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 January 2025Zhang Jike, Chinese table tennis legend, had an advisory contract with Butterfly since 2009. The contract ended on January 2, 2025. During the partnership, Zhang Jike won Olympic gold (2012 London singles) and multiple World Championship titles (2011 Rotterdam, 2013 Paris singles).

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yasaka: Yasaka is a Swedish table tennis equipment brand with a comparable product range in rubbers, blades, and complete rackets, competing in both elite and amateur markets similar to Butterfly.
• Donic: Donic is a German table tennis equipment manufacturer offering comparable rubbers, blades, and complete equipment packages. It competes with Butterfly in the European and international table tennis markets.
• Stiga: Stiga is a Swedish table tennis brand offering comparable product categories (rubbers, blades, balls, tables) and competing for professional athlete endorsements and ITTF event supply contracts. Both target the global premium table tennis equipment market.
• Tibhar: Tibhar is a German table tennis brand offering rubbers, blades, and tables, directly comparable to Butterfly in product range and target customer base (professional to amateur players).
• Joola: Joola is a German table tennis brand (recently acquired by adidas) with a full product lineup similar to Butterfly. It competes directly in rubber and blade technologies and in international tournament sponsorship.
• Xiom: Xiom is a Korean table tennis equipment brand and the most direct domestic competitor to Butterfly Korea. Both compete in the same Korean dealer/club channel, sponsor Korean athletes, and target similar price tiers.
• Nittaku: Nittaku is a Japanese table tennis equipment brand (Mitsuru Matsudaira), directly comparable to Butterfly in origin and product range. Both compete in premium rubbers, blades, and balls, and in elite athlete sponsorship in Asia.
• DHS (Double Happiness Shanghai): DHS is the dominant Chinese table tennis equipment brand and the largest direct competitor to Butterfly globally. Both companies manufacture the full table tennis equipment stack (rubbers, blades, balls, tables) and compete for elite athlete endorsements and ITTF/event partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Yonex: Yonex is a global Japanese sporting goods company dominating badminton and expanding into tennis and table tennis. While primarily known for racquets, it represents a larger, publicly-listed sporting goods incumbent with overlapping racquet sport DNA and superior scale.
• Adidas Table Tennis: Adidas entered table tennis through its Joola acquisition and now competes in the table tennis equipment space as part of a much larger global sporting goods portfolio. It represents the broad-incumbent threat of multi-sport brands entering Butterfly's specialized niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@butterflykorea3833
• Instagraminstagram.com/butterflykorea.tt
• Xx.com/follow
• Facebookfacebook.com/BUTTERFLY.JPN

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BUTTERFLY