Bowl (smoking)

A glass pipe. The bowl is the large hole on the left side, used to hold smoking material.

A bowl, when referred to in pipe smoking, is most often used to refer to a part of a smoking pipe or bong which is used to hold tobacco, cannabis, or other substances. It is also used to refer to an amount of cannabis that would fill a standard-sized bowl on a pipe or bong, and less often as a term for a smoking pipe itself.

Overview

Two "slide" bong bowls, a metal bowl part and a glass pipe.

The name is derived from the general resemblance to a bowl used for food or liquids. In size, material and shape, bowls vary greatly, from one-hitters no larger in interior diameter (at the top) than a cigarette to commercial bowls the diameter of a nickel, which are widely promoted but tend to burn too hot when an impatient user sucks too hard. Usually the depth (before narrowing to a shaft) is a little less than the diameter. Often a fine metal screen is embedded inside, helping prevent drawing small particles down to clog the channel; this permits using finely sifted grades of herb or kief which vaporize out maximum cannabinoids. The material of construction is usually glass or metal, sometimes wood or clay. Bowls can be made of a different material than the device that they are attached to, such as a bong made of heat-sensitive materials like plastic that would melt or otherwise be ruined by direct contact with a heating source.

The bowl of a bong (water-pipe) is mounted on a slide or stem, depending upon the type. A stem is a singular piece that fits into a hole in the bong's chamber whereas a slide fits into a special attachment built into the bong. Some stems can be fixed or removable, while slides are always removable.

People have also been known to make homemade bowls out of numerous household items. Such examples include bowls made of aluminum cans or bottles. It is not suggested to use homemade bowls as they usually include health risks upon use.

In Australia and New Zealand the 'bowl' is usually referred to as the 'cone' or 'conepiece'.

See also

• Tobacco smoking
• Cannabis smoking