New equipment specifications
As the result of new manufacturing techniques, the Equipment Committee, headed by former APTA President Robert A. Brown, was asked to review the APTA paddle specifications.
The Board approved a recommended change to make the total maximum length of the paddle 18″, and eliminate the separate handle/play length designation.
It also approved a change in the edge (or rim) that will allow a 1/8″ height wraparound of a maximum 1/2″, in addition to the flush-with-face surface that was previously the only one allowed.
Source: Platform Tennis News, Summer 1995