Are liquid core dice balanced?

Updated October 27, 2026

Liquid core dice have a small chamber of liquid sealed inside the resin, sometimes with glitter, sand or a floating eye. They look incredible, which is exactly why players ask: does that liquid make them roll unfairly?

The short answer

The best evidence so far says liquid core dice aren't clearly worse than ordinary resin dice. But it also says that plenty of hobby resin dice, liquid core or not, aren't perfectly balanced either.

What the research found

In 2024, a University of Leicester student paper, How Balanced is a Liquid Core Dice? by Kai Jac Cordes, rolled one liquid core d20 and one standard resin d20 from the same maker 4,000 times each through a dice tower, then compared how often each face came up against the expected 200 rolls per face.

• The liquid core d20 showed some statistically unusual faces (its 20 came up 262 times and its 16 came up 126 times).
• The plain resin d20 from the same maker was similarly unbalanced, and its 20 came up 380 times.
• Neither die looked weighted toward one particular side, and the author noted that two dice from one maker are far too few to judge every liquid core die.

In other words, the liquid core itself didn't stand out as the problem. Manufacturing quality seemed to matter more than the liquid.

Why a liquid core can affect a roll

A die rolls fairest when its weight is spread evenly around its center. A liquid chamber that sits slightly off-center, or an air bubble in the resin, can nudge it. Sharp-edged dice also stop faster than rounded ones, so they tumble less. That's why careful makers center the core, and why two dice of the same design can behave a little differently.

How to check your own dice

• Look for the core position. Hold each die up to a light. A core that sits obviously to one side is worth noting.
• Roll a lot. Roll your d20 a few hundred times and tally the results. Some unevenness is normal by chance; one face appearing far more than others is a red flag.
• Use a tray or tower. Consistent rolling surfaces reduce how much the die's shape affects the result.

So should you play with them?

For home games, most players happily roll liquid core dice, and the moving eye or shimmer is part of the fun. If your table needs precision dice for competitive play, keep a set of precision-machined dice for that and roll your liquid core set for everything else.

Source: Cordes, K. J. (2024). How Balanced is a Liquid Core Dice? Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Topics, 11, University of Leicester.