The femoral component is made of a metal stem with a metal ball on the end. Some prosthesis have a ceramic ball attached to the metal stem. The acetabular component is a metal shell with a plastic inner socket liner that acts like a bearing. The type of plastic used is highly cross linked ultra high molecule weight Polyethylene which is wear resistant.

A cemented prosthesis is held in place by Poly Metha Acrylate (PMMA) cement that attaches the metal to the bone. An uncemented prosthesis has a fine mesh of holes on the surface area that touches the bone. The mesh allows the bone to grow into the mesh and "become part of" the bone. The lofe of uncemented prosthesis is three times as that of cemented hip prosthesis.