The weight of a dart impacts how it feels and how it travels in the air. Some players prefer heavier darts and others like something much lighter, but which is the best option for you?
In this article, I’ll talk about the average weights of steel-tip and soft-tip darts, and the impact weight has on how you throw and where the dart hits the board.
How Much Do Darts Weigh?
Most darts weigh between 18 g and 25 g. Steel tip darts usually weigh from 20-30 g, and soft tip darts usually weigh from 16-22g. Professional steel-tip dart players usually use darts which weight around 22-25 g and professional soft-tip darts players generally use darts which weigh roughly 18-21 g.
Does Dart Weight Matter?
There are some players which use exceptionally light darts such as Stephen Bunting who has used 12 g darts, and on the other end of the spectrum, players like Ryan Searle use 31 g darts.
Generally, when referring to steel tip darts, anything between 20-25 g is considered pretty average, whilst anything over 25g or under 20g is considered particularly heavy or light. With soft-tip darts, the average is around 18-20 g, with anything over 22 g being considered fairly heavy and anything under 16 g being deemed as very light.
So what difference does it make?
Dart weight is a personal preference, and some players, regardless of their skill level will prefer the feel of certain weights.
Most beginners find heavier darts easier to throw than lighter darts because the extra weight means you don’t have to throw the dart as hard to hit the board. However, heavier darts are usually more difficult to aim, so many professionals use lighter darts to increase their accuracy.
Heavy vs Light Darts
Lighter darts travel faster but require more force when throwing compared to heavier darts. Heavy darts have a less stable flight path and will drop more quickly in the air.
The weight of the dart affects the feel, flight path and speed the dart travels through the air.
- Heavier darts usually enter the board at a flatter angle whereas lighter darts are usually tilted upwards more when they enter the board.
- With lighter darts, the flights are able to stabilise the flight path more than with heavier darts. This is why heavier darts usually suit larger flights as this will give it more stability.
- Lighter darts travel more quickly through the air, whereas heavier darts are slower so will drop more in the air.
| Heavy Darts | Light Darts |
| Slower | Faster |
| Requires less force when throwing | Requires more force when throwing |
| Can be easier for beginners to hit the board | Can be harder for beginners to hit the board |
| Less stable flight path | More stable flight path |
| Tendency to tilt downwards when hitting the board | Tendency to tilt upwards when hitting the board |
Another common complaint with heavy darts is that they can cause arm fatigue if you are playing for very long periods, this means they may be less suitable for certain competitions.
Keep in mind that we’re talking about generalisations here. The problem with comparing the flight mechanics of heavy and light darts is that it depends on who’s throwing them. You may get different results with different players because some players will compensate with their throwing action.
For example, heavy darts travel more slowly than light darts, but often players can use a harder throwing motion with heavy darts which can actually cause it to travel more quickly.
My best advice is to try different weights, and try some extremes as well. You don’t have to go out and purchase loads, but consider borrowing some of your friend’s darts if they are a different weight and see if they suit your throwing style more or less.
Why are some darts heavier than others?
Tungsten darts are heavier than brass or steel darts, so to get the same weight, the tungsten dart will be smaller. Check out my comparison between tungsten, brass and steel darts to learn more.
The weight of the dart is controlled mainly by the length and width of the barrel. Some lighter darts also have more of the thread drilled out in the back of the dart to reduce the weight.
So when considering the difference between heavy and light darts, you can’t only consider the weight itself, but also the overall size as this will have a big impact on the dart’s overall flight path and how the dart feels in your hand.
Weight Balance is Very Important
It’s important to not just consider the overall weight of the darts, but also the balance of how the weight is distributed. Some darts are heavier towards the tip and will lean forwards more, whilst others are heavier towards the flight and will tip backwards more.
There are three types of darts to consider here:
Front weighted
Centre weighted (balanced)
Rear weighted
The way the weight is distributed will affect how you hold and throw the darts. Beginners usually find front-weighted darts the easiest to to throw out of the three types.
- Front-weighted darts usually suit “lob-style” throws, since the dart will angle downwards (with the flight tilting upwards) on the latter stages of its flight path, meaning the dart is more likely to be straight or tip upwards slightly when it hits the board.
- Centre-weighted darts suit a straight and hard throwing-style. Typically, many players find lighter darts more suitable for this kind of throwing-style.
- Rear-weighted darts suit players who grip the dart closer towards the flight. They typically suit players who use flights which offer more “lift” as this prevents the dart angling downwards at the flight when they hit the board.
Check out my article on front vs rear weighted darts to learn everything else you need to know.
Steel Tip Dart Weight
Most steel tip darts usually weigh between 20-30 g (0.71-1.1 oz.). The average weight of the darts used by modern professionals is between 22-25 g. Some players prefer heavy darts, however the maximum limit is 50 g for most competitions. There is usually no minimum dart weight regulation.
Check out this table below to see the weight of the darts used by well-known modern day professionals and retired players.
The average weight is 23 g. It’s rare for a player to use a dart which weighs less than 20 g, however you can purchase some darts which weigh as little as 12 g. It’s also uncommon to see any darts weighing more than 30 g, but there are some exceptions such as Ryan Searle who uses heavier darts.
| Professional Darts Player | Dart Weight (Metric) | Dart Weight (Imperial) |
| Gerwyn Price | 24 g | 0.85 oz |
| Peter Wright | 22 g | 0.78 oz |
| Michael van Gerwen | 23 g | 0.81 oz |
| James Wade | 20 g | 0.71 oz |
| Dimitri van den Bergh | 22 g | 0.78 oz |
| Gary Anderson | 23 g | 0.81 oz |
| Jonny Clayton | 21 g | 0.74 oz |
| Nathan Aspinall | 27 g | 0.95 oz |
| Michael Smith | 22 g | 0.78 oz |
| Rob Cross | 21 g | 0.74 oz |
| Dave Chisnall | 22 g | 0.78 oz |
| Krzystof Ratajski | 20 g | 0.71 oz |
| Joe Cullen | 21 g | 0.74 oz |
| Danny Noppert | 23 g | 0.81 oz |
| Ian White | 22 g | 0.78 oz |
| Simon Whitlock | 22 g | 0.78 oz |
| Mervyn King | 22 g | 0.78 oz |
| Daryl Gurney | 24 g | 0.85 oz |
| Luke Humphries | 22 g | 0.78 oz |
| Ryan Searle | 31 g | 1.09 oz |
| Brendan Dolan | 25 g | 0.88 oz |
| Devon Petersen | 26 g | 0.92 oz |
| Chris Dobey | 23 g | 0.81 oz |
| Vincent van der Voort | 23 g | 0.81 oz |
| Phil Taylor | 26 g | 0.92 oz |
| Average | 23 g | 0.81 oz |
Soft Tip Dart Weight
Most soft tip darts weigh between 16-22 g (0.56-0.78 oz). Professional soft-tip darts players usually use darts which weigh between 18g to 21g, with the average being 19 g. Soft-tip darts are much lighter than steel tip darts.
Here is a table showing the weight of the darts that some professional soft-tip darts players use.
| Professional Player | Darts Weight (Metric) | Darts Weight (Imperial) |
| Boris Krcmar | 17 g | 0.60 oz |
| Paul Lim | 21 g | 0.74 oz |
| FB Leung | 21 g | 0.74 oz |
| Jose Justicia | 18 g | 0.63 oz |
| Leonard Gates | 20.5 g | 0.72 oz |
| Keita Ono | 17.5 g | 0.62 oz |
| Sho Katsumi | 18 g | 0.63 oz |
| Yoshihisa Baba | 20 g | 0.71 oz |
| Woong Hee Han | 19 g | 0.67 oz |
| Chris Lim | 19 g | 0.67 oz |
| Chris White | 18 g | 0.63 oz |
| Average | 19 g | 0.67 oz |
Here are some more articles you might find useful: