Dart Weight and Why it Matters: Heavy vs Light Darts

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 DartsLight Darts
SlowerFaster
Requires less force when throwingRequires more force when throwing
Can be easier for beginners to hit the boardCan be harder for beginners to hit the board
Less stable flight pathMore stable flight path
Tendency to tilt downwards when hitting the boardTendency to tilt upwards when hitting the board
Heavy vs light darts

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 PlayerDart Weight (Metric)Dart Weight (Imperial)
Gerwyn Price24 g0.85 oz
Peter Wright22 g0.78 oz
Michael van Gerwen23 g0.81 oz
James Wade20 g0.71 oz
Dimitri van den Bergh22 g0.78 oz
Gary Anderson23 g0.81 oz
Jonny Clayton21 g0.74 oz
Nathan Aspinall27 g0.95 oz
Michael Smith22 g0.78 oz
Rob Cross21 g0.74 oz
Dave Chisnall22 g0.78 oz
Krzystof Ratajski20 g0.71 oz
Joe Cullen21 g0.74 oz
Danny Noppert23 g0.81 oz
Ian White22 g0.78 oz
Simon Whitlock22 g0.78 oz
Mervyn King22 g0.78 oz
Daryl Gurney24 g0.85 oz
Luke Humphries22 g0.78 oz
Ryan Searle31 g1.09 oz
Brendan Dolan25 g0.88 oz
Devon Petersen26 g0.92 oz
Chris Dobey23 g0.81 oz
Vincent van der Voort23 g0.81 oz
Phil Taylor26 g0.92 oz
Average23 g0.81 oz
Data is from pdc.tv/players

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 PlayerDarts Weight (Metric)Darts Weight (Imperial)
Boris Krcmar17 g0.60 oz
Paul Lim21 g0.74 oz
FB Leung21 g0.74 oz
Jose Justicia18 g0.63 oz
Leonard Gates20.5 g0.72 oz
Keita Ono17.5 g0.62 oz
Sho Katsumi18 g0.63 oz
Yoshihisa Baba20 g0.71 oz
Woong Hee Han19 g0.67 oz
Chris Lim19 g0.67 oz
Chris White18 g0.63 oz
Average19 g0.67 oz

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Hey, I'm Heather, the owner and creator of gameandentertain.com. I made this website to help you learn more about setting up a home entertainment and games room. My favourite games are ping pong, darts and pool, but I also have experience in other games which I aim to share using this website.

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