Sports Ball Size (Diameter) Comparison
Which sport has the smallest balls? Below is a list of ball sizes (the diameter of the ball is listed) for a wide range of sports. For comparison, we have only compared the sports that use round (spherical) balls. The smallest? A squash ball is just a little smaller than the golf ball. At the other end of the scale, the largest is the basketball.
Comparison of different ball sizesIn the table below, the official ball sizes are listed where known. In the case of a range of ball sizes, either the range is listed or the average or commonly used size is listed. The ball size used for adult male competition is used if there is variation in the ball size used for different ages or classes. The standard unit of measurement is sometimes inches and other times millimeters. Whichever the case, the units are converted so that you can see the size in either unit.
See also our list of ball weights.
Sport Ball Diameter, Sorted from Smallest to largest
| sport | diameter (inches) | diameter (mm) | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squash | 1.56 to 1.59 | 39.5 to 40.5 | |
| Table Tennis | 1.57 | 40 | the size increased from 38mm to 40mm after the 2000 Olympic Games. |
| Golf | 1.68 | 42.67 | These are minimum sizes. The size changed from 1.62 inches in 1990. |
| Jai Alai | 2.2 | 55 | |
| Racquetball | 2.25 | 57 | |
| Pool | 2.25 to 2.375 | 57.15 to 60.33 | |
| Carom billiards | 2.42 | 61.5 | |
| Lacrosse | 2.5 | 63.5 | |
| Tennis | 2.575 to 2.700 | 65.41 to 68.58 | |
| Pétanque | 2 3/8" and 3 1/8" | 70.5 to 80 | |
| Cricket | 2.80 to 2.86 | 71.3 to 72.9 | 8 13/16 and 9 in (224 and 229 mm) in circumference |
| Field Hockey | 2.8 to 2.96 | 71.3 to 74.8 | circumference 224–235 mm (8.8–9.3 in) |
| Baseball | 2 7⁄8 to 3 | 73 to 76 | |
| Pickleball | 2.87 to 2.97 | 73 to 75.5 | according to official usapa rules |
| Wiffle Ball | 2.87 to 3.15 | 73 to 80 | approx. size |
| Polo | 3 to 3 1⁄2 inches | 76 to 89 | weighs 3 1⁄2 ounces (99 g) to 4 1⁄2 ounces (130 g). |
| Softball (slowpitch) | 3.50 | 88.9 | softball size is usually referred to by their circumference - 11 inches for slowpitch |
| Croquet | 3 5/8 | 92 | |
| Softball (fastpitch) | 3.82 | 97.1 | softball size is usually refereed to by their circumference - 12 inches for fastpitch |
| Bocce | 4.2 | 107 | the target ball size is from 40 to 60 mm |
| Lawn Bowls | 4 5/8 to 5 1/8 | 117.5 to 130.2 | lawn bowls are not a perfect sphere |
| Shot Put | 4.33 to 5.12 | 110 to 130 | men's size |
| Rhythmic gymnastics ball | 7.1 to 7.9 | 180 to 200 | |
| Team Handball | 7.3 to 7.5 | 185-191 | this is for the size III ball |
| Volleyball | 8.15 to 8.39 | 207 to 213 | |
| Bowling | 8.500 to 8.595 | 215.9 to 218.3 | this is the maximum size |
| Football (Soccer) | 8.5 to 8.8 | 216 to 223 | dimensions for a regulation size 5 ball. |
| Korfball | 8.5 to 8.8 | 216.5 to 224.4 | the size 5 ball for players >15 yrs. Size between 68cm and 70.5cm in circumference and weigh between 445g and 475g when fully inflated. |
| Water polo | 8.5 to 8.9 | 216.5 to 226.0 | size 5 (used for male adults) |
| Netball | 8.9 | 226 | |
| Basketball | 9.4 | 238.8 | dimensions for a regulation size 7 ball. |
Sources
The ball size information is from a wide range of sources online. Although they are believed to be correct, you should check with official sources if it is important. If you have a correction or a sport ball size to add, please let us know below.
Related Pages
- About sports balls
- Ball weights
- Sports equipment
- Soccer balls for sale.
- Technology in sports
- About the soccer balls used at the FIFA World Cup
- List of the world's largest sport stadiums
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Old Comments
Commenting is closed on this page, though you can read some previous comments below which may answer some of your questions.
- I was looking for sizes of spherical balls to represent the relative sizes of moon and the earth, and demonstrate their actual distance apart. If a golf ball (moon) is 1.68 in diameter, I looking for ball of around 6.11 inches to represent the earth. There were none on your site but I found playground balls come in various sizes, including 6.1 inch diameter. Your chart is helpful and much appreciated, but playground balls were not on your list. Thought I'd point this out in case other nerds looking at this. And to answer your question... they'd need to be placed about 15 feet 4 inches apart to reflect the average distance between earth and moon. (Spencer, Jan 2021)
- Add different weights of shot put 8, 12 and 16. Tagbro1 (2020)
- ping pong ball is the smallest Mark Abrahams (2020)
- ping-pong = table tennis. Yes, basically the same as the squash ball size, which is listed as the smallest. Rob Admin (2020)
- can you pls add the reason why sports have differences. Adrian (2017)
-
Size means diameter so why not say So? This list would be better if it included weight in the same list and was sortable by column or had at least some ordering like smallest to largest...
Ps soccer ball is missing from weight list. Barry Milliken (2017)
- Hi. I'm not sure what page you read. That size means diameter is written in the first line. The order IS smallest to largest, and the soccer ball is there. Ball weights are listed on a separate page. Rob Admin (2017)
-
I know it's a weird shape, but how about the american football? And perhaps rugby? from Mightierthor (2018)
- I've only added spherical balls, which make it easy to compare. But you are right, it would be interesting to compare to the sizes of the prolate spheroid shaped footballs - rugby, American football, AFL. - Rob Admin (2018)
