What snowboard size do I need?
Type your height and weight, and pick your riding style and ability. The snowboard size calculator gives a length range in centimetres from a maker’s size table and tells you if your boots need a wide board.
- Board length
- 157
A 5 ft 8 in, 160 lb rider fits a snowboard about 157 cm long (154 to 160 cm).
- Shortestcm
- 154
- Longestcm
- 160
- Table middlecm
- 157
- Style and ability changecm
- 0
Board length: 157. A 5 ft 8 in, 160 lb rider fits a snowboard about 157 cm long (154 to 160 cm).
Table middle by height
How to calculate
Suggests a snowboard length from your height and weight, moved for freestyle or powder riding and for beginners, and a minimum waist width for big boots, from two makers’ size guides.
Example with the default inputs (Height 5 ft 8 in, Weight 160 lb, Riding style All-mountain, Ability Intermediate): A 5 ft 8 in, 160 lb rider fits a snowboard about 157 cm long (154 to 160 cm).
Method: Shortest = 138 + 1.5 × (height in inches − 60) + 0, 4 or 8 cm by weight (under 130 lb, 130 to 180 lb, over 180 lb) + style (park −3, powder +3) + ability (beginner −2); longest = shortest + 6; length = shortest + 3, rounded.
- K2’s table covers 5 ft 0 in to 6 ft 0 in; the page continues the same straight line from 4 ft 6 in to 6 ft 6 in.
- The style and ability changes are the middles of the makers’ ranges (2–4 cm and 2–3 cm for style, 1–2 cm for beginners).
- A board’s own size chart wins: shapes and profiles differ, so check the maker’s weight range for the board you buy.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Height 5 ft 8 in, Weight 160 lb, Riding style All-mountain, Ability Intermediate gives Shortest 154, Longest 160, Board length 157, Style and ability change 0.Source: K2 Snowboarding, Snowboard Size Guide (between chin and nose; size table by height and weight; 2–4 cm shorter for park or freestyle, longer for powder or freeride), https://k2snow.com/en-us/support/snowboard-size-guide (5’8" / 173 cm, 130–180 lbs: 154–160 cm)
- Height 5 ft 0 in, Weight 120 lb, Riding style Park or freestyle, Ability Beginner, Boot size (US men’s, optional) 7 gives Table middle 141, Shortest 133, Longest 139, Board length 136, Style and ability change -5, Board width Regular width.Source: K2 Snowboarding, Snowboard Size Guide (between chin and nose; size table by height and weight; 2–4 cm shorter for park or freestyle, longer for powder or freeride), https://k2snow.com/en-us/support/snowboard-size-guide (5’0", <130 lbs: 138–144 cm); Jones Snowboards, How to find your perfect snowboard size (freestyle 2–3 cm shorter, powder 2–3 cm longer, beginners 1–2 cm shorter; minimum waist width by boot size), https://www.jonessnowboards.com/pages/a-guide-on-how-to-find-your-perfect-snowboard-size
- Height 6 ft 0 in, Weight 200 lb, Riding style Powder or freeride, Ability Advanced, Boot size (US men’s, optional) 11.5 gives Shortest 167, Longest 173, Board length 170, Board width Wide: waist at least 26.5 cm.Source: K2 Snowboarding, Snowboard Size Guide (between chin and nose; size table by height and weight; 2–4 cm shorter for park or freestyle, longer for powder or freeride), https://k2snow.com/en-us/support/snowboard-size-guide (6’0", >180 lbs: 164–170 cm); Jones Snowboards, How to find your perfect snowboard size (freestyle 2–3 cm shorter, powder 2–3 cm longer, beginners 1–2 cm shorter; minimum waist width by boot size), https://www.jonessnowboards.com/pages/a-guide-on-how-to-find-your-perfect-snowboard-size (men’s 11.5: 26.5 cm)
- Height 5 ft 5 in, Weight 130.1 lb, Riding style All-mountain, Ability Intermediate, Boot size (US men’s, optional) 10.25 gives Table middle 152.440945, Board length 152, Board width Wide: waist at least 26.1 cm.Source: K2 Snowboarding, Snowboard Size Guide (between chin and nose; size table by height and weight; 2–4 cm shorter for park or freestyle, longer for powder or freeride), https://k2snow.com/en-us/support/snowboard-size-guide; Jones Snowboards, How to find your perfect snowboard size (freestyle 2–3 cm shorter, powder 2–3 cm longer, beginners 1–2 cm shorter; minimum waist width by boot size), https://www.jonessnowboards.com/pages/a-guide-on-how-to-find-your-perfect-snowboard-size
How it works
The size table. K2’s guide gives a 6 cm range for four heights and three weight classes:
| Height | Under 130 lb | 130 to 180 lb | Over 180 lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 0 in | 138–144 cm | 142–148 cm | 146–152 cm |
| 5 ft 4 in | 144–150 cm | 148–154 cm | 152–158 cm |
| 5 ft 8 in | 150–156 cm | 154–160 cm | 158–164 cm |
| 6 ft 0 in | 156–162 cm | 160–166 cm | 164–170 cm |
Each row is 6 cm longer than the one 4 inches shorter, so the table is a straight line in height. The page writes it as:
- Table shortest = 138 + 1.5 × (height in inches − 60) + W, where W = 0 cm under 130 lb, 4 cm from 130 lb to 180 lb (both included), and 8 cm over 180 lb.
- Change = style (all-mountain 0, park or freestyle −3, powder or freeride +3) + ability (beginner −2, intermediate 0, advanced 0) centimetres.
- Shortest = table shortest + change; longest = shortest + 6; table middle = table shortest + 3.
- Board length = shortest + 3, rounded to a whole centimetre, halves up.
Board width (when you type a boot size): under US men’s 10, regular width. From 10 up, a wide board with at least the waist width of the first row at or above your size, by half sizes:
| Men’s US boot | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 13.5 | 14 | 14.5 and up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum waist (cm) | 25.9 | 26.1 | 26.3 | 26.5 | 26.7 | 26.9 | 27.1 | 27.3 | 27.5 | 27.8 |
Rules. Height from 4 ft 6 in to 6 ft 6 in (137.16 cm to 198.12 cm); weight from 50 lb to 350 lb (22.68 kg to 158.76 kg); boot size from 3 to 18. Height and weight are read as the exact decimals you typed in their units (1 in = 2.54 cm, 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg), so the weight classes and the rounding are exact.
Output format. Board length is a whole number of centimetres; shortest, longest and table middle show 1 decimal, rounded half up.
Assumptions
- K2’s table covers 5 ft 0 in to 6 ft 0 in; from 4 ft 6 in to 6 ft 6 in the page continues the same line.
- The style and beginner changes are the middle of the makers’ ranges.
- The maker’s chart for a given board comes first.
Worked examples by hand
5 ft 8 in, 160 lb, all-mountain, intermediate. 138 + 1.5 × 8 + 4 = 154; longest 160; length 157. This is K2’s row for 5 ft 8 in, 130 to 180 lb.
5 ft 0 in, 120 lb, park, beginner, boot 7. Table 138 to 144 (middle 141). Change −3 − 2 = −5: 133 to 139, length 136. Boot 7 is under 10: regular width.
6 ft 0 in, 200 lb, powder, advanced, boot 11.5. Table 138 + 18 + 8 = 164 to 170. Change +3: 167 to 173, length 170. Boot 11.5: wide, waist at least 26.5 cm.
165 cm, 59 kg, all-mountain, intermediate, boot 10.25. 165 cm = 64.9606 in; 59 kg = 130.07 lb, in the 130 to 180 lb class. Table shortest 138 + 1.5 × 4.9606 + 4 = 149.4409; middle 152.4409; length 152. Boot 10.25 rounds up to the 10.5 row: wide, at least 26.1 cm.
Other questions people ask
What size snowboard do I need?
Start from your height and weight. A rider 5 ft 8 in tall weighing 160 lb fits a board of about 154 to 160 cm, so 157 cm for all-mountain riding. Most boards stand between your chin and your nose.
Does weight matter more than height?
Weight presses the board into the snow, so it matters a lot. K2’s table adds about 4 cm from 130 lb and about 8 cm over 180 lb for the same height; Jones sizes mostly by weight.
Should a park board be shorter?
Yes. A shorter board turns and spins more easily. K2 says to size down 2 to 4 cm for park or freestyle, and Jones 2 to 3 cm; the page takes 3 cm off. For powder it adds 3 cm, for more float.
What size should a beginner ride?
A little shorter than the table, which is easier to turn and more forgiving. Jones suggests 1 to 2 cm shorter; the page takes 2 cm off for beginners.
Do I need a wide snowboard?
If your toes and heels hang too far over the edges, they drag in turns. Jones recommends a wide board from US men’s boot size 10 (women’s 11.5), with a waist of at least 25.9 cm, rising to 27.8 cm for size 14.5 and up.
Why is the answer a range?
Boards differ in shape, flex and camber, and riders differ in taste. Use the range to narrow your search, then check the weight range on the size chart of the board you like.