Deck size will vary with skateboards.

Skateboards come in different deck sizes. They are usually measured in two ways. Sometimes three, if you include layers. More on that later though. Usually, deck size is measured in length and width. Both can greatly affect how the board performs.

The larger the board is, the heavier it will probably be. If you’re a small guy or gal, you should probably get a lighter board. It really help to have a smaller board sometimes. Some boards are even made specifically to be small. Element’s twig line of skateboards are all really small. Some can be as short as 28 inches!

The average board I see in a shop seems to be around 31 inches. They can range though, mostly from 29 to 33. Anything outside of this is more rare to find. So you might think you always want a shorter board since it weighs less. Well, having extra length can be good sometimes. If you have a deck which is 8 inches wide, it’s going to have to be more than 29 inches long. It would be too oddly shaped if it weren’t.

Having a longer deck can also give you more time when doing your tricks. I feel like I have more fudge error in where I can put my footing. With the shorter boards I seem to run out of board to do some flip tricks. You need to find a medium. And this can be different for everyone. I don’t worry too much about the length of a board. I don’t like to go with boards over 32 though. And I don’t see too many under 30 which I’m interested in. I usually seem to pick out around a 31.25.

What I do care about when it comes to deck size, however is width of the board. Boards generally come in deck sizes from 7.25 to 8.25. Outside of this range could be extra small boards. Or you might see some old school boards get much larger than this too!

I would go back and forth on the size of the deck I liked back when I started skating. I wasn’t really sure what I liked. I was finding out the hard way. Some boards I would skate all day everyday until they broke. Others I would skate just because I knew I had spent the money on it and wanted to get the use out of it.

Some boards I really liked skating and others ended up being sold or traded or stuffed in the back of the closet. I didn’t really know why, but then I had some money. I was able to buy a few extra boards one year and I started to see a trend in which ones I liked. Turned out if I got a deck sized over 7.75 it really went against the way I did my tricks. I don’t know if it’s because they were heavier or if the width made it harder to flip the board or what. I just know I didn’t like it.

So I bought smaller boards. I got a 7.63 and rode that. It was good. Then I got into the 7.5 category. I thought it was the best thing ever. I rode 7.5 only. If I wanted a board and found out it wasn’t 7.5, I wouldn’t buy it. Then I got another 7.75 some how. I don’t know how, but I ended up really liking it. So now I don’t mind so much, but I always stay between 7.5 and 7.75.

I find that the smaller boards are better for me and the tricks I like to do. Some people say it doesn’t matter. All boards are shaped the same. But if you only get to pick out a few boards a year, like I have been able to, they aren’t all the same. You want to get a board that you know you’ll like. You may have to live with it for another two or three months so it has to be good.

I wish I could have one of every board, but I can’t, so I figured out which boards I like. Now I can choose a board and not have to worry about it being too big or too small. I know what deck size is good for me and it makes skating just a little more fun to know.

Now, I mentioned there is one other way a board can be measured. This is by the third dimension. I guess you could call it height. Really, it’s measured with layers. Most skateboards will have 7 layers. Often times I see 7 layer maple proudly displayed on boards.

There are other amounts though. You can get 6 layer boards. They are usually cheaper and break faster. I don’t think it’s entirely because they have one less layer though. They seem to be made more economically and I guess this can cause it to be a cheaper construction overall.

There are also 8 and 9 layer boards. These are usually advertised as being stronger boards. I’ve never had one so I cannot say for sure. I’d imagine they are harder to break though. I will have to go and buy one and put a review up on the site. I hope to make a review section sometime soon. I do not know if it will be my reviews only or if I will make submissions available. I might make a form so people can vote on it.

Anyways, there are 8 and 9 layer boards. Maybe you should try one out if you break your boards too often. That’s about it for deck sizes. I hope you learned a little bit or just enjoyed reading about skating. I know I love everything skateboarding. Overall, I say you should try out a new board every once in a while just in case. Your style might change and adapt, so don’t miss out on a good chance to find a better suited board for yourself. Try every deck size you can, but when you know you wont be able to get a new board for a long time, get one you know you will enjoy skating.

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