Why Dart Weight Matters
The weight of your darts is one of the most important factors affecting your throw. Too heavy and you'll fatigue quickly, struggle with consistency, and arc the dart excessively. Too light and you'll overcompensate with force, lose control, and find the dart bouncing out of the board.
Finding your ideal weight is about matching the dart to your throwing mechanics — your arm speed, release point, and natural arc. Here's how to work it out.
Dart Weight Ranges Explained
Light Darts: 16g–20g
Light darts suit players with a fast, snappy throwing action. If you release quickly with minimal follow-through, lighter darts will respond well to your technique. They require less effort to throw, which can help with long practice sessions.
Suits: Fast throwers, players with a short draw, those who fatigue easily.
Medium Darts: 21g–24g
The most popular weight range, used by the majority of professional and amateur players. 23g and 24g are the single most common weights on the PDC Tour. Medium weight offers a balance between control and forgiveness.
Suits: Most players — this is the default starting point if you're unsure. See our beginner's guide for more on first-set selection.
Heavy Darts: 25g–30g+
Heavy darts suit players with a slow, deliberate throwing action and strong follow-through. The extra mass means the dart is less affected by imperfections in release — it's more forgiving of slight mis-throws. However, they require more effort and can be tiring over long matches.
Suits: Slow, deliberate throwers with strong arms. Players who prefer a lobbing arc.
What Weight Do the Professionals Use?
Here's what some of the biggest names on tour throw:
| Player | Weight | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| Luke Littler | 22g | Target |
| Luke Humphries | 23g | Red Dragon |
| Michael van Gerwen | 25g | Winmau |
| Gerwyn Price | 22g | Red Dragon |
| Nathan Aspinall | 23g | Target |
| Gary Anderson | 23g | Unicorn |
| Peter Wright | 22g | Red Dragon |
| Josh Rock | 23g | Target |
| Jonny Clayton | 23g | Red Dragon |
| Stephen Bunting | 23g | Target |
Notice the trend: the majority cluster between 22g–25g, with 23g being the most common single weight on the PDC Tour. But weight alone doesn't determine success — it's about what matches your throw.
How Weight Relates to Tungsten Percentage
A 23g dart made from 90% tungsten will be significantly slimmer than a 23g brass dart. That's because tungsten is denser — you get more mass in less volume. This is why 95% tungsten darts at 23g are the slimmest of all, allowing tighter grouping in the treble bed.
If you want a heavier dart without increased barrel diameter, moving to a higher tungsten percentage achieves this. Our steel tip vs soft tip guide covers material differences in more detail.
How to Find Your Ideal Weight
Step 1: Start at 23g
Unless you have a specific reason not to, begin with 23g darts. It's the most neutral starting point and the weight most dartboard calibrations favour.
Step 2: Assess Your Natural Throw
After a few sessions, pay attention to:
- Consistently hitting low? Your darts might be too heavy — they're dropping before reaching the target height. Try 21g–22g.
- Consistently hitting high? Your throwing force may be too much for the weight. Try 24g–25g to add ballast.
- Darts landing flat or tail-up? Weight is likely fine, but check your release technique.
- Fatiguing after 30 minutes? Drop 1-2g. Endurance matters in long matches.
Step 3: Adjust by 1g at a Time
Don't jump from 22g to 26g. Move in 1g increments and give each weight at least a week of regular practice before judging. Your muscle memory needs time to adapt.
Step 4: Consider Your Setup Holistically
Dart weight doesn't exist in isolation. Longer shafts and larger flights add rear drag, which has a similar effect to adding weight. A heavier dart with short shafts and slim flights will behave very differently to the same barrel with long shafts and standard flights.
Weight and Board Type
If you play soft tip darts, weight limits apply. Most electronic boards cap at 18g–20g maximum to protect the plastic segments. Steel tip boards have no weight restrictions — quality bristle boards handle any weight without issue.
The Bottom Line
Start at 22g–24g unless your throwing style strongly suggests otherwise. Give new weights time (at least 5-7 sessions), adjust by 1g at a time, and remember that barrel profile and grip matter just as much as raw gram weight.
