What weight darts do professional players use?

Professional weights vary widely, commonly somewhere between 21g and 26g, and plenty of players sit outside that. There is no professional standard weight, which is a good reason not to choose yours by copying one.

Are heavier darts more accurate?

No. Heavier darts are more stable in flight and need less force, but accuracy comes from a repeatable throw. A dart that is too heavy for your natural throw will land short and low no matter how stable it is.

What weight should a beginner start with?

Start at 23g or 24g. It sits in the middle of the usual range, suits most throws well enough to build consistency, and gives you room to move in either direction once you can tell what your throw is doing.

What weight darts should you use?

Updated 31 August 2026 · 4 min read

Most adult players throw steel-tip darts between 21g and 26g, with 23g and 24g the most common starting point. Heavier darts need less force and fly flatter; lighter darts need a firmer throw and arc more. There is no correct weight — pick the one that lands where you aim without you having to think about the throw.

What weight actually changes

A heavier dart carries more momentum, so it needs less effort to reach the board and flies on a flatter line. A lighter dart takes a firmer, faster throw and travels on a more pronounced arc. Neither is inherently more accurate — the accuracy comes from repeatability, and repeatability comes from a weight that suits how hard you naturally throw.

This is why copying a professional's setup rarely helps. Their weight suits their throw, which was built over decades.

Finding your weight

Start in the middle at 23g or 24g and pay attention to where the darts land relative to where you aimed. Consistently low and short suggests the dart is heavier than your throw wants. Consistently high, or dropping in steeply, suggests you are throwing harder than the dart needs and a heavier one may settle it.

Change one thing at a time. Swapping weight, barrel shape and flight together tells you nothing about which change did what.

Grip and barrel shape matter as much as grams

Two 24g darts can feel completely different. A straight barrel puts the weight evenly along its length; a torpedo or bomb shape moves it forward, which many players find helps the nose drop into the board. Knurling and grooves change how much grip you get, which changes how cleanly the dart leaves your hand.

A dart that leaves the hand cleanly beats a dart of theoretically ideal weight that catches on your fingers.

Steel tip and soft tip are not interchangeable

Steel-tip darts are for bristle boards and are generally the heavier of the two. Soft-tip darts are for electronic boards and are usually lighter, because electronic boards have a weight limit that heavier darts can damage. Check what your board takes before buying.

Common questions

What weight darts do professional players use?: Professional weights vary widely, commonly somewhere between 21g and 26g, and plenty of players sit outside that. There is no professional standard weight, which is a good reason not to choose yours by copying one.
Are heavier darts more accurate?: No. Heavier darts are more stable in flight and need less force, but accuracy comes from a repeatable throw. A dart that is too heavy for your natural throw will land short and low no matter how stable it is.
What weight should a beginner start with?: Start at 23g or 24g. It sits in the middle of the usual range, suits most throws well enough to build consistency, and gives you room to move in either direction once you can tell what your throw is doing.