620 g1.37 lb
An official men’s basketball, size 7, weighs 580 to 620 g (about 20.5 to 22 oz), or roughly 1.3 lb, under FIBA’s 2026 rules. US college rules allow 20 to 22 oz (567 to 624 g). Women’s and youth balls are smaller and lighter: a size 6 ball weighs 510 to 550 g (18 to 19.4 oz).
| Men’s ball, heaviest allowed in US college22 oz, NCAA maximum | 624 g1.38 lb |
|---|---|
| Men’s ball, size 7FIBA: 580 to 620 g, 750 to 770 mm around | 600 g1.32 lb |
| Women’s ball, size 6FIBA: 510 to 550 g, 715 to 730 mm around | 530 g1.17 lb |
| Mini basketball, size 5FIBA: 465 to 495 g | 480 g1.06 lb |
| Lightweight size 5FIBA: 360 to 390 g, same size as a size 5 | 375 g13.2 oz |
FIBA, which writes the rules for international basketball, sets the ball’s size and weight in its Basketball Equipment rules. In the 2026 edition, a size 7 ball, used in all men’s competitions, must measure 750 to 770 mm (29.5 to 30.3 in) around and weigh 580 to 620 g (20.5 to 21.9 oz). The cover must be leather or synthetic leather at top level, with no more than 12 seams.
US college rules are slightly looser. The 2025-26 NCAA men’s rules book requires a circumference of 29½ to 30 in and a weight of 20 to 22 oz (567 to 624 g), with eight panels and an orange or brown cover.
The NBA rulebook does not list a weight at all. It only says the ball must be an officially approved NBA ball inflated to between 7½ and 8½ pounds of pressure (psi).
FIBA uses a size 7 ball for all men’s games and a size 6 ball for all women’s games. The size 6 ball is about 2 cm smaller around, 715 to 730 mm, and weighs 510 to 550 g (18 to 19.4 oz), so it is about 70 g (2.5 oz) lighter than a men’s ball.
Mini basketball, for children, uses a size 5 ball of 685 to 700 mm around and 465 to 495 g, or a lightweight size 5 of the same size weighing only 360 to 390 g (12.7 to 13.8 oz). The lightweight ball is about 60% of the weight of a men’s ball.
Neither FIBA nor the NCAA sets an exact air pressure. Instead the ball has to pass a bounce test, and the pressure that achieves it is printed on the ball. Under FIBA rules, a ball dropped from about 1,800 mm, measured from its underside, must bounce back to between 1,035 and 1,085 mm, again measured to its underside.
The NCAA measures differently. The ball is dropped from 6 ft (1.83 m) to the bottom of the ball, and the rebound is measured to the top of the ball: at least 49 in (1.24 m) on its least bouncy spot and no more than 54 in (1.37 m) on its bounciest. Measured to the top, a legal ball comes back up to about 1.3 m.
Wilson made the first official NBA basketballs, in 1946, and supplied the league for its first 37 seasons. Spalding then held the deal for the next 37 years, and Wilson returned for the 2021-22 season. According to CBS Sports, the new Wilson ball kept the same type of leather and eight-panel layout as the Spalding ball players were used to.
The league learned the hard way that players notice small changes. In October 2006 it replaced the leather ball with a synthetic microfiber one, and players including Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki complained of cuts on their fingers. Less than three months in, commissioner David Stern brought the leather ball back from 1 January 2007, an in-season equipment change ESPN called unprecedented in major North American sports.
An official men’s basketball weighs about 1.3 lb (580 to 620 g). US college rules allow 20 to 22 oz, which is 1.25 to 1.375 lb.
Under FIBA rules a size 7 ball weighs 580 to 620 g, a size 6 ball 510 to 550 g and a size 5 ball 465 to 495 g. A lightweight size 5 for young children weighs 360 to 390 g.
Yes. Women’s competitions use a size 6 ball of 510 to 550 g, about 70 g (2.5 oz) lighter and 2 cm smaller around than the size 7 men’s ball.
The NBA requires 7½ to 8½ psi. FIBA and the NCAA instead require a bounce test and say the right pressure must be printed on the ball, so check the number stamped near the valve.
Last checked October 4, 2026.
