Skateboards are pretty durable and can hold a lot of weight; however, they do have limitations. If you weigh over 300 lbs. or are using your board to move heavy objects, you might want to be careful. In most cases, any weight close to 300 lbs. or slightly less has the potential to snap your board in half. In this post, we will cover how much weight can a skateboard hold and the various types.
Weight Limit For Each Type of Skateboard
While there is no official maximum weight limit, certain skateboards will hold more weight than others. Here’s a list of the different types of boards and how much weight they can hold.
Street Skateboards
Regular street skateboard decks made of bamboo or maple measuring between 28 and 32 inches can hold up to 272 lbs. This is pretty impressive considering that the average pro skater doesn’t weigh anywhere near that much.
Longboards
Because of their larger size, longboards ranging from 33 to 58 inches can typically hold up to 300 lbs., about 30 pounds more than your average street board.
Penny Boards
These small cruisers provide an excellent ride in a compact deck with large skateboard wheels. However, their skateboard weight limit is significantly lower than your standard street or longboard skateboard.
The maximum weight limit from penny boards is only 192 lbs., so if you’re a taller and larger person weighing more than that, you might want to stay off this mini board to avoid breaking it or injuring yourself.
Electric Skateboards
If you’re a heavier person looking for a comfortable ride that can support your weight, then an electric skateboard is the way to go.
These battery propelled boards have a wide body and durable deck and wheels that can hold a maximum weight of 330 lbs., making them an excellent option for heavier skaters in addition to being a great option to move heavy objects or furniture you don’t want to physically carry.
How Much Weight Can a Skateboard Hold?
Skateboard wheels are an essential component of any board. All experienced skaters will buy them separately as they know the diameter and durometer (hardness scale) that works best with their style of skateboarding.
It is important to note that wheels have their weight limitations. Especially when we consider tricks, things change. Those who are heavier are more likely to end up with flat spots on their wheels. However, high-quality wheels should be able to prevent this.
Skateboard wheels will be able to hold more than the deck itself, however, the actual number is unknown. But generally speaking, we know that quality wheels can hold over 280 lbs.
Does Your Weight Matter?
Your weight does matter when skateboarding. It plays a vital role in riding and landing on the board. If you haven’t noticed, the majority of skaters are skinny. But this doesn’t mean that heavier people can’t skateboard. Some pros are heavier than average and still shred.
However, the truth is that your weight will affect how you perform and land various flip tricks. It also affects the speed of the board on slopes and declines.
Heavier skaters will roll down hills at higher speeds. While this isn’t something to be overly concerned about, we would be remiss if we didn’t admit that it can lead to more falls and injuries if you’re not careful.
Another factor to consider is that heavier people performing tricks will ultimately land harder on their board. This is not a major issue but it can lead to more snapped decks.
The good news is that if you want to lose weight, skateboarding will definitely help. If you ride regularly and practice a lot, you’ll most likely shed some weight.
With all these factors in mind, you should have some regard for your weight and how much weight your skateboard can hold. Consider the material your board is made from and how soft or hard the wheels are.
Deck Width Importance
The width of skateboards usually ranges from 7 inches to 10 inches. The shorter and lighter a skater is, the smaller the board they’ll want. Those who are taller and heavier are going to want to look for a larger board.
With that in mind, it cannot be emphasized enough how important of a factor the deck width is when choosing a board because it directly relates to the stability and support of your skateboard.
We have found that heavier skaters typically ride boards that are 8.25 to 8.6 inches to help distribute their weight. The only con to having a wider deck is that it can make doing tricks much more difficult.
Choosing a Reputable Company
Many skateboards on the market are of good quality and will meet your expectations. However, we recommend shopping around when looking for the perfect board. Make sure that you’re buying from trusted brands so that you know they’re safe and reliable, and more importantly, can handle the weight of adults.
Many boards purchased from box stores, like Walmart, are made from low-grade wood, sometimes even plywood. This is something you definitely want to avoid, as these boards are highly likely to snap in half with too much weight or force. With that said, it is important to purchase a skateboard from a reputable company.
Who is the Heaviest Pro Skateboarder?
Professional skateboarders usually weigh less than the average adult. It has been said that the average adult in the US weighs around 195 lbs. Most professional skaters weigh a lot less than that.
For example, Steve Caballero is 5’ 3” tall and weighs only 134 lbs. Of course, Steve is shorter in stature than most skaters, but even taller skaters don’t weigh that much more.
Take Tony Hawk as another example, he stands at a tall 6” 3” but weighs about 171 lbs. With that in mind, it’s pretty impressive how well skateboards have been designed with the average skateboard deck being able to hold nearly 300 lbs.
But are there any other skaters out there that weigh more than average? Yes, there happen to be some heavyweights in the field of professional skateboarding, none more notable than Big Ben Schroeder, Stu Graham, and Sean Sheffey.
While the weights of many skateboarders are not easy to find, Big Ben Schroeder is listed at an impressive 6’ 6” and 230 lbs. Sadly enough, however, Big Ben Schroeder’s career was cut short in 2011 when he collided with a car that ran a stop sign as he was going downhill at 40 miles per hour. This accident resulted in him breaking his tibia. Nevertheless, it just goes to show you that those who are larger in stature can still skate.
How Weight Affects Skateboarding
One of the pros of being a heavier skateboarder is that you can build faster momentum going downhill. This is also one of the greatest disadvantages because that increased momentum can lead to serious injuries and a harder impact when falling and hitting the ground.
Lighter skateboarders will have the ability to accelerate faster but will not generate the same amount of momentum as a heavier skateboarder would when going down ramps.
One great example of this is professional skateboarder Danny Way. He has set several world records, and he weighs in at a modest 180 lbs.
However, this is still more than most skateboarders, and it certainly helped him to gain the momentum necessary to set the Guinness World Record for the longest skateboard ramp jump of 79 feet during the X Games in 2004.
Aside from examples of professionals, you might have already seen the popular YouTube video of a 330 lb skateboarder doing kickflips and other tricks on a Derek Lam board.
This is possible with proper foot placement and knee bending, but still presents a risk of injury and is not recommended for most people weighing over 300 lbs.
Conclusion
Having gone over how much weight a skateboard can hold in detail, it has become clear that a skateboard deck is one durable piece of wood. While some boards will hold more weight than others, the strongest skateboard decks can hold over 300 lbs.
Most professional skateboarders weigh significantly less than that, however. A heavier person can ride a longboard or electric skateboard with ease. But if you are in a heavier weight range, we do recommend wearing protective gear before hopping on a cruiser or electric board. More weight means more momentum when going downhill and could lead to an accident if you aren’t careful.
The question of how much weight can a skateboard hold has been asked for a long time. Surprisingly enough, most boards can hold quite a lot with the penny board being the one that holds the least weight. But even then, these boards can still hold close to 200 lbs. of weight.
With so many different deck options to choose from, it is undeniable that skateboards have come a long way in their design and can support a higher average weight than you might have thought was possible.