How To Calculate Surfboard Volume?

Choosing the right surfboard size is an essential factor to maximize your time and effort in the surf. The surfboard calculator featured below allows you to calculate the size of your board by knowing the stock dimensions only.

Surfboard Volume Calculator

Length
5'0" 9'11" 7'6"

Width
17" 24" 20 ⅝"

Thickness
2" 4" 3"


Shortboard Funboard/Mal Hybrid/Fish


45.9 LITERS


Surfboard Volume = The space surfboard occupies In Liters

VOLUME = BUOYANCY = SIZE

Although, what many beginner surfers don’t know is that it isn’t ultimately the VOLUME, but the TYPE of surfboard that plays a huge role in your performance.

Finding the suitable surfboard volume according to your skill level and types of waves is the most important factor when choosing a surfboard!


 

What Volume Surfboard To Get?

surfboard size chart recommendations


SURFBOARD SIZE RECOMMENDATIONS

Surfboard Volume – in Liters (L)
LBS Beginner Intermediate Advanced KG
80 24 – 32 20 16 – 17 36
85 25 – 33 21 17 38
90 26 – 34 21 17-18 40
95 27 – 35 22 18 43
100 29 – 38 24 19-20 45
105 29 – 38 24 19-20 48
110 29 – 39 24,5 19,5 – 20,5 50
115 30 – 41 25,5 20-21,5 52
120 31 – 42 26 21-22 55
125 32 – 42 26 21-22 57
130 32 – 43 27 21-22,5 59
135 33 – 45 28 22-23 61
140 33 – 45 28 22-23,5 64
145 35 – 46 29 23-24 66
150 36 – 48 30 24-25 68
155 37 – 49 31 24,5-26 70
160 38 – 51 32 25,5-26,5 73
165 39 – 52 33 26 – 27,5 75
170 40 – 54 34 27-28,5 77
175 41 – 54 35 28 – 29 80
180 43 – 57 36 28,5 – 30 82
185 44 – 59 37 29,5 – 31 84
190 45 – 60 38 30 – 32 86
195 46 – 62 39 31 – 32,5 89
200 48 – 64 40 32 – 33,5 91
205 49 – 65 41 32,5 – 34 93
210 50 – 67 42 33,5 – 35 95
215 51 – 68 43 34 – 36 98
220 54 – 72 45 36 – 38 100
225 55 – 74 46 37 – 39 103
230 58 – 77 48 39 – 40,5 105
235 59 – 79 50 39,5 – 41,5 107
240 62 – 83 52 41,5 – 43,5 110
LBS Beginner-Intermediate Intermediate Advanced KG

How To Choose The Right Size Surfboard?

  • Type of waves.
    Are the waves small and slow, or fast and hollow? Point, or beach break? Do you need a fish/hybrid for small and slow or a shortboard for fast and hollow waves?
  • Skill level.
    Are you a beginner, intermediate, or advanced surfer? Check the volume recommendation chart above to find the most suitable range for you
  • Riding style.
    Do you want a sporty shortboard for sharp turns or a cruisy longboard?

How To Choose a Surfboard?

  1. TYPE of surfboard – A shortboard, fish, hybrid, or a longboard? Epoxy or fiberglass?
  2. VOLUME – Get a board with the right amount of volume.
  3. SIZE – Lastly, once the type and volume are fine, choose a suitable size.

surfboard placed next to a palm tree

 

Surfboard Volume Size Calculator – How It Works?

How to manually find the Surfboard Volume by knowing the stock dimensions only?

STEP 1 – Convert the surfboard sizes from feet and inches to centimeters ( x’y” to cm)

STEP 2 Multiply: Length x Width x Height ( L x W x H )

STEP 3 – Get 54% to 58% out of the sum by multiplying the result with 0.54 or 0.58 (515151 x 0,54)


Symbolistics:

1 feet = 1 = 30,5 centimers = 30,5 cm
1 inch = 1 = 2,5 centimeters = 2,5 cm
feet 1 inch = 11 = 33 centimeters = 33 cm

To know how much volume does the surfboard occupy, you need to do some simple calculations. We have converted the most used surfboard dimensions down below to make things easier.


 

STEP 1:

Convert Surfboard Dimension from imperial to metric

First, to calculate the volume, you need to convert the surfboard size from feet and inches to centimeters.

So, how to calculate the surfboard volume to liters by just knowing the stock dimensions?

The length, width, and height on surfboards are measured in feet and inches (Imperial)
The surfboard volume is calculated in liters (Liters Is Metrical)

From Imperial 60 x 20 x 2 1/2
To metric 182,8cm x 50,8cm x 6,3cm


 

STEP 2:
Multiply the sizes

Once you have multiplied the dimensions, you get a rough 5-digit answer. Round it down to xx,x L

182,8 x 50,8 x 6,3 = 58503,3


 

STEP 3:
Get 5458% out of the sum ( x 0.54 / x 0.56 / x 0.58)

Surfboard typically occupies approximately 54-58 percent out of the perfect cube.

54% – narrow surfboard
56% – average size surfboard
58% – round shaped surfboard

58503,x 0,54 = 31591  31,5Liters


surfboard volume calculator guide


Volume surfboard calculator:
x0.54 (Narrow shortboard)
x0.56 (Average size hybrid surfboard)
x0,58 (round-shaped surfboard)

SURFBOARD VOLUME FINDER CHART

surfboard volume size calculation
Surfboard liter calculator

 

 

Feet to Centimeters converter chart – Imperial to Metric – Surfboard Volume Chart

ft inches to cm

5’0″ = 152,4 cm
5’1″ = 155 cm
5’2″ = 157,5 cm
5’3″ = 160 cm
5’4″ = 162,5 cm
5’5″ = 165 cm
5’6″ = 167,6 cm
5’7″ = 170 cm
5’8″ = 172,7 cm
5’9″ = 175,3 cm
5’10 = 178 cm
5’11 = 180,5 cm

6’0” = 183 cm
6’1″ = 185,4 cm
6’2″ = 188 cm
6’3″ = 190,5 cm
6’4″ = 193 cm
6’5″ = 195,6 cm
6’6″ = 198 cm
6’7″ = 200,7 cm
6’8″ = 203,2 cm
6’9″ = 205,7 cm
6’10= 208 cm
6’11=210,5 cm

7’0″ = 213,4 cm
7’1″ = 215,9 cm
7’2″ = 218,4 cm
7’3″ = 220,1 cm
7’4″ = 223,5 cm
7’5″ = 226 cm
7’6″ = 228,6 cm
7’7″ = 231,1 cm
7’8″ = 233,7 cm
7’9″ = 236,2 cm
7’10” = 238.5 cm
7’11″= 240.5 cm

8’0″ = 243,8 cm


Inch to Centimeters surfboard size volume chart (Surfboard Width range)

Inches to cm

17″ = 43,1cm
17 ¼” = 43,8 cm
17 ½″ = 44,4cm
17 ¾” = 45 cm

18″ = 45,7cm
18 ¼” = 46,4 cm
18 ½″ = 47 cm
18 ¾” = 47,6 cm

19″ = 48,2cm
19 ¼” = 48,9 cm
19 ½″ = 49,5 cm
19 ¾” = 50,1 cm

20″ = 50,8 cm
20 ¼” = 51,4 cm
20 ½” = 52 cm
20 ¾ = 52,7 cm

21″ = 53,3cm
21 ¼” = 53,9 cm
21 ½″ = 54,6 cm
21 ¾” = 55,2 cm

22″ = 55,9cm
22 ¼” = 56,5 cm
22 ½″ = 57,1 cm
22 ¾” = 57,8 cm

23″ = 58,4 cm
23 ¼” = 59 cm
23 ½″ = 59,7 cm
23 ¾” = 60,3 cm

24″ =60,9 cm


Surfboard Thickness surfboard size volume chart (Inches to Centimeters conversion)

Inches to cm

2″ = 5cm
2 ¼″ = 5,7cm
38″ = 6cm
2 ½″ = 6,3cm
258″ = 6,6cm
2 ¾″ = 6,9cm
278″ = 7,3cm

3 = 7,6 cm
3 ¼″ = 8,2cm
38″ = 8,6cm
3 ½″ = 8,9cm
58″ = 9,2cm
3 ¾″ = 9,5cm
78″ = 9,8cm


 

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16 Different Types of Surfboards

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Published by:

I created Nulltuul to share my experience, research and analysis with other surf enthusiasts out there. If I'm not surfing on my travels - I like to photograph waves, surfers, and the surf lifestyle in general.

19 thoughts on “How To Calculate Surfboard Volume?”

  1. Hi !
    the calculator is great ! I use it all the time, thanks for making it available.
    I have a couple of suggestions to make it even better:
    – could you add more options in the width and thickness please? Many boards come up with widths like 18 5/8 or thickness like 2 5/16
    – this one might be harder, but could we have an option for a more precise adjustment bar, so we can match dimensions from a website? I’ll explain that second one:
    Say for example I have a board which is not stock dimensions. The Shaper’s website might list stock dimensions like 6’0 x 19 x 2 1/2 and 30.5 litres, but the board I have (custom) is 6’0 x 18 3/4 x 2 7/16.
    If I enter these stock dimensions in your calculator, it gives me 30L for a shortboard or 31.1 for a fish. We could have the option to change the multiplier by sliding a bar, until the stock board is displayed as 30.5 litres. Then, with that multiplier set, we could enter the custom board dimensions (6’0 x 18 3/4 x 2 7/16) and have a good guess of the volume of the custom board.
    I hope it makes sense

  2. Hey EJ this is super cool! I’m messing around trying to program my own surfboard calculator tool as a cool little portfolio project in JS and React. May I ask how you calculated the algorithm between the different skill levels? Rad stuff you got here.
    -Corey

    1. Hi Corey

      Thanks for reaching out. I pretty much copied the skill level/volume recommendation by many charts online, and simply rounded to get the average of about five different recommendations. Good luck with your calculators & portfolio!

  3. Bravo! Your calculator is brilliant. I’ve been interested in volume for many years, and I was so pleased to see that it has become a standard measurement since the widespread use of CAD for board design. Of course I have some surfboards that were hand shaped or otherwise don’t have the volume stated, and your calculator works great for estimation. as an engineer and a passionate surfer, I really appreciate this tool!

  4. Hey there, nice tool! I used it all the time!

    Wondering if you could add 2 1/8 and 2 9/16 to the list of thickness? Many surboard models use these fractions.

    Cheers

  5. Thanks, perfect
    As some shapers write dims using decimals and not fractions, maybe you can just add the corresponding decimal in the chart. Es: 1/4 (0.25)
    Would be a extra 😉

  6. I am searching for the guidelines to find out how much does a liter weigh in grams? 175 pounds at a 28-29 surfboard liters is suggested for a purchased surfboard. I am looking to build a surfboard to match the request from a surfer.

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