Buying a board for the first time can be overwhelming. In this guide, we'll break down all of the parts that make up a skateboard, and walk you through how to assemble one from scratch.
1. The Deck
The deck is one of the most important components of any skateboard. First, make sure you get a deck that is the right size. To help with this, we've created a table to help you choose the right deck based on the skater's height, shoe size and age.
| Micro | Mini | Mid | Full | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Board Width | 6.5" to 6.75" | 7.0" | 7.25" to 7.375" | 7.5" + |
| Skater Height | 3'4" or shorter | 3'5" to 4'4" | 4'5" to 5'2" | 5'3" or taller |
| Skater Shoe Size | 1 or smaller | 2 to 5 | 6 to 8 | 9 or bigger |
| Skater Age | 5 or younger | 6 to 8 | 9 to 12 | 13 or older |
If you decide to purchase a full size board, please note that different size decks are made for different things. 7.5" to 8" decks are designed for skating streets and doing more technical tricks, 8" to 8.25" for skating pool, ramps, rails, and parks, and 8.25" and larger for skating vert, pools, and cruising.
2. The Trucks
Trucks are the metal T-shaped pieces that connect your wheels and bearings to the deck. Good trucks will directly affect your stability, and are key to preventing wheel bite. Truck size is measured by hanger or axle size. The most common setup is to get trucks with an axle with about the same width as your deck. This setup offers the most stability. Generally speaking, you want an axle that is about 1/4" wider or less than the width of the board.
3. The Wheels
Wheels allow you to move and determine how fast you can go. They are typically made of polyurethane, and come in a wide variety of sizes, colours, and durability levels to suit your style & preference. Wheels are measured by diameter and durometer.
Most skateboard wheels range in diameter from 50mm to 75mm. Wheel diameter affects how quickly you accelerate, and how tightly you can turn. Smaller wheels result in a slower ride and are typically easier to control making them ideal for technical or street skating. Larger wheels offer speed and balance, makking them great for beginners, or people that want to cruise around or skate vert.
50-53mm Small, slower wheels; stable for trick riding and smaller riders skating street, skate parks, and bowls.
54-59mm Average wheel size for beginners and bigger riders skating street, skate parks, bowls, and vert ramps.
60mm+ Specialty riders skating longboards, old-school boards, downhill, and dirt boards; made for speed and rougher surfaces.
Skateboard wheels are also measured by durometer, which can specify if a particular wheel is better suited for skateboards or longboards. Most manufacturers use the Durometer A Scale, a 100 point scale that quantifies how hard a wheel is. The higher the number, the harder the wheel, and the average durometer is 99a. There are some manufacturers that may instead use the B Scale, which measures 20 points fewer than the A Scale, and therefore allows for an extra 20 points for the hardest wheels. For example, an 80b durometer is the same hardness as a 100a durometer. These skateboard wheels have a wider and more accurate hardness range.
78a-87a Soft wheel good for rough surfaces, longboards, or street boards that need lots of grip to easily roll over cracks and pebbles. Designed for smooth rides, cruising, longboards, hills, and rough surfaces.
88a-95a Slightly harder and faster with a little less grip, but the grip's still good. Good for street and rough surfaces.
96a-99a Nice speed and grip-- an all-around good wheel. Great for beginners skating street, skate parks, ramps, pools, and other smooth surfaces.
101a+ Hardest and fastest wheel with the least grip. Ineffective on slick and rough surfaces. These are pro wheels.
83b-84b Wheels using the B scale are extremely hard, measuring 20 points fewer than the A Scale in order to allow the scale to extend another 20 points for the hardest wheels.
4. The Bearings
Bearings are round metal pieces that fit inside the wheels and mount them to the axle. Regardless of wheel size, all skateboard bearings are the same size. The universal measurements for bearings are 8mm (core), 22mm (outer diameter), and 7mm (thicc). bearings are sold in sets of 8 because each wheel requires two bearings. Most bearings are measured by an ABEC rating. The higher the rating, the more accurate and precise the bearing will be.
ABEC 1 skateboard bearings tend to be the least expensive, the most crude, and the least accurate. The quality of the steel is not very high.
ABEC 3 skateboard bearings are generally inexpensive and do not roll smoothly or quickly.
ABEC 5 skateboard bearings are standard for most types of skateboarding. This rating gets you a fast speed at an affordable cost.
ABEC 7 skateboard bearings are very fast, smooth, and cost slightly more.
ABEC 9+ skateboard bearings are extremely fast! They are great for downhill skating and skaters that want to move insanely fast.
There are a handful of companies that do not use the ABEC rating scale, such as Bones Bearings. Bones Bearings uses their own rating system known as Skate Rated. Their bearings do not follow the ABEC ratings because they are superior in performance and the ABEC rating ignores many quality factors on which Bones Bearings prides itself.
5. The Hardware
Skateboard hardware, aka mounting hardware, is used to connect the trucks to the deck. Each truck requires four bolts and locknuts. Hardware is sold in sets of eight, or it can be purchased individually as needed. The length of the screws needed depends on what style of deck you have, and whether or not you install risers.
For most skateboards, the standard hardware length is 1". For a longboard or cruiser, 1 1/8" is a good standard. If you choose to add a riser to your board, which increases the space between the deck and the skate trucks, you will need to adjust the length of your hardware. Below is a general guide for hardware size.
7/8" to 1" hardware - No riser
1" to 1 1/8" hardware - 1/8" riser
1 1/4" hardware - 1/4" riser
1 1/2" hardware - 1/2" riser
6. The Grip Tape
Skateboard grip tape is a grainy, sandpaper-like sheet with an extremely sticky underside that you adhere to the skateboard deck surface to provide grip, or traction. There is no standard used to measure the quality of grip tape, most skaters rely on brand preferences.
While grip tape is ofter black, it can be purchased in a variety of different colours to express your personal style. There is even transparent grip tape that allows you to show off the design or colour of your deck.
7. The Risers (optional)
Risers are optional hard plastic pads that can be inserted between the skateboard trucks and deck to raise the overall height of the skateboard. They are used to avoid wheel bite, which suddenly stops the wheels' motion, which can mean a nasty wipeout and damage for your wheels. Depending on your skateboarding style, riser pads can preserve your skateboard deck by reducing the risk for stress cracks where the deck and the trucks meet. The larger your wheels are, the greater chance there is for wheel bite. If your skateboard has large wheels, such as on a longboard or cruiser, you may want to consider risers.