Which shuttlecock speed?
Higher speed numbers fly faster. Use a faster shuttle (78–79) in a cold hall and a slower one (75–76) in a hot hall or at altitude. Enter your hall's temperature and altitude for a starting speed, then confirm it with the official BWF test.
Your town's elevation is fine.
Start with
78Fast
Speed index 78, usually printed as speed 4 on Yonex tubes (17–23°C / 63–73°F).
- Temperature alone suggests speed 4.1 on the 1–5 scale.
A starting point, not a verdict: brands differ, and humidity matters too. Confirm with the test below.
Test it the BWF way
Stand behind the near back line and hit a full underhand stroke, contacting the shuttle over the back boundary line, upward and parallel to the sidelines (Law 3.1). A correct shuttle lands 530–990 mm short of the far back boundary line (Law 3.2). Tap the court where your test shuttle landed.
Tap the far half of the court (top) where the shuttle landed.
The Laws allow four optional 40 mm marks inside the singles sideline of the right service court to show the band. Hit a few test shuttles from the same tube; one odd one is the shuttle, not the speed.
A shuttlecock speed chart matches the shuttle to the air it flies through. Feather shuttles are made in slightly different weights and labelled with a speed: 75 (slowest) to 79 (fastest), often printed as 1–5. Cold, dense air slows a shuttle down, so you need a faster one; hot air and high altitude are thinner, so the shuttle carries further and you need a slower one. The goal is always the same flight: a full underhand hit from one back line should land just short of the other.
Shuttlecock speed chart by temperature
| Speed | Yonex scale | Temperature (°C) | Temperature (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 · Very slow | 1 | 33°C and above | 91°F and above |
| 76 · Slow | 2 | 27–33°C | 81–91°F |
| 77 · Medium | 3 | 22–28°C | 72–82°F |
| 78 · Fast | 4 | 17–23°C | 63–73°F |
| 79 · Very fast | 5 | 18°C and below | 64°F and below |
Temperature bands are Yonex's published speed key; the bands overlap, so at 22–23°C either neighbouring speed can be right. The 75–79 numbering alongside Yonex's 1–5 scale follows a 2026 study of shuttle flight (Collet), which labels Yonex tubes 76/V2, 77/V3 and 78/V4. Other brands publish their own charts, so read the tube.
Shuttlecock speed 76 vs 77 (and 78 vs 79)
One step is a small change you can feel. In the same study, a faster-rated shuttle was a little heavier (5.10 g, 5.25 g and 5.45 g for 76, 77 and 78) and had a slightly higher terminal velocity (6.19, 6.34 and 6.48 m/s), so it carries a bit further on every clear. 76 suits hot halls around 27–33°C; 77 warm halls around 22–28°C; 78 is the common choice for the 17–23°C of many sports halls; 79 is for cold winter halls.
What about altitude?
Air pressure falls with height. At 1,000 m the air is about 11% thinner than at sea level, so there is less drag and shuttles fly noticeably further. The calculator converts that into speed steps using the measured difference between speed grades: each step raises a shuttle's terminal velocity by about 2.3%, which changes its flight distance by about 4.6%. It is a physics-based starting point, not a manufacturer table, and high-altitude venues often use shuttles made specifically for altitude. The BWF Laws allow exactly that: Law 2.4 permits approved modifications where altitude or climate make the standard shuttle unsuitable.
The BWF shuttle speed test
Law 3 of the BWF Laws of Badminton defines the test. A player hits the shuttle with a full underhand stroke, making contact over the back boundary line, at an upward angle and parallel to the sidelines. A shuttle of correct speed lands not less than 530 mm and not more than 990 mm short of the other back boundary line. Short of that band, the shuttle is too slow: go one number up. Past it (or on the line), too fast: go one number down. Test with two or three shuttles and in the hall you will play in; the court dimensions page shows where the optional testing marks go.
Feather vs nylon shuttles
Feather shuttles (16 feathers fixed in a cork base, per Law 2) fly the true badminton trajectory: fast off the racket, then a steep drop. Nylon (plastic) shuttles last much longer and cost less per session, but the skirt deforms at high speed, so their drag changes with speed and the flight never quite matches a feather. Most clubs use nylon for practice and casual play and feathers for matches. Learn the terms in the glossary.
Nylon shuttle speed colours
| Cap colour (Yonex Mavis) | Speed | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Slow | 22–33°C (72–91°F) |
| Blue | Medium | 12–23°C (54–73°F) |
| Red | Fast | 0–13°C (32–55°F) |
These are the bands Yonex gives for its Mavis range, as listed by retailers. Other brands use their own colour codes, so check the tube.
Shuttle speed vs smash speed
The number on the tube is not how fast the shuttle travels. Every feather shuttle leaves a hard smash at hundreds of km/h and then loses about half its speed every 3 m or so; the speed rating just nudges how far it carries. A faster rated shuttle will make your clears land a little deeper, not your smash noticeably quicker. To measure the smash itself, use the smash speed calculator.
New to the rules around the shuttle? If the base separates from the feathers mid-rally, or the shuttle is caught in the net after the serve has been returned, it's a let: see faults and lets and the full badminton rules guide.
Frequently asked questions
What do the numbers 76, 77, 78 and 79 mean on shuttlecocks?
They are speed ratings. A higher number is a slightly heavier shuttle that flies faster and further. Use higher numbers in cold halls and lower numbers in hot halls or at altitude, so the shuttle always flies about the same distance.
Which shuttlecock speed should I use: 76 or 77?
By Yonex's temperature key, 76 suits about 27–33°C (81–91°F) and 77 about 22–28°C (72–82°F). Between 27 and 28°C either can work; do the BWF test and pick the one that lands 530–990 mm short of the back line.
Do I need a faster or slower shuttle when it's cold?
Faster. Cold air is denser, so it slows the shuttle more and clears fall short. A higher speed number (78 or 79) compensates.
How do you test a shuttlecock's speed?
Under BWF Law 3, hit it with a full underhand stroke from over one back boundary line, upward and parallel to the sidelines. A correct shuttle lands between 530 mm and 990 mm short of the opposite back boundary line.
What shuttle speed should I use at high altitude?
A slower one. Thinner air means less drag, so shuttles fly further. Above about 1,000 m even the slowest standard speeds can fly long, and specially made altitude shuttles are often used. Always confirm with the test.
What do the cap colours on nylon shuttles mean?
On Yonex Mavis nylon shuttles, green is slow (about 22–33°C), blue is medium (about 12–23°C) and red is fast (about 0–13°C). Other brands use their own codes.
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