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Helmets & Catcher's Gear · Guide

Batting helmet size chart: how to measure your kid's head and match it to a shell

Helmets are sold by hat size, kids' heads are measured in inches, and the makers each cut their shells differently. The measuring method, the conversion table, every youth shell range we could find on a maker's page, the wobble test, and one helmet per size band.

By Mike M.Updated Sourced · gear tested by us: 0

#adReader-supported: we may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never decides a pick. How we pick · Disclosure

A rolled tape measure on a vintage wooden table in warm light
Illustrative stock photo. It does not show a specific product on this page.

How to measure

Rawlings' instruction, printed on its helmet pages: “For helmet size, measure the circumference of the head just above the ears and refer to the chart.” Use a soft sewing tape (or a string and a ruler), keep it level across the forehead about an inch above the eyebrows and just above the ears, snug but not tight, and read the inches to the nearest eighth. Measure twice; a kid moves.

Inches to hat size

Head circumferenceHat size
19 5/8 in6 1/4
20 in6 3/8
20 3/8 in6 1/2
20 3/4 in6 5/8
21 1/8 in6 3/4
21 1/2 in6 7/8
22 in7
22 3/8 in7 1/8
22 3/4 in7 1/4
23 1/8 in7 3/8
23 1/2 in7 1/2
24 in7 5/8

Hat size is circumference in inches divided by pi, rounded to the nearest eighth; the same arithmetic as Rawlings' own table (which pairs, for example, 21 1/2–22 in with 6 7/8–7).

Every youth shell's range (from the makers' pages)

MakerShellHat sizeCircumference
RawlingsCoolFlo T-Ball (CFTB / RCTFTB)6 1/4–6 7/819 5/8–21 1/2 in (Rawlings prints 19 5/8–24 1/2 for the CFTB row; the hat-size range is the narrower figure)
RawlingsCoolFlo Youth (RCFH)6 1/2–7 1/220 3/8–23 1/2 in
RawlingsMach / Velo Junior6 3/8–7 1/820–22 3/8 in
RawlingsMach / Velo Senior6 7/8–7 5/821 1/2–24 in
RawlingsMach FitOne size fits most (maker)—
EastonZ50 Small/Medium6 1/2–7 1/820 3/8–22 3/8 in
EastonZ50 Medium/Large7–7 5/822–24 in
EastonZ50 XL7 1/2–8 1/823 1/2–25 1/2 in
EastonPro Max Medium/Large6 5/8–7 1/420 3/4–22 3/4 in
EastonPro Max Large/XL7 1/8–7 1/222 3/8–23 1/2 in

Hat-size ranges quoted from the Rawlings helmet size tables (on the CoolFlo Max page) and the Easton Z50 and Pro Max spec pages. Circumference columns are our conversion. The RX2 is sold as Junior and Senior; Rawlings' page does not print the range, so use the Mach/Velo Junior and Senior rows as the guide and check the fit.

The fit test

  1. Helmet on level, brim about an inch above the eyebrows.
  2. Ear holes over the ears.
  3. Kid shakes his head hard: the helmet should move with the head, not slide on it.
  4. Kid bends forward and looks at his feet: it should not fall off.
  5. Two fingers should not fit between the padding and the forehead.

Rawlings sells fit kits (extra pads) for the Mach and RX2 lines and the Mach Fit has a flex system that adjusts to the head; those are the answers for a kid between shells.

Typical size by age

Typical, not a rule; measure. Tee ball kids (4–6) usually land in the T-Ball shell (6 1/4–6 7/8). Seven- to nine-year-olds typically measure 6 1/2 to 7 (Youth or Small/Medium). Ten- to twelve-year-olds 6 7/8 to 7 1/4 (Junior, S/M or M/L). Thirteen and fourteen 7 to 7 1/2 (Senior or M/L). The full ranked helmets by age are on best youth batting helmets.

One helmet per size band

Our picks for this

One helmet per size band

Chosen from the site's rankings; each card quotes the maker's size range and certification statement (or tells you to check the mark inside the shell where the page does not print it).

  • Illustrative stock photo: a batter at a sunlit field preparing to swingStock photo

    Best youth batting helmet overall

    Rawlings CoolFlo Max (Youth & T-Ball)

    Youth and T-Ball sizesNOCSAE: check mark9.3/10

    T-Ball and Youth shells, per Rawlings' tables 6 1/4-6 7/8 and 6 1/2-7 1/2: the helmet for 4 to 9.

    Check price · Amazon

    #ad · Price set by Amazon · Disclosure for the link to Rawlings CoolFlo Max (Youth & T-Ball)

  • Illustrative stock photo: a batter at a sunlit field preparing to swingStock photo

    Best Easton youth helmet

    Easton Z50 Matte

    Small/Medium 6 1/2–7 1/8, Medium/Large 7–7 5/8, XL 7 1/2–8 1/8NOCSAE9.2/10

    Three shells with printed ranges (6 1/2-7 1/8, 7-7 5/8, 7 1/2-8 1/8) and an SEI/NOCSAE line on the page: the easiest helmet to buy online by measurement.

    Check price · Amazon

    #ad · Price set by Amazon · Disclosure for the link to Easton Z50 Matte

  • Illustrative stock photo: a batter at a sunlit field preparing to swingStock photo

    Best helmet for 10–14 (Junior/Senior)

    Rawlings RX2 (Junior & Senior)

    Junior and Senior sizesNOCSAE9.2/10

    Junior and Senior shells for 10 to 14, with the NOCSAE certification stated in the description.

    Check price · Amazon

    #ad · Price set by Amazon · Disclosure for the link to Rawlings RX2 (Junior & Senior)

How we picked these

Gear we claim to have tested: 0

Plenty of sites say they swung every bat on the list in a lab. We don't say that, and we say so on every page. What we do instead: check each bat against the governing bodies' certification rules and the maker's stated stamp; compile sizing from the makers' own age, height and hand charts; read the published specs (drop, barrel, construction, closure, cleat type); and read the complaint patterns in retailer reviews for the “skip it if” line. Every figure links to where it came from.

Scores are editorial judgments from that documented research, not test results. Commissions never set a score or decide a pick. The rubric and its weights are published.

Questions parents ask

Frequently asked

How do you measure a head for a batting helmet?
Soft tape around the head just above the ears and eyebrows, level, snug. Read the inches; divide by 3.14 for hat size.
What size batting helmet for a 7-year-old?
Most 7-year-olds measure 20 3/8–22 in, hat size 6 1/2–7: Rawlings' Youth CoolFlo shell or Easton's Z50 Small/Medium. Measure to be sure.
What size batting helmet for a 10-year-old?
Typically 21 1/2–22 3/4 in, hat size 6 7/8–7 1/4: Rawlings Junior (to 7 1/8) or Senior, Easton Z50 S/M or M/L depending on the exact number.
Is a batting helmet supposed to be tight?
Snug: it moves with the head, not on it, with no room for two fingers between the pad and the forehead. Padding compresses over a season, so start snug.
What is the difference between a junior and senior batting helmet?
Shell size. Rawlings' Junior is 6 3/8–7 1/8 and Senior 6 7/8–7 5/8 on the Mach and Velo; they overlap at 6 7/8–7 1/8, where you pick by the fit test.

Keep reading

Related on Bat & Bucket

Receipts

Sources

  1. Rawlings: CoolFlo Max youth batting helmet (helmet size tables)
  2. Rawlings: Mach batting helmet (Junior/Senior sizing table)
  3. Rawlings: Mach Fit batting helmet
  4. Rawlings: RX2 batting helmet
  5. Easton: Z50 batting helmet (sizes, NOCSAE)
  6. Easton: Pro Max helmet with jaw guard

We don't claim to have swung, worn or tested this gear, and we don't pretend to. Gear we claim to have tested: 0. Certification rules come from the governing bodies' own pages (Little League, USA Baseball, USSSA, NOCSAE), sizes from the makers' sizing charts, and specs from the maker's product page or the retailer listing named on each product. Amazon prices change often, so we don't print them. Where a figure isn't published, we say so. Read the full method.

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