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The chart
| Age | Size | Circumference | Rim height | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | Size 3 (mini) or junior | About 22 in | Toddler set, 2.5-4 ft | Maker ratings (Little Tikes sets ship with junior balls) |
| 5 to 7 | Size 4 | 25.5 in | 4-7.5 ft | Maker sizes (Mikasa BX1000 lists 25.5 in size 4) |
| 7 to 8 | Size 5 | 27.5 in | 8 ft | NBA / USA Basketball youth standard |
| 9 to 11 | Size 6 | 28.5 in | 9 ft | NBA / USA Basketball youth standard |
| 12 and up, boys and men | Size 7 | 29.5 in | 10 ft | League play; the men's regulation ball |
| 12 and up, girls and women | Size 6 | 28.5 in | 10 ft | League play; the women's regulation ball |
The 7-8 and 9-11 rows are quoted from the NBA and USA Basketball standards document: “size 5, 27.5" circumference” and “size 6, 28.5" circumference.” The rows above and below it are the makers' own product sizes and the sizes leagues use; the standard does not specify a ball for 12-14 in the document we read, and the men's and women's sizes are the ones every maker labels as such.
Why the ball gets smaller
The standard's reasoning, in its words: “Using a smaller ball that is more proportional to the size of children's hands allows for better ball control, leading to enhanced skill development.” A 29.5-inch ball in a nine-year-old's hands forces a two-handed push from the chest; a 28.5 lets the guide hand come off and the shooting hand finish. The same logic drives the rim height; the two go together, which is why hoop height by age carries the same table from the other side.
Ball size and hoop height together
Which outdoor balls come in each size
Mikasa's BX1000 rubber ball lists sizes 7, 6, 5 and 4 (29.5, 28.5, 27.5, 25.5). Spalding's Street lists 7, 6 and 5. Goalrilla's Hype line is three balls: men's 29.5, women's 28.5 and youth 27.5, in composite leather. Spalding's Street Phantom and Goalrilla's indoor/outdoor composite are size 7 only. For a driveway the rubber balls last longest; best outdoor basketballs ranks them.
Our picks for this
One ball per approach
The budget ball in every size, the driveway ball in three sizes, and the premium youth ball. Sizes link to the makers.
Stock photoBest value outdoor ball
Mikasa BX1000 Premium Rubber Basketball
1-yr warranty8.9/10Sizes 4 through 7 at $17 with a one-year warranty; the one to buy in whatever size the chart says.
Check price · Amazon#ad · Price set by Amazon · Disclosure for the link to Mikasa BX1000 Premium Rubber Basketball
- Stock photo
Best outdoor ball in youth sizes
Spalding Street Outdoor Basketball
1-yr warranty8.7/10Sizes 5, 6 and 7 in Spalding's outdoor rubber; the driveway ball for the youth standard years.
Check price · Amazon#ad · Price set by Amazon · Disclosure for the link to Spalding Street Outdoor Basketball
- Stock photo
Best premium youth ball
Goalrilla Hype Youth Basketball 27.5
Warranty: not published6.5/10A composite-leather size 5 for the 7-8 age band, rated indoor and outdoor.
Check price · Amazon#ad · Price set by Amazon · Disclosure for the link to Goalrilla Hype Youth Basketball 27.5
How we scored this
Units we claim to have tested: 0
Everyone in this category says they tested twenty hoops. We haven't stood up any of them, and we say so on every page. What we do instead: read the maker's published backboard, pole, overhang and adjustment specs; open the install manual and quote the hole size, bag count and cure time; quote the warranty term from the maker's own page or manual with the date we read it; and note the failure patterns owners report (base cracking, backboard fogging, two-piece pole lean) as reported, never as confirmed. Every figure links to where it came from.
Scores are editorial judgments from that documented research, not lab results. Commissions never set a score or decide a pick. The rubrics and their weights are published.
Questions
Frequently asked
What size basketball for a 10-year-old?
Size 6, 28.5 inches, per the NBA/USA Basketball standard for ages 9-11, on a 9-foot rim.
What size basketball for a 7-year-old?
Size 5, 27.5 inches, per the standard for ages 7-8, on an 8-foot rim.
What size basketball for a 5-year-old?
There is no official standard below 7; makers sell a size 4 (25.5 inches) for younger children, and toddler sets ship with junior balls.
What size basketball do women use?
Size 6, 28.5 inches, in league play; men use size 7, 29.5 inches.
Keep reading
Related on Rim & Rebound
Receipts
Sources
- NBA / USA Basketball — age-appropriate rules and standards for youth basketball (basket height and ball size by age; read 2026-09-21)
- Mikasa Sports USA — BX1000 Series product page (read 2026-09-21)
- Spalding — Street Outdoor Basketball product page (read 2026-09-21)
- Goalrilla — Hype Youth Basketball 27.5" (B9045W) product page (read 2026-09-21)
- Little Tikes — TotSports Easy Score Basketball Set with 3 Basketballs product page (read 2026-09-21)
We haven't stood one of these up ourselves and we don't pretend to. Units we claim to have tested: 0. Specs come from the maker's own product pages (linked on every product), install figures from the maker's manual or installation page with the date we read it, and warranty terms from the maker's warranty page or manual. Amazon prices change often, so we don't print them. Where a figure isn't published, we say so. Read how we pick.