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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.
Best value outdoor ball
Mikasa BX1000 Premium Rubber Basketball
1-yr warranty9.6/10Sizes 4 through 7 at $17 with a one-year warranty; the one to buy in whatever size the chart says.
$18.33Amazon#ad · Price as of November 5, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to Mikasa BX1000 Premium Rubber Basketball
Best outdoor ball in youth sizes
Spalding Street Outdoor Basketball
1-yr warranty9.6/10Sizes 5, 6 and 7 in Spalding's outdoor rubber; the driveway ball for the youth standard years.
$29.99Amazon#ad · Price as of November 5, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to Spalding Street Outdoor Basketball
Best premium youth ball
Goalrilla Hype Youth Basketball 27.5
Warranty: not published8.9/10A composite-leather size 5 for the 7-8 age band, rated indoor and outdoor.
$69.95Amazon#ad · Price as of November 5, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to Goalrilla Hype Youth Basketball 27.5
How we picked
What earns a pick on this page
Every pick here is built from figures you can check for yourself: the maker's published backboard, pole, overhang and adjustment specs; the hole size, bag count and cure time printed in its install manual; the warranty term in the maker's own wording, exclusions included, with the date we read it; and the failure patterns owners report (base cracking, backboard fogging, two-piece pole lean), which shape the “skip this if” line. Every figure links to where it came from.
Those figures go through one fixed rubric, so an 8.1 here means the same thing as an 8.1 anywhere else on the site and the top pick is the one that earns it for the driveway it is named for. 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
- Hoop height by ageThe other half of the standard.
- Best outdoor basketballsRanked, by size availability too.
- Best hoops for kidsThe rim to pair with the ball.
- Training aids for kidsThe ball is the first aid.
- Basketball gifts for kidsA right-sized ball is the easy gift.
- Best basketballs for kidsThe balls that come in these sizes.
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)
Every figure above is a published one you can click and check. 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. Buy buttons go straight to the current Amazon listing, so the price you see is today's. Where a maker leaves a figure off the page, the card says “not published” rather than guessing. Read how we pick.