Last Updated on May 5, 2022
“How much does a baseball weigh?” I heard this question once from one of my students. He asked me the question because I have introduced him to a new, different official regular ball.
The most important gears to play baseball are the bat and the ball, aren’t they? We all love to play baseball with proper measurements.
You may not feel the pitching or swinging if you do not hit a proper baseball. At least I am concerned about that part.
The weight of a baseball is one of the most important things that can be concerning. As we all know, in Major League Baseball, a lot of them are used per year.
And if you are a regular baseball player, have you ever asked yourself this question, how much will be the baseball weight?
Also, I have added how the baseball weight is measured properly. So, you can check it out below.
Did Baseball Weigh The Same All Time?
The baseball that you see today has not evolved overnight. It has passed many centuries and now it came to this shape and weight.
As a professional baseball player, I have researched a lot about the history of baseball and found some amazing data about baseball sizes, shapes, and weight conversions from the past to the present.
I will say this research had taken a lot of time. I had to discuss with a lot of historians who had previous knowledge about baseball. One of my friends who is a historian has said that there are a lot of eras that baseball has faced and the changes that appeared.
Then I dug up some more and here are all the changes that baseball has come through in history.
I had seen there are four eras in total where baseball evolved the most. These are-
- Dead Ball Era
- Live Ball Era
- World War II Era
- Modern Era
Dead Ball Era baseballs
I will say, the early dead-ball era is the most flexible era for baseball ball. Because in this era, people manufactured baseball by any criteria. From baseball weight to baseball design, all were different.
Did you know why this era is known as the “Dead Ball Era”? It’s because, in this era, the manufacturers were only producing soft playing balls. But this is the time when the manufacturing of baseball balls began.
The fact that surprised me the most is that all types of baseball were allowed to play. Then there came the National League which was established in 1876.
At that time, a pitcher named A.G. Spalding, a pitcher at that time manufactured one type of ball with a rubber core in it. So, the baseball weight was lower than usual. Then the National League adopted his creation.
So, at that time, the National League baseball weigh was different from today’s baseball.
Hence, at that time, home runs stopped coming from hitters. I have checked out a lot of matches from that time. You will be surprised that from 1900 to 1915, the run rate was way lower than today’s run rate.
Live Ball Era starting
I will say this is the actual era where proper baseball first originated. It was like a new ball had appeared. Before this time, pitchers were given priority as baseball was in their favor.
But with the help of A.G Spalding, who created another design of a new version of baseball that adopted the game very well. In the production of the new baseball, he used Australian wool.
After the new introduction of a type of Australian yarn ball using Australian wool, pitchers got a bit more confidence in hitting the ball properly. Inside of my head, it felt like the game was reincarnating!
The baseball’s weight and shape got a new look and design. This helped the hitters to increase home runs. But the problem arose when the pitchers were getting badly demotivated.
But don’t worry, I have some good news too! I told you before that this era is the time when baseball actually got reincarnated, right? In around 1934 or so, the standard manufacturing of baseball was started properly.
At this time of the era, manufacturers stopped using rubber core totally and replaced it using cushion core. The weight of baseball in the live-ball era was totally different than before.
World War II Era
As everyone knows, the World War II era was the most dreadful era for people all over the world including baseball players.
At that time, the baseball game was totally off. Players with high hopes were drafted into the army to provide manpower. From the research, I also found out that a rubber-like substance was synthesized in World War II. Therefore, there is no need to import from outside.
So, they started to make this plenty and the game started to put its value again. At that time, baseball weight was not different from the live era.
Modern Baseball – The Era With The Proper Baseball Weight
From the live era to the modern baseball era, there have not been any dramatic changes in baseball. So, the baseball weight does not differ that much either.
I have compared all the eras together (excluding the dead era) and they looked almost the same, or do they?
Before, rubber baseball used to be made in the live era. But now, after world war II ended, baseballs are made using the cork core and rubber mixture. The balls manufactured nowadays are quite stable than the other eras I dare say.
Because of the small changes in the cork core, the weight and the size of the balls have changed also.
You can check out how the baseball is manufactured properly-
How Much Do The Average Baseball Weigh?
Now, here comes the deep concerning matter, how much does the average baseball weigh?
As I have already told you about the variations of the weight, size, and shape of baseballs for historical changes, now you can learn the proper baseball weights.
Baseball’s average weight is around 5 to 5 and a one-fourth ounce (which basically comes around 142 to 149 grams specifically). The circumference of the baseball is around 9 to 9 and one-fourth.
But do you think that different leagues use the same baseball weight?
The Major League Baseball weight is 5 to 5 and one-fourth. But the little league baseball weights 4-5 ounces. That means MLB baseball weighs a bit different than Little League Baseball.
But if you want to look for some baseballs with good weight, I can suggest some. It is because I have quite a good experience with baseball balls. Among them, I got quite a good interest in Muhl Balls reviews. Have a look by yourself and you may like them too!
Different Weight Of baseballs
As I have mentioned above, there are different types of baseballs that you may find in the store. Now, why do they differ that much?
The reason behind this is the manufacturing materials. There are different types of materials used like rubbers, yarns, leathers, etc.
Here, look below for more info-
Ordinary Baseball Weight(MLB Baseball Weight)
If you are using any baseball professionally, you should read this one out. Because ordinary baseballs are used in professional play. And if you are not a professional, then check out the major league baseballs, also known as hard baseball.
Normally, Major League Baseball weighs heavier than other types. Why do you think the weight varies that much for this baseball?
This is because of the coating system. When I started researching, I found out that the hard baseball manufacturing process has a layer of cement that holds cowhide layers.
I have also found out that all these balls have the same sizes and weights. That’s why they are used in different professional matches like in the official MLB baseballs.
Rubber Baseball Weight
The popularity of these baseballs is not that well known. It was first found in Japan in the 1950s. Compared with the other baseballs, they are in the middle positions, which means less heavy than ordinary baseballs.
The rubber baseballs manufacturing process has a rubber cement coating. That’s why these baseball weights vary from other baseballs.
Although the rubber cement baseball weighs less than ordinary baseballs, I found out they do not get that much recognition all over the world. They are not even used in the American and National leagues standardized too.
But, then red rubber baseballs, synthetic rubber baseballs are very popular in Japan.
Do you know How many stitches are on a baseball? From this article, you can also learn how they make it. How many balls are used in a single MLB game and many other interesting facts to baffle your friends.
Soft Baseball Weight
If you have ever got in touch with official baseball, you will say comparably, that the soft baseballs weigh the least from them. Can you tell me how lighter can they be than typical baseball?
I got an estimation after doing some analysis, and it is kind of like this.
Soft baseballs, also you can say tennis balls, are almost 90% lighter than ordinary baseballs. If you check out the manufacturing process of these balls, you will see that the raw materials contain artificial leather.
In a high school baseball game, these balls are used a lot.
Measuring Procedure of The Baseball Weight
To figure out how much does a baseball weigh, I had gone through some mathematical problems.
According to the MLB baseballs weight measurement, I found that I need to multiply the volume of the ball by the density.
Normally, the theory works like this-
Mass = Volume x Density
Now, normally how do you think baseball is made? Of course, the revolving machine. But still, I worked on my own balls, the professional baseballs, of course, I found out the answer easily.
So, if you want to figure out how much does a baseball weigh, you can do it by yourself too right now.
By the way, are pitching machines good for batting practice using these balls? You can try it out.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Much Does A Baseball Weigh In Kilograms?
A baseball can weigh around 140-150 grams. If you convert it into kg, you will get around 0.14 to 0.15 kg. They are used almost in all official league matches.
I did an average weight measurement and got around 0.147 kg (Approximate).
2. Is The Procedure Of Manufacturing Baseball Complicated?
I will say the process of making baseballs process is so so. There is a lot of work to do when you want to produce baseball. Because in the more offensive game, the ball needs a lot of tension while the hitter is hitting.
That’s why there are a lot of synthetic materials used in baseball, but those materials should be used within game rules.
Final Words
How much does a baseball weigh? Now you can answer it yourself too. I think from my observation, you have gotten a fine idea.
Once it was favorable for pitchers and now it is favorable for hitters. I think it is a biased way to work on.
The finished ball should weigh in a proper manner. Overall, the balls used nowadays are good.
Still, you should check out before buying any baseball from the store.
One last thing. Do you how much a baseball bat weighs? It is more interesting than the ball's weight. We have covered it in How much a baseball bat weighs article.
Hello everyone. My name is Jason Butler, and I live in California, America. I was a professional AAA Minor League Baseball player. I lost my chance of playing MLB for injury issues, but I did not lose my love for baseball. I attended the coaching training program and am now working as a coach in a small school in San Diego.
I always love to share my experience and knowledge if that can help you. Play baseball, and stay fit.