One of the most important pieces of equipment to protect football players is a helmet, which can cost over $300. Football helmets come in different sizes and shapes depending on how they will be worn by their player (i.e., high school vs. college). A good fit ensures that the helmet stays securely on during play and doesn’t interfere with vision or hearing abilities.
A football helmet is not designed to protect you from breaking your neck but rather to absorb the impact of an injury by spreading it out over a larger area of your head and body. This saves you from having more serious injuries that can happen with heavy impacts like skull fractures or brain damage.
This blog post focuses on the proper weight parameters of different football helmets.
Table of Contents
Why is Football Helmet Weight Important?
Helmets were originally worn by soldiers to protect their heads from injury. In 1896, a few athletes including the inventor Lafayette College halfback George “Rose” Barclay started to use straps and earpieces to protect their ears [1]. They wore football helmets as protection because they had been previously injured and wanted to prevent further harm. These experimental helmets weighed around 5 pounds. They consisted of leather or cork with thick padding on the inside that covered all parts of a player’s head except for his eyes and mouth.
Nowadays football players wear helmets during every game in order to protect themselves against injuries that could be caused by blocking another player or being hit while playing defense. If you are wondering how much does a football helmet weighs, these weights vary depending on various factors such as size and age; however, most will fall within the range of 2 to 5 pounds [2].
Although it is important for players to wear helmets in order to protect themselves from injuries they may sustain during play, most people simply do not like wearing them because they feel bulky and cumbersome. As long as you are playing at your best ability, whether or not you choose to wear protective headgear should be up to you!
The Football Helmet Weights Are Not Standardized
The weights are not standardized between manufacturers or even models. Some helmets can be over 3 pounds heavier than others in the same size range can.
A number of factors affect how heavy a helmet will feel when worn:
- liner materials;
- face mask design (wire vs. no wire);
- chinstrap design (full strap vs. split strap);
Generally speaking though, players who wear more advanced designs with less exposed surface area tend to complain less about wearing their helmets during play compared to those that use outdated models without updated protective features like air bladders for absorbing impact energy or visors for deflecting errant balls away from scratching eyes.
The Additional Weight
Despite the fact that the average weight of a football helmet is between 2 and 5 pounds, a facemask can increase the total weight by 10 pounds [3]. Stainless steel, carbon steel, and tungsten are the three materials used in masks. Because each has a different level of flexibility and durability, select one that best matches your requirements.
Football helmets also have additional weights due to aerodynamics. When players turn fast during playtime, they need more support at their neck level so that they do not injure their neck. This additional weight to support this function can cause football helmets to weigh up to an extra pound.
Pads on the inside of helmets can also serve several purposes, depending on their design. They may provide comfort or even protect you from injury. Unfortunately, they also add to the weight of your gear and increase your chances of getting injured. To improve safety and protection, players add extra padding to their helmets in order to avoid concussions or fractures.
How Much Does a Standard Football Helmet Weigh?
Standard football helmets with masks weigh between 4 and 6 pounds[4]. The helmet has to meet the safety standards of the National Operating Committee on Standards in Athletic Equipment (a.k.a. NOCSAE). They may be made from a number of different materials, including steel or plastic. However, these metals can make the helmet weigh much more than that because it is important to have enough protection for players during playtime.
How much do SG helmets weigh?
The newest designs of football helmets are based on a helmet designed by racing car driver Bill Simpson in the years following his first NFL game in 2010.
Due to its lighter weight, greater transparency, and better bendability, the prototype was met with enthusiasm. It also utilized a design that had not been seen before – Carbon Kevlar in place of hard plastic used in football helmets. Inside of Simpson’s helmets was more flexible thanks to Carbon Kevlar, making them better able to absorb the impact and shock of a blow.
Furthermore, Carbon Kevlar is lighter than usual, allowing Simpson’s brand (SG) to produce adult helmets in just 2.4-2.6 pounds. SG Helmets offers helmets for kids that weigh just 1.8 pounds. The SG football helmet is far lighter than normal helmets [5].
How Much Does an NFL Helmet Weigh?
The average NFL helmet weighs between 4.25 and 4.75 lbs [6]. This means that the average NFL player wears a helmet that weighs nearly as much as his brain! Helmets are made of hard, durable plastic. Over time, the impact from repeated physical contact breaks down the material and makes it more likely to crack.
There can be wide variations in weight and protection provided between different brands and models of helmets.
How Much Does Varsity Helmet Weigh?
A football helmet must be able to withstand multiple impacts without causing any damage. It should have a safe impact management system so the brain is not disturbed inside the skull.
A good varsity football helmet can provide protection because it has an outer shell that’s designed for safety, but also needs to function as well as possible on game day. Such football helmets are made out of hard plastic and polycarbonate materials that make them weigh about three pounds or more depending upon model type.
On average, varsity helmets weigh from 3 to 5.5 pounds [7].
Are Heavier Football Helmets Safe?
According to recent studies by scientists at Virginia Tech University[8] , there was no evidence found that shows a greater rate of concussion for lighter or heavier weighted helmets. Helmets can weigh more because they have added protective layers to absorb energy from hard impacts. In fact, adding extra padding actually makes it easier for an impact force on the skull because there’s less room for movement inside the helmet itself. That being said, if a player thinks his/her football helmet feels too heavy, you can always try to find a lighter model.
FAQ
How much should a full-size football helmet weigh?
A full-size football helmet weighs about 4 pounds. However, there are variations between the different types of helmets and manufacturers. For example, some helmets weigh as little as 3 pounds while others can weigh up to 5 or more pounds (depending on design).
The weight is not enough to make a significant difference in player safety but it does affect comfort level for players who wear them throughout an entire game or practice session. Players often complain that those with heavier designs interfere with their headsets during play so many coaches will ensure that they have lighter models available if necessary.
How heavy is a high school football helmet?
Adult football helmets weigh 2.0 to 6.0 pounds, whereas helmets for high school players weigh from 1.5 to 3.0 pounds [9].
How many grams does a football helmet weigh?
Adult football helmets can weigh between 900 and 2,800 grams[10].
How much weight do football pads add?
Football pads add a good amount of weight to the body – around 4-5 pounds [11]. One football player in full gear can weigh around 50 pounds more than he would without his equipment on! This means that if you are just wearing your shoulder pads and pants when doing squats or leg presses, then it is easier because you will be adding less overall weight to your body when compared with someone who has every single piece of their uniform on at once!
Additionally, since players tend to wear knee braces during their games as well (and these also add some significant extra weight), this adds even more pressure onto the joints throughout playtime making it harder to complete reps.
How heavy is a Knights football helmet?
A typical UCF Knights football helmet weighs approximately 5 pounds. The weight of the helmet is largely dependent on its size. Helmets that are sized for young players typically weigh less than those for older players.
How much do Schutt and Riddell football helmets weigh?
It should come as no surprise that the helmets offered by Schutt and Riddell weigh between 3 and 5 pounds, but even the difference of an ounce can have a significant impact on your game [12].
How to find the right size for your football helmet?
A football helmet should fit snugly and comfortably. It shouldn’t be too tight or too loose. To ensure that the best size is chosen, it is important to measure the circumference of the player’s head before buying a product.
The safest way to do this would be with help of flexible measuring tape. To get the circumference of a player’s head, one should measure around the widest part. This can be done by simply passing measuring tape over ears and up to eyebrows or even higher if necessary. It is important not to use string while trying on a helmet for sizing purposes because it will stretch which may result in incorrect size measurement. As soon as the right size is determined, players need to look at their facemask fit too since this also affects how well football helmets stay in place during play.
What is the lightest football helmet?
A football helmet is a piece of protective equipment used mainly in American Football and Canadian football to help protect players of the game from serious injury. It consists of an outer hard plastic shell, inner padding that absorbs impact, chin strap for stabilization (to prevent excessive movement), a face mask made out of metal or hardened plastics which helps defend against facial injuries like broken noses and teeth as well as head injuries such as concussions/headaches.
For example, the X2E+ Varsity helmet is considered as the lightest “Top-Performing” helmet – according to the NFL Helmet Test and it is 5-star rated by Virginia Tech experts [13].
What is considered a heavy football helmet?
A standard football helmet weighs approximately 3-5 pounds. This is considered a regular, standard football helmet. There are other helmets that weigh more than this for different reasons such as to help protect against concussions and injuries or if you play certain positions such as lineman where the force of the impact could be greater than usual. Helmets around 5-6 pounds are considered heavy.
Useful Video: How to Choose the Right Football Helmet?
References:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_helmet#Invention
- https://blog.sportsunlimitedinc.com/how-much-does-a-football-helmet-weigh/
- https://mybesthelmet.com/how-much-does-football-helmet-weigh/
- https://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/124602/inside-slant-re-imagining-nfl-helmets
- https://www.todayimhome.com/post/how-much-does-a-football-helmet-weigh
- https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2019-12-22/ask-sam-farmer-how-much-does-nfl-uniform-weigh
- https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/varsity-football-helmet-ratings.html
- https://www.archive.vtmag.vt.edu/winter17/helmet-research.html
- https://www.todayimhome.com/post/how-much-does-a-football-helmet-weigh
- https://www.todayimhome.com/post/how-much-does-a-football-helmet-weigh
- https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2019-12-22/ask-sam-farmer-how-much-does-nfl-uniform-weigh
- https://idswater.com/2021/01/09/how-much-does-a-full-size-football-helmet-weigh
- https://www.xenith.com/products/x2e-plus-varsity-helmet