Hockey skate sharpening chart
A smaller radius of hollow (3/8", 7/16") cuts a deeper groove: more bite and sharper turns, but more drag. A bigger radius (5/8", 3/4", 1") is shallower: more glide, less bite. Common adult starting points are 1/2" or 5/8". From there, go deeper if your edges slip in turns and shallower if you feel stuck or tired.
Hollows
| Radius | Inches | Bite |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4" | 0.25 | Most bite1 |
| 5/16" | 0.3125 | Deep2,3 |
| 3/8" | 0.375 | Deep3,4,5,6 |
| 7/16" | 0.4375 | Deep3,4,5 |
| 1/2" | 0.5 | Middle, the most common shop default2,7,3,4,5,6 |
| 9/16" | 0.5625 | Middle2,3 |
| 5/8" | 0.625 | Middle, the next most common8,7,3,4,5,6 |
| 11/16" | 0.6875 | Shallow2,3 |
| 3/4" | 0.75 | Shallow, more glide8,3,4,5,6 |
| 13/16" | 0.8125 | Shallow2,3 |
| 7/8" | 0.875 | Shallow, more glide2,3 |
| 1" | 1.0 | Very shallow, most glide3,4 |
| 1-1/8" | 1.125 | Very shallow2,3 |
| 1-1/4" | 1.25 | Shallowest2,3 |
Which hollow for your weight?
Sources disagree on which way weight should push you. The Ice Box and Bauer start lighter players on shallower hollows, because a light player has less weight to push the edge in. Sparx and some pro shops do the opposite and give lighter players deeper hollows (Sparx: 1/2" for youth, 5/8" from high school up).
| Player | Starting hollow |
|---|---|
| Under 100 lb (The Ice Box) | 5/8" or 3/4"4 |
| 150 to 185 lb (The Ice Box) | 1/2"4 |
| 200 lb and up (The Ice Box) | 7/16" or 3/8"4 |
| Younger or lighter players (Bauer) | 3/4"8 |
| Older or heavier players (Bauer) | 5/8"8 |
| Youth (Sparx) | 1/2"7 |
| High school and up (Sparx) | 5/8"7 |
Treat any chart as a starting point and adjust after a skate or two.
Flat bottom V (FBV)
A flat bottom V (FBV) cut has a flat channel with angled sides instead of a round hollow. Blackstone Sports introduced it. The first number is the channel width (wider means more bite); the second is the depth of the flat: 1 is deepest, 75 middle, 50 shallowest.11,3,12
| FBV | Feels like |
|---|---|
| 100/75 | About a 3/8" to 1/2" hollow |
| 90/75 | About a 5/8" to 3/4" hollow. Blackstone calls it a good starting point for most skaters. |
| 90/50 | About a 1" hollow |
Charts do not agree on every equivalent: other shops' charts map some cuts differently (one maps 1/2" to 100/50), so ask your sharpener which equivalent they use.
How often to sharpen
- Sparx: about every 3 to 4 hours of ice time, depending on your weight, style and the ice.9
- The Ice Box: every 10 to 15 hours of ice for recreational players, every 6 to 8 hours for competitive players.4
- Hockey Canada: if you're on the ice more than three times a week, sharpen weekly, and sharpen whenever stopping or turning gets noticeably harder.10
- Check your edges before every skate: nicks and dull spots cost you grip.9
Sources
- Source for Sports - Top 3 skate sharpening tips (retailer)
- Sparx - Choose your grinding ring (sharpener manufacturer)
- KK Skate - Blackstone Flat Bottom V sharpening (shop, 'based on Blackstone's FBV sharpening scale')
- The Ice Box - Skate Hollow Guide (retailer)
- Hockey Stick Man - Skate Sharpening 101 (retailer)
- HP's Sport Shop - Blademaster professional sharpening (shop)
- Sparx - Sharpening 101: Radius of Hollow (sharpener manufacturer)
- Bauer - The Ultimate Skate Buying Guide (manufacturer)
- Sparx - Sharpening 101: Skate sharpening basics (sharpener manufacturer)
- Hockey Canada - Safety/Insurance guide, Equipment Tips: Skates p.73 (governing body)
- Blackstone Sports - FBV: The Best of Both Worlds (FBV inventor)
- How To Hockey - Flat Bottom V