Little League Rules for Wood Bats

The sound of a baseball hitting a bat causes cheers from crowds. In Little League baseball, the sound has changed over the years from the crack of a wooden bat to the more common ding of a non-wooden bat. While most youth leagues use non-wooden bats, wooden bats are still present. Little League rules and guidelines differ slightly on wooden and non-wooden bats.

  1. Bat Length

    • Little League wooden bats for kids ages 7 to 12 can be no longer than 33 inches in length. The bat barrel can measure no larger than 2 3/4 inches in diameter for a wooden bat and 2 1/4 inches for a non-wood bat.

    Bat Weight

    • No maximum or minimum official rules govern the weight of Little League bats. However, officials suggest that kids who weigh less than 48 pounds use a bat weighing 16 ounces or less. Kids weighing over 150 pounds should use a bat weighing around 23 ounces. Practically, the ideal weight of the bat depends on how quickly the child can swing it.

    Wood or Non-Wood Use

    • While wooden bats are rarely used in most current Little Leagues, there are no rules against their use. The main reasons for the lack of wooden bat use include easy breakage and heavier weight per length of bat. Non-wooden bats tend to be lighter. The ball also tends to jump off the bat quicker with a non-wood bat.

    Bat Performance Factor

    • Bat Performance Factor (BFP) measures the increase in the liveliness of a ball hitting a bat compared to throwing the ball against a solid wall. Wooden bats receive no BFP rating, since their action is similar to throwing a ball against a wall. However, Little League requires a BFP rating of 1.15 or less for non-wooden bats, since their liveliness varies depending on what metal is used.