# 16" Softball Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 24, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403 "2014-09-24T03:16:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403/1 "2014-09-24T03:16:16Z")
I play a lot of softball here in San Diego. Like most places outside Chicago, it’s 12". Next week I’ll be organizing what I grew up with…16". Not sure of what bats are being used in Chicago these days. Wood? Aluminum? Composite? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403/2 "2014-09-24T03:22:30Z")
Wood. The leagues I played in (this was the 90’s and 00’s mind you) would check each bat and it had to have “16 inch official” stamped on it by the manufacturer. Any good sporting store in Chicago will have plenty of them. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403/3 "2014-09-24T12:38:10Z")
Thanks. Anyone know if there is any difference between a “16 inch softball” bat and an “ASA” softball bat? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403/4 "2014-09-24T13:57:12Z")
What exactly is “12 inch softball” or “16 inch softball”? I’m having a hard time thinking of anything in softball which could plausibly have those measurements. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403/5 "2014-09-24T14:46:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What exactly is “12 inch softball” or “16 inch softball”? I’m having a hard time thinking of anything in softball which could plausibly have those measurements. It’s the circumference of the ball. I’m totally being whooshed here, aren’t I? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403/6 "2014-09-24T14:50:44Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > It’s the circumference of the ball. I’m totally being whooshed here, aren’t I? 😕 No, I assumed that they would use the diameter of the ball as the sizing dimension and I think **Chronos** did as well. Weird that they would use the circumference. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403/7 "2014-09-24T16:12:29Z")
Yeah, when I hear “12 inch ball”, I think basketball-sized (or a bit larger, I think), not softball-sized. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403/8 "2014-09-24T16:58:42Z")
Baseballs are measured by circumference. Even in Major League Baseball. \*By definition, a baseball is “9 to 9.25 inches or 22.86 to 23.495 centimeters in circumference.” That means that the diameter is between 2.864788975 and 2.944366447 inches or 7.276564 and 7.478691 centimeters (an average of 2.904577711 inches or 7.377627 centimeters). The weight is defined as, “between 5 and 5.25 ounces or 141.747615625 and 148.8349964063 grams.”\* > **[What is the official size of a baseball? - Answers](https://sports.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_official_size_of_a_baseball)** > > By definition, a Baseball is "9 to 9.25 inches or 22.86 to > 23.495 centimeters in circumference." That means that the diameter > is between 2.864788975 and 2.944366447 inches or 7.276564 and > 7.478691 centimeters (an average of 2.904577711 inches or... ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403/9 "2014-09-24T18:26:32Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > No, I assumed that they would use the diameter of the ball as the sizing dimension and I think **Chronos** did as well. Weird that they would use the circumference. It makes perfect sense. It’s fairly easy to measure the circumference with a tape measure. Not so easy to get an accurate diameter without some kind of caliper. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403/10 "2014-09-24T21:15:12Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > It makes perfect sense. It’s fairly easy to measure the circumference with a tape measure. Not so easy to get an accurate diameter without some kind of caliper. Good point ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-softball-question/699403/11 "2014-09-24T21:32:03Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > Thanks. Anyone know if there is any difference between a “16 inch softball” bat and an “ASA” softball bat? The NSA states: > [@](#): > > In 2011 the NSA announced a new 2012 bat standard and bat logo for its bats. Beginning 1/1/15 all bats used for NSA play will have to bear the NSA 2012 logo. See Rule 3 of the official NSA Rule Book for the logo. No bats will be grandfathered in that DO NOT bear that logo, No exceptions. NSA feels that this 4 year process has been fair and ample time to get plenty of use out of the bats not bearing the logo. You can find the rulebook here: [http://www.playnsa.com/Rulebook.aspx](http://www.playnsa.com/Rulebook.aspx)