The Skateboard Wheel Hardness Scale Explained

Shore Durometer A Scale Versus Shore Durometer B Scale

Bones Wheels have been formulating and pouring their own wheels in their Goleta, California factory for years, their product is great, so let's start here. According to the Bones Wheels website:

"Shore Durometer A Scale is good, but does not cover the entire range of skate wheel hardness and is very limited because the scale goes from 1 to 100 and anything over A 95A does not compute accurately.

Shore Durometer B Scale is perfect for skate wheels because:

1. It is very similar to the A Scale, but reads 20 points lower, allowing the useful scale to be extended by 20 points, which covers the entire hardness range of skate wheels in one scale. It uses the same soft spring as the A Gauge, but the conical gauge needle of the D Scale.
2. Because the spring is soft, the B Scale gauge needle does not puncture the skin of the wheel surface, resulting in the same reliable reading as the A Scale does."

That said, pretty much every other skate wheel brand uses the A scale...

In recent years, a few brands have finally broken the code and made wheels that are both soft and slideable, an actual real breakthrough in skateboard technology—of which aren't too often. We've listed a few of the most popular ones below.

Powell Peralta Dragon Formula

Bones Wheels, or Powell Peralta actually, broke new ground in wheel formulas when they unveiled Dragon Formula to the world in 2022. A 93A soft wheel that slides like a street wheel—NBD! Of course we were all skeptical, but once you rode the wheels, you found out the claim was true!

Bones X Formula

Bones Wheels couldn't have its sister company hogging all the glory and use of the Dragon Formula. Bones hardened it up into 95A, 97A and 99A and called it X Formula, and it works! Softer ride with slideability. Truly an incredible breakthrough. 

Spitfire Andrew Reynolds Formula Four 93

Seeing this new breakthrough in the wheel market, Spitfire had to step their game up and get on Bones' level. Marquee rider Andrew Reynolds was the perfect marketing vehicle to unveil its new soft, 93A formula that slid like Bones' new formulas. If it works for The Boss, it'll work for whatever you're skating. 

What’s the Best Durometer for You?

As we've said before, if you're skating street and you want a slideable, responsive wheel, go hard. 99A-101A is what you're going to want. For transition skating, you might want to go softer to smooth over those ramp seams and lumpy DIY hand-poured concrete transitions. Low 90s to high 80s might be the ticket. If you're just looking to cruise or set up a back-up board for transportation, get some straight up softies. Bones makes it easy on you with its Street Tech Formula and Skatepark Formula—durometers for dummies!

What's the Most Popular Durometer? 

Ask any skate shop employee and they'll probably tell you 99A is the most popular duro going. It's not the hardest, but it's the most versatile. 

As always, support your local skate shop! The employees there, who actually skate, will help you with all your questions.