Dunk Calculator
Vertical Jump

Vertical Jump Calculator

Work out your vertical from the highest point you can touch, see how it scores against real benchmarks, and find out exactly what it unlocks — net, backboard, rim, or dunk.

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Metric: fill in Height (cm) and enter every other length in cm

ft

Imperial only — whole numbers (4–9)

in
cm

Metric only — use this instead of feet and inches

in / cm

How high you touch flat-footed. Leave blank to estimate from height

in / cm

Optional: sharpens the reach estimate when standing reach is unknown

in / cm

Optional: your best jump-touch, run-up included — we derive your vertical from it

Optional: pick what you can reach at a hoop and we work the height out for you

ft / cm

Feet in imperial (10 = regulation), centimetres in metric (305)

in / cm

Leave blank to see only what's needed

Fancier finishes need more hand above the rim — the arm has further to travel

in / cm

Optional: thumb tip to little-finger tip, hand spread. Palming the ball needs less clearance

Optional — select your unit (lb or kg) in the field below

Unit for the body weight entered above

How to measure your vertical jump

Your vertical jump comes down to one subtraction, nothing more. Take the highest point your fingertips reach on your best jump, subtract the highest point you can touch standing flat-footed, and that's it — hang time, takeoff speed, whether you can dunk, all of it falls out of those two numbers.

Grab a wall, stand side-on to it in bare feet or thin socks, and reach straight up. Press the shoulder as far as it goes and mark where your fingertips land — that's your standing reach. Now jump: three attempts, best one counts, mark the wall at the top of each. Subtract the first mark from the second and that gap is your vertical.

Measure the same way every time or the number means nothing. Shoes add an inch or two. A run-up sneaks in three to five more. Even a lazy shoulder on the standing-reach mark can cost you two inches — enough to knock you down a whole tier on the table below. If you're only ever comparing today's jump to last month's, consistency beats precision every time.

Working out your vertical without a jump mat

No wall, no chalk, no problem. If there is a fixed height you already know you can touch — the rim at 120 inches, the bottom of the backboard at 108, the top of the net — hand that number to the calculator above along with your standing reach, and it runs the subtraction for you.

A touch you have actually measured against something real is usually the most honest number you will get. It already has your real jump baked in, run-up and all — which is exactly why no extra approach bonus gets tacked on top of it. That bonus would just be double-counting what is already in the measurement.

Standing vertical versus running vertical

A standing vertical starts from a dead stop, flat-footed. A running vertical lets you take a one- to three-step approach first, turning your speed into lift through that final plant step — typically worth three to five extra inches.

Both numbers are real. They just answer different questions. Combine testing reports the standing number because it isolates raw explosiveness, no run-up involved. Whether you can actually throw one down in a game is a running-vertical question — nobody dunks from a standstill if they have a choice. Here's the reality: when someone quotes a vertical without saying which kind, assume they mean the bigger, more flattering number.

What your vertical jump actually unlocks

Benchmarks for adult men, with milestones worked for a 6'0" player with an average 95.8" standing reach on a regulation 10-foot rim. A longer reach shifts every milestone down; a shorter one shifts it up. Run your own reach through the calculator above for your version of this table.
VerticalTierWhat it unlocks at 6'0"
12–18"BeginnerTouch the net. The backboard arrives at 12.2".
19–25"IntermediateTouch the backboard, then the rim itself at 24.2".
26–32"AdvancedHang on the rim. A one-hand dunk opens up at 30.2".
33–40"EliteTwo-hand dunks from 33.2". Windmills become plausible.
41"+ProSlam dunk contest territory — roughly Spud Webb's 46".

Vertical jump questions, answered

The numbers people ask for most, using benchmarks for adult men. Your own standing reach decides what any given vertical is worth — run it through the calculator above.

What is a good vertical jump?

For an adult man, anything above 24 inches is above average, 28 inches is roughly the NBA average, and 32 inches or more puts you in the top few percent of recreational athletes.

  • Context matters more than the raw number: a 28" vertical on a 6'4" frame dunks comfortably, while the same 28" at 5'8" does not reach the rim.
  • For women, the equivalent bands sit roughly six to eight inches lower.
  • Untrained adults typically test between 14 and 20 inches, which is why a first training block often produces the fastest gains you will ever see.

What is the average vertical jump?

Untrained adult men average roughly 16 to 20 inches, trained recreational athletes land in the low-to-mid 20s, and NBA players average about 28 inches standing and closer to 35 inches with a running approach.

  • The NBA Combine measures both a standing vertical and a max running vertical, which is why two very different figures get quoted for the same players.
  • Averages are a weak guide for dunking, because standing reach varies far more between people than vertical does.

How do I calculate my vertical from my touch height?

Subtract your standing reach from the highest point you can touch on a jump — if you touch the 120-inch rim and your standing reach is 92 inches, your vertical is 28 inches.

  • Enter the touch height in the "Highest Point You Can Touch" field above and the calculator does this for you.
  • Because a measured touch already includes your run-up, no approach bonus is added on top of it.
  • Useful reference heights: rim 120", bottom of the backboard 108", top of a regulation backboard 150".

How much can I add to my vertical jump?

Most untrained adults add 10 to 15 inches over three to six months of structured training, and progress slows sharply after that.

  • The first gains come from strength — squats and deadlifts — because you cannot express power you have not built.
  • Plyometrics such as depth jumps and bounds convert that strength into fast force, which is what a jump actually is.
  • Technique is the cheapest inch available: a full arm swing and a proper plant step are worth two to four inches on their own.

Frequently asked questions

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