Scale Explorer

Sports

How big is a baseball?

Baseball

Circumference
22.9–23.5 cm 9–9.25 in range
Weight
0.142–0.149 kg 5–5.25 oz range
Show
US penny, Golf ball, Baseball, Human drawn to the same scaleUS penny: diameter 19.05 mm. Golf ball: diameter at least 4.27 cm. Baseball: circumference 22.9–23.5 cm. Human: height 1.61–1.75 m.US penny: 19.05 mmGolf ball: at least 4.27 cmBaseball: 22.9–23.5 cmHuman: 1.61–1.75 mHuman1.61–1.75 mBaseball22.9–23.5 cmGolf ballat least 4.27 cmUS penny19.05 mm
Everything is drawn to the same scale, standing on the same ground line. Silhouettes are simplified outlines scaled to the measured dimension. A faded outline shows the top of a size range.

Compare Baseball with something else →

Dimensions

MeasurementMetricImperialNotesSource
Circumference 22.9–23.5 cm 9–9.25 in Rule 3.01: not less than nine nor more than 9 1/4 inches in circumference. Range: varies [1]
Weight 0.142–0.149 kg 5–5.25 oz Rule 3.01: not less than five nor more than 5 1/4 ounces avoirdupois. Range: varies [1]

About the baseball

A baseball is made of yarn wound around a small cork or rubber core and covered with two strips of white horsehide or cowhide stitched together. Major League Baseball's Official Baseball Rules require it to measure 9 to 9 1/4 inches around. It must weigh between 5 and 5 1/4 ounces.

  • Under Rule 3.01, players may not intentionally discolor or damage the ball, for example by rubbing it with soil, rosin or sandpaper. [1]

How many fit?

  • ≈ 7.2 × Baseball · circumference lined up end to end match the Human · height
  • ≈ 520–640 × Baseball · weight on the scales weigh as much as Human · body mass
  • ≈ 12 × US penny · diameter lined up end to end match the Baseball · circumference
  • ≈ 58 × US penny · weight on the scales weigh as much as Baseball · weight

Counts divide one sourced figure by another. "End to end" uses each object's main measurement; weight and volume rows appear only when both figures are sourced.

How it compares

  • 12× A baseball is about 12 times as around as a US penny is wide. See side by side
  • 4.6× A baseball is about 4.6 times as around as an AA battery is tall. See side by side
  • 3.5× A baseball is about 3.5 times as around as a tennis ball is wide. See side by side
  • 1.9× A baseball is about 1.9 times as around as a soda can is tall. See side by side
  • 1.2× A baseball is about 1.2 times as around as a pencil is long. See side by side
  • 1/7.2 An average adult is about 7.2 times as tall as a baseball is around. See side by side

Factors compare the circumference of a baseball with each object’s own main measurement (height for a human). Where a size varies, the factor is given as a range.

Notes on these figures

  • The rules give circumference, not diameter; any diameter shown is calculated from it.

Sources

  1. Major League Baseball, Official Baseball Rules, 2026 Edition (Rule 3.01 The Ball). Accessed 25 September 2026.

Related objects