📐 Arrow Length Calculator

Enter your draw length and desired clearance past full draw (typically 0.5-1.5 inches depending on your rest and riser) to get a recommended arrow length.

Draw length (in)

Clearance (in)

What the tool adds up

The arithmetic is one addition, and both numbers are yours to supply:

arrow length = draw length + clearance

The defaults, a 28 in draw and 1 in of clearance, give a 29.00 in shaft. Clearance is the margin between where the point sits at full draw and the front of the rest; the page suggests 0.5-1.5 in because rests and riser cut-outs differ that much, not because one value suits every bow. Ask for 0.5 in instead and you get 28.50 in.

Measure before you cut

Arrow length is not the arrow you hold. The ATA/AMO measurement runs from the throat of the nock groove to the end of the shaft, with the insert and point excluded. Spine charts expect that number.
Check it at full draw. Nock an uncut shaft, come to full draw with someone marking the shaft at the front of the rest, then let down and measure. That mark, not a formula, is where your minimum sits.
A shorter shaft is a stiffer shaft. Trimming changes dynamic spine, so a length change means re-reading the spine chart for the arrow you are building.

An arrow short enough to come off the rest at full draw can break on the shelf or go through your bow hand. This page does no safety check whatsoever — it adds two numbers. If your draw length is measured wrong, everything downstream of it, including the spine you buy, is wrong too.

Frequently asked questions

How long should arrows be for a 28 inch draw length?

With 1 in of clearance this page returns 29.00 in, but your rest position and riser decide the real minimum, so mark a full-length shaft at full draw before you trust any figure. Longer than needed is recoverable; too short is not.

Does cutting an arrow shorter change the spine?

Yes. A shorter shaft flexes less for the same draw weight, so it behaves stiffer. Re-check the manufacturer's spine chart for your finished length and point weight rather than assuming the same shaft still suits.

Is arrow length measured including the point?

No. Measure from the throat of the nock groove to the cut end of the shaft and leave the insert and point out of it. Quote that length when ordering or when reading a spine chart.