Fingerboard Wheel Durometer Explained: Soft, Medium and Hard Wheels Compared
Wheel durometer is how hard the urethane is. It is measured on the A scale — 78A is soft, 101A is very hard — and it changes how your fingerboard behaves more than most people expect. Soft wheels grip and cushion but slow the board down. Hard wheels slide and roll fast but transmit every desk vibration to your fingers. For most riders, mid-range hardness around 95A is the honest default: fast enough to be lively, soft enough to grip when you land.
The A scale, in plain language
Durometer is a standard measurement of how much a material resists indentation. The A scale runs from 0 (softest) to 100+ (hardest). For urethane skateboard-family wheels, the useful range sits between about 78A and 101A. Below 78A the wheel feels almost like rubber and does not roll cleanly; above 101A you are in the territory of race-grade urethane that behaves closer to plastic.
The number is printed on the wheel or on the packaging. Two wheels of the same size and shape can behave dramatically differently based on their durometer alone.
What soft wheels do (78A–87A)
Soft wheels deform slightly under load, which gives them mechanical grip against the surface. On a fingerboard, this translates to trucks that don't skid unexpectedly, wheels that stay on rails longer, and a smoother ride over textured desks.
The trade-off is speed. Every push loses a small amount of energy to that deformation, so the board rolls a shorter distance and feels heavier under your fingers. Soft wheels also wear faster on rough surfaces — the same grip that holds them on the rail also drags off small amounts of urethane.
Buy soft if you want a forgiving, quiet ride on a smooth desk, or if you skate a lot of grippy obstacles where a hard wheel would slip.
What medium wheels do (88A–95A)
Medium is the standard hardness that most fingerboards ship with, and it is where the honest default sits for one-set-of-wheels riders. The board rolls freely enough to feel alive, but the wheels still grip enough for consistent landings.
If you are new, this is what you already have. Do not swap them until you know what you are trying to change.
What hard wheels do (96A–101A)
Hard wheels barely deform under load. That means less rolling resistance, longer roll distances per push, and a lively feel that experienced riders learn to prefer. They also slide more readily, which makes powerslides, ledge slides and other slip-based tricks noticeably easier.
The costs are real. Hard wheels transmit every surface texture directly to your fingers, so a rough or uneven desk becomes fatiguing. They also lose grip on cambered obstacles and can skate away from you on rails when you're expecting bite. Newer riders often find hard wheels harder to control, then wonder if they should have paid less.
Buy hard if you specifically want more slide, or if you skate on a very smooth surface and want maximum roll.
How durometer interacts with wheel size
A wider wheel spreads load over more urethane, so a wide soft wheel does not feel as soft as a narrow one at the same durometer. Big wheels also carry more inertia — once they are moving, they keep going longer. If you swap to a bigger wheel and it feels sluggish, do not blame the durometer alone; the extra mass is part of the effect.
Wheel diameter also matters to obstacles. Very small wheels catch on obstacle edges more readily; larger wheels roll over minor deck defects and tape seams. Standard fingerboard wheels sit in a narrow diameter range for exactly this reason.
One practical trap: cheap generic urethane
The number on the wheel is a description, not a guarantee. Cheap generic wheels sometimes ship with a printed durometer that bears no honest relationship to the actual hardness of the urethane inside — the marking has been copied from what a real brand uses. The wheel then feels either much softer or much harder than the label suggests, and it wears in unusual ways.
The fix is boringly simple. Buy wheels from a fingerboard brand whose product you can look up — Oak Wheels, brand-name bearing wheels from a real shop, or anything a fingerboard community actively recommends. The number matters much less than the brand honoring it.
Durometer at a glance
| Hardness | Range | Feel | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft | 78A–87A | Grippy, quiet, cushioned | Rough surfaces, grippy obstacles, beginners | Slower roll, faster wear |
| Medium | 88A–95A | Balanced, lively but forgiving | Most riders, most desks | Nothing — this is the safe default |
| Hard | 96A–99A | Fast, slippery, transmits texture | Smooth surfaces, slide tricks, experienced riders | Loose feel, less grip |
| Very hard | 100A–101A+ | Race-grade slide, minimal grip | Race-grade wheels, specialised setups | Wrong choice for beginners |
Frequently asked questions
What durometer wheels come on a standard fingerboard complete?+
Most completes ship with medium-hard wheels in the 92A–95A range. That is intentional — it is the widest usability band. If your complete surprises you either way (much grippier or much slidier than expected), the wheels are outside that band.
Which durometer is best for beginners?+
Medium (88A–95A). A softer wheel is more forgiving but tricks feel slower to learn on; a harder wheel rolls fast but slides at bad moments. Medium is where trick response and stability line up.
Are 101A wheels bad?+
Not bad — specialised. 101A urethane rolls faster and slides earlier than anything else. Skilled riders who want a slick, race-fast feel love them. First-time riders often mistake the lack of grip for something being wrong with the board.
Do soft wheels really slow the board down?+
Measurably, yes. The energy that goes into deforming a soft wheel under load has to come from somewhere, and it comes from your push. You will feel it as a shorter roll per push. Whether that matters depends on what you are doing.
Can I mix durometers on the same board?+
You can, and some riders deliberately do — softer wheels at one end for grip on landings, harder at the other for slides. It is not a beginner move, but it is a real tuning trick for people who know what they are chasing.
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