Skateboard Deck Shapes Explained: From Popsicle to Cruiser

The popsicle — a double-kick deck with a rounded nose and tail — is the standard shape for street and skatepark skating. The alternatives are old school and pool shapes, shaped decks with square or shovel noses, cruisers, plastic mini cruisers, egg and fish shapes, and longboards. The rule: popsicle for street and park, wide or old school for bowls, cruiser for getting around, any shape for a wall.

What are the different skateboard deck shapes?

Seven families cover nearly every deck a skate shop sells. The sizes are typical ranges taken from the sources in each section below, not rules — shaped decks and cruisers vary the most.

What are the parts of a skateboard deck?

A deck has a nose and a tail — the two kicked-up ends — and a flat section between them where the trucks bolt on. Eight holes, four at each end, take the trucks; the distance between the two inner rows is the wheelbase. Width is measured across the middle, length from tip to tip, and the concave is the dip across the deck from one rail (side edge) to the other.

• Nose and tail. The two ends, both kicked up on a popsicle. The nose is usually a little longer, so you can tell the ends apart by feel — on our deck too.
• Kick. The angle and length of each upturned end. It is the lever you pop an ollie with: snap the tail down and the deck pivots on the back wheels.
• Wheelbase. The distance between the two inner rows of holes. It sets how quickly the board turns and how settled it feels at speed.
• Truck holes. Eight, drilled at the factory in two groups of four. Modern street decks use the New School pattern, 1⅝" × 2⅛" (41 × 54 mm) between hole centres. Older decks, and some old school reissues, use a longer pattern with the bolts further apart along the deck, and some reissues are drilled for both. Either way, the truck baseplates have to match.
• Width. Measured across the middle, and the number sold as the deck's "size" — 8.0", 8.25" and 8.5" here.
• Length. Tip to tip. It follows from the width and the shape more than anyone chooses it.
• Concave and rails. The rails are the side edges; the concave is how far they rise above the centre. It is what your feet read without looking down.
• Plies. Seven thin sheets of maple, glued and pressed in a mould that sets the concave and the kicks for good — which is why neither can be changed afterwards. How that happens is in how a custom deck is made.

The deck is one of six parts of a complete skateboard, with griptape, trucks, wheels, bearings and hardware. What each of the others does, and what to buy first, is in the beginner's guide to a first skateboard.

How have skateboard deck shapes changed?

Decks went from narrow planks to wide boards in the 1980s and back to today's narrower double-kick popsicle. Measured pieces in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History show the swing. They are single objects, not averages, but the direction is clear:

Read the widths: 7" in 1977, 10.5" by the mid-1980s, under 9" again in the early 1990s and 7.5" by 1999, then back up to 8.4". Lengths, meanwhile, stopped growing at around 31.5–32".

The kicktail that nearly every shape here relies on was patented in 1971: US patent 3,565,454, filed in 1969, describes "an inclined lever that is sloped upwardly and rearwardly" at the back of the board, which the rider presses to tilt it up. The second kick, on the nose, arrived at the end of the 1980s with street skating: a design history of the double kick describes a late-1980s board with "two tails" that became the template for what followed.

What is a popsicle skateboard deck?

A popsicle is a deck with both ends kicked up and rounded, nearly the same shape at the nose and the tail — named after the ice-lolly stick it looks like. Because either end can pop, it works in every direction: forwards, backwards (fakie), in your opposite stance (switch) and off the nose (nollie). That is what street and park tricks need, and why it became the standard.

Skate brands commonly sell popsicles from about 7.5" to 9" wide, or 19 to 23 cm (Wikipedia). On their decks, length follows the width and usually lands between about 31.5" and 32.5" (80–83 cm) — the 1999 and 2019 decks in the museum table measure 31.5" and 31.8" — with a wheelbase of around 14" (36 cm). Wider popsicles, 8.5" and up, are common in bowls and transition, where a bigger platform helps landings. The nose is often slightly longer or steeper than the tail, which is how you tell them apart on a board with no graphic.

Good for: street, skateparks, learning to ollie and flip, riding switch. Less good for: long pushes on rough ground. That is mostly about wheels, but a short wheelbase on small, hard street wheels makes an uncomfortable commuter.

It is also the only shape we print. Its widths, and which of our deck's measurements this guide gives and which it doesn't, are in the last section.

What are old school and pool-shape decks?

Old school decks are the wide shapes of the late 1970s and 1980s: broad, with a long kicked tail and a small or flat nose, made for bowls, pools and vert ramps. Reissues and modern versions are still made, and "pool shape" is used loosely for decks from this family built for bowls.

Several 1980s decks in the museum's collection measure 9.5–10.5" wide (24–27 cm) and 30–31.5" long (76–80 cm) — for example a 30 × 9.5" deck and a 31.5 × 10" one — about two inches wider than a street popsicle today. Old school boards often have only one kicktail, and many 1970s decks had little or no concave (Wikipedia).

The wide platform gives room to carve and to stand over coping; the big tail is for kick turns and grinds. The small nose is why nose tricks and nollies are awkward on them, and part of why street skaters moved to the double kick. Before buying trucks for a reissue, check which hole pattern it is drilled for.

Good for: bowls, pools, vert, carving, a retro look. Less good for: flip tricks, nollies and riding switch.

What is a shaped deck with a square or shovel nose?

A shaped deck is anything that isn't a plain popsicle outline: a squared-off nose or tail, a wide "shovel" nose, a pointed nose, a cut-in waist. Some are modern retro designs that keep a double kick under an old school silhouette.

A square nose ends in a straight edge instead of a curve. It puts more wood at the tip — more to stand on for nose slides and lip tricks — and it is the quickest way to make a board look different. A shovel nose is wide, long and fairly flat, which gives the front foot room at the cost of some pop. The corners of a square end are the first thing to chip when the board hits a wall.

Shaped decks vary far more than popsicles, so the name tells you little: two decks sold as "square nose" can have quite different widths and wheelbases. Shops tend to list them under shaped decks, next to shovel noses and old school reissues; compare the width, the wheelbase and the truck-hole pattern on the spec sheet rather than the photo.

Good for: transition, cruising with some style, standing out. Less good for: technical flip tricks, where the extra wood and the uneven outline change how the board spins.

What is a cruiser deck?

A cruiser is a deck built for getting around rather than for tricks: usually one kicktail, a flat or slightly raised nose, and set up with bigger, softer wheels. It is directional — made to be ridden one way round.

The kicktail is for kick turns, hopping up kerbs and lifting the front over cracks; the flatter nose gives the front foot more room. Sizes vary widely, from mini-cruiser length to longer than a street deck, and cruisers are often wide for their length.

The setup matters as much as the shape. Cruiser wheels typically run 55–70 mm at 77a–85a (Concrete Waves), against about 52–54 mm at 99a for a street setup: bigger and softer rolls over rough tarmac that stops a street wheel dead.

Good for: commuting, campus, carving, a first board if you just want to ride. Less good for: flip tricks and big ollies — a low, flat nose and a tail shaped for kick turns don't pop like a double kick.

Are plastic mini cruisers ("penny boards") good for tricks?

Generally not. Plastic mini cruisers — usually 22" (56 cm) or 27" (69 cm) long, and often called penny boards, a brand name that has become generic — are made to be light and easy to carry, not to pop (Wikipedia).

The small platform leaves room for one stance; the short wheelbase makes them quick to turn but nervous at speed; and moulded plastic has little of the snap that pressed maple gives an ollie, so tricks stay small. They are good for short trips, for carrying onto a bus or a train, and for kids who just want to roll. For tricks, a maple popsicle; for longer rides, a full-size cruiser.

Good for: short hops, carrying. Less good for: tricks, long distances, big feet.

What are egg and fish shapes for?

Egg and fish shapes are surf-inspired cruisers: an egg is short, wide and rounded, almost oval; a fish has a split "swallowtail" like a surfboard. Both are for carving and cruising, not flip tricks.

An egg packs a lot of width into a short board, so it feels roomy and stable under both feet but slow to flip. A fish's split tail is mostly about the look and the surf feel: the two prongs are narrower than a full tail, so it is not the end you want to stamp a hard ollie on. Tapered, surf-derived tails such as the fishtail and the pintail also keep the wheels clear of the deck in deep turns (Wikipedia).

Where do longboards fit?

Longboards are a separate category: most measure 33–59" (84–150 cm) long and 9–10" (23–25 cm) wide, on large, soft wheels, built for distance, speed and downhill rather than tricks (Wikipedia).

Pintails taper towards the tail so the wheels stay clear of the deck in deep carves; drop-through decks mount the trucks through cut-outs, so the board sits lower and feels more stable at speed; dancer boards are long and roomy enough to walk along while the board rolls. It is a world of its own, well outside this guide — and outside what we print.

How do concave, kick, wheelbase and width change the ride?

Concave changes grip and feel, kick changes pop, wheelbase trades stability against turning, and width trades stability against flip speed. A useful spec sheet gives all of them, plus length; if a listing gives only a width, the rest is guesswork. The last column is our deck.

Concave also comes in shapes, not just depths. Radial is an even curve from rail to rail; progressive stays flatter in the middle and steepens towards the rails; W-concave adds a raised ridge down the centre for leverage; tub keeps a flat centre with the rails turned up sharply. It is usually described in words — mellow, medium, steep — rather than millimetres, and one maker's "medium" is not another's, so the only reliable comparison is standing on two decks.

Width is mostly about your feet: the size guide matches it to shoe size and height, so it is not repeated here.

How can you tell if a skateboard deck is warped?

Lay it grip side up on a hard, flat floor and press each corner: a warped deck rocks on two diagonal corners or sits with one rail higher than the other. Delamination — plies coming apart — shows first at the edges.

1. Rock test. On a flat floor, press each corner in turn. A twist makes the deck rock diagonally.
2. Sight test. Hold it at eye level and look along it from the tail, like a cue: the two rails should run parallel, and both sides of the concave should rise the same.
3. Edge check. Run a fingernail along the rails and round the nose and tail. A gap between plies, a lifted layer or a spot that sounds hollow when you tap it is delamination.
4. Hole check. Look for hairline cracks running out from the truck holes; overtightened bolts and hard landings start them.

Warps and delamination mostly start with water and heat: rain and puddles, a damp shed, a hot car boot, a spot next to a radiator. Wood that takes on moisture swells and moves, and water in the glue lines is where plies begin to separate. Store a deck flat or hung on a wall, dry and away from heaters. A deck too warped to ride straight still hangs perfectly well on a wall.

On a new deck, a warp or separating plies is a fault, not character. In the EU, the seller is liable for any lack of conformity that exists on delivery and becomes apparent within two years — longer in some countries (Directive (EU) 2019/771, art. 10). That covers custom-printed decks too: they have no 14-day withdrawal right (Directive 2011/83/EU, art. 16(c)), but the legal guarantee still applies.

Can you change the shape of a skateboard deck yourself?

Yes: you can cut a new outline into an existing deck with a jigsaw, then rasp, sand and seal the edge. But you can only take wood away — square or point a nose, cut a fish tail, never make a deck wider — and the concave and kicks stay exactly as the mould pressed them.

What it costs the deck. Every cut exposes the end grain of all seven plies, which soaks up water and starts to delaminate if it isn't sealed. A shorter nose or tail is a shorter lever to pop with, and a split fish tail is two narrow prongs; neither wants a hard ollie. Keep cuts to the nose and tail, outside the trucks: the section between the trucks carries your weight.

What it does to the graphic. The cut takes away whatever was printed there, and a fresh edge is where any finish — paint, vinyl or a printed layer — starts to lift; how each kind of graphic behaves is in printed, hand-painted or vinyl. On a deck printed by Skateboard Personalizado, the design is printed with UV inks on a transfer film applied to the underside. We can't vouch for how a freshly cut edge of that film will hold up, so tape it before cutting and seal it afterwards.

Safety. Maple is a hardwood, and EU law on carcinogens at work covers work involving exposure to hardwood dust (Directive 2004/37/EC, Annex I). Since 2023 its binding limit is 2 mg of dust per cubic metre of air, and the most serious risk the law names is cancer of the nose and sinuses (Directive (EU) 2017/2398). A garage isn't a workplace, but the dust is the same: cut outdoors or with dust extraction, wear a fitted FFP2 or FFP3 mask and safety glasses, clamp the deck down, and vacuum rather than sweep.

1. Strip it and draw the new outline. Take the trucks off; the griptape can stay and be trimmed later. Draw the new nose or tail on paper and fold it along the centre line so both sides match. Keep the truck baseplates and a margin of wood around them untouched: if the line comes close to the bolt holes, redraw it.
2. Tape and mark. Cover the area you will cut with masking tape on both faces, then trace the paper outline onto the tape on the grip side. The tape takes the pencil line and holds the surface fibres, and the printed layer underneath, together while the blade passes.
3. Cut just outside the line. Clamp the flat middle of the deck to a bench, graphic facing down, with the end you are cutting overhanging: a standard jigsaw blade cuts on the upstroke and splinters the face under the saw's base, which is the grip side here. Use a fine-tooth blade for hardwood, cut slowly two or three millimetres outside the line, and let the blade do the work.
4. Rasp and sand to the line. File or rasp down to the line, then sand the edge with 80 grit to shape it, 120 to smooth it and 180 to 220 to finish, rounding it slightly so it does not splinter. Keep the sander off the printed face.
5. Seal the new edge. Wipe the dust off and brush two or three thin coats of clear wood varnish onto the exposed plies, sanding lightly with 240 to 320 grit between coats and letting each coat dry as long as the tin says. Taking the varnish a millimetre or two onto the printed face seals the edge of the print too; try it first on a spot that will not show.
6. Trim the griptape and rebuild. File the grip along the new edge and trim it flush with a blade, then refit the trucks and check that the bolts are tight and the deck sits level.

Reshaping is one way to make a board your own; painting it is covered in how to paint a skateboard deck, and the parts that go on it in the beginner's guide.

Does the deck shape matter for a skateboard on the wall?

Much less than for riding. On a wall the graphic does the work, and every shape hangs the same way: from a mount, or with screws through the truck holes.

The popsicle has the advantage of being the shape people read as "a skateboard" at a glance, and it is nearly symmetrical, so it looks right either way up: the slightly longer nose on our deck is invisible from across a room. The kicks do change the hanging. With the grip side to the wall, the nose and tail touch first and the middle stands off it, so screws through the truck holes need a spacer each. Ideas room by room are in skateboard wall art ideas, and the three ways to hang one in how to hang a skateboard on the wall.

What shape does Skateboard Personalizado make?

Skateboard Personalizado prints one shape: a double-kick popsicle, with your own design, in 8.0", 8.25" and 8.5". We don't make cruisers, old school or shaped decks, or longboards, and there is no choice of concave, kick or length: the width is the only choice about the deck itself.

The drawings above use the outline our editor and 3D preview are built on, which is one outline for all three widths; its length isn't given here. You make the design in the browser and see it on a 3D deck before ordering, and if you would rather draw in your own software, the print template has the outline for each width. How to lay a design out on a deck's long, narrow shape is in skateboard design ideas.

A deck is 89 € in any width, with shipping in Spain included, or from 15 € more per order to the rest of the EU, depending on the country — which countries that covers, and at what rate, is in where we ship, and the add-ons one by one in what a custom deck costs.

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