14mm vs 16mm Pickleball Paddle: What 56 Models Sold in Both Thicknesses Show

I have repeated the “14 is poppy, 16 is soft” line to students myself, because it is what everyone says. So I went to our own paddle catalogue to see whether it holds up. It didn’t, at least not the way people mean it. The reason why turned out to be more useful than the rule of thumb, especially with a lot of New England players shopping for a new paddle before the indoor season starts.

What does the rulebook say about paddle thickness?

Nothing restrictive. Rule 3.D.2 in USA Pickleball’s official rulebook caps length at 17 inches and length plus width at 24 inches, then states plainly that there is no restriction on paddle thickness. Rule 3.D.3 says there is no restriction on weight either. The millimetre number in a paddle’s name is the depth of its core, and brands are free to build it at any depth they like. In practice nearly everything lands at 16mm or 14mm. Of the 245 paddles in our catalogue that list a thickness, 122 are 16mm and 81 are in the 13–14mm range.

Thickness is also only one of the dials. We have already broken out paddle weight and paddle price the same way, and the paddle buyer’s guide puts all of them in one place.

Which hits harder, a 14mm vs 16mm pickleball paddle?

Averaging every 14mm paddle against every 16mm paddle mixes in different brands, shapes and prices, so we matched each model against itself instead. Our catalogue has 56 models, from 17 brands, sold in both a thinner and a 16mm version. Within each pair the face, the shape and almost always the price are the same. The only thing the brand changed is the core.

Here is a sample of those pairs, including two where the 16mm did not win. Power is on the 0–10 scale we carry for each paddle.

Across all 55 pairs with a power score on both sides, the 16mm version rated higher 48 times, the 14mm version 4 times, and 3 were dead even. Average power went from 5.34 to 6.00. The 2025 and 2026 models show the same direction, 14 to 2, though with a smaller gap.

Is this just the rating source talking?

That was the first thing I checked. Our power scores come from two independent reviewers, Pickleball Studio and John Kew, and they use different methods. Mixing them can create a pattern that isn’t really there. So we split the pairs by source. In pairs where both paddles carry a Pickleball Studio score, the 16mm rated higher 23 times and the 14mm twice. In pairs scored by Kew, it was 16 to 1. Two different testers reached the same answer separately.

So is it the thickness, or the weight?

Mostly the weight, and the data is fairly clear about it. A thicker core means more material, so the 16mm twin was the heavier paddle in 43 of the 54 pairs where we have both weights. The average gap was 4.4 grams, and the median was 4.0.

• When the 16mm version was more than 2g heavier (36 pairs), it rated more powerful in 35 of them, with no losses and one tie. The average gap was 0.87.
• When the two weighed within 2g of each other (14 pairs), the 16mm still edged it 9 to 3 with 2 ties, but the average gap fell to just 0.21.
• The cleanest single example is the Franklin C45 Dynasty. Both versions weigh exactly 220.8g, and their power scores are 5.9 and 6.0, basically the same paddle.
• The four pairs where the 14mm won mostly break the same way. In three of them the 14mm version was the heavier paddle or dead level with its twin.

The most extreme case is a three-step ladder. Franklin’s FS Tour Dynasty comes in 12, 14 and 16mm. The weights climb from 206g to 231g to 254g, and the power score climbs with them, from 3.9 to 7.6 to 10.0. That is a spread of about 47 grams across one model name. The millimetre number means little until you know the weight.

What about spin, price and feel?

• Spin shows no pattern. Of 36 pairs with spin scores on both sides, 15 favored the 16mm, 17 favored the 14mm and 4 tied. If spin is your priority, thickness is the wrong dial to turn.
• Price is identical. Brands charge the same for both cores in 54 of 56 pairs, so you are never paying extra for either one.
• Feel is where our numbers stop. What players call pop, the quick jump off the face on a block or a hands battle, is not the same thing as the power scores we carry, and nothing in our data isolates it. If a 14mm feels livelier in your hands at the kitchen, that is real feedback. It just isn’t something these ratings can confirm or rule out.

Which thickness should you actually buy?

• Compare weights before you compare millimetres. If the 16mm version of a paddle you like is 5g or more heavier, expect it to play hotter, not softer.
• If you want the thicker core without the extra power, look for a 16mm model whose weight matches its 14mm twin. Our pair data says those play very close to identical.
• If you are fighting pickleball elbow or a sore shoulder, the lighter twin is usually the 14mm. Our pickleball elbow guide covers the paddle side of that problem.
• If you still can’t decide, the paddle finder ranks every paddle in the catalogue by how you play, and compare will put two twins side by side.

Frequently asked questions

Is a 14mm or 16mm pickleball paddle more powerful?

In our catalogue the 16mm version is usually more powerful. Across 55 models sold in both thicknesses, the 16mm rated higher for power in 48, the 14mm in 4, and 3 tied. Most of that difference comes from weight, because the 16mm version is typically about 4 grams heavier.

Is a 16mm paddle better for control?

Not in the sense of being less powerful. The common advice says 16mm is the softer, control option, but the same-model pairs in our catalogue rate the 16mm as the more powerful paddle most of the time. Control in the sense of feel and dwell time is not something our ratings measure.

Is there a rule on pickleball paddle thickness?

No. USA Pickleball Rule 3.D.2 caps paddle length at 17 inches and length plus width at 24 inches, and states that there is no restriction on paddle thickness. Rule 3.D.3 says there is no restriction on weight either.

Does paddle thickness affect spin?

Not in our data. Of 36 same-model pairs with spin scores on both versions, 15 favored the 16mm, 17 favored the 14mm and 4 were tied. Within each pair the face surface is the same, and the face is where spin comes from.

Do 14mm and 16mm versions of a paddle cost the same?

Almost always. In 54 of the 56 models we found in both thicknesses, the list price was identical, so the choice should come down to weight and feel, not budget.

How we got these numbers, and where they are soft

These are counts from our own paddle catalogue, which holds 833 paddles. Only 245 of them state a thickness in the model name or specs, so this is a subset. Pairs were matched by model name with the thickness removed; “14mm” includes three 13–13.5mm versions. Two ProXR pairs were left out because their records look duplicated. Power and spin come from two independent reviewers, Pickleball Studio and John Kew, on separate 0–10 scales. We report them separately and never average them together, and we don’t cite our control figure because it is derived from power rather than measured on its own.

Disclosure: Jason is an ambassador for several paddle brands named above, including Vatic Pro, Volair, Six Zero, RPM and 11six24, and we may earn a commission on purchases made through our links. Jason is also a regular retail customer of Franklin Sports, with no sponsorship or code. The ratings come from independent reviewers, not from us, and no brand paid for or saw this analysis.

Rule text quoted from USA Pickleball’s official rulebook, sections 3.D.2 and 3.D.3.