Cymbal Weight Calculator
Estimate single cymbal weight, pair totals, blank area, and alloy volume for crashes, rides, splashes, and hi-hats.
B20 Bronze
0.317 lb/in3
Complex pro cymbal alloy
B8 Bronze
0.304 lb/in3
Bright and fast response
Brass
0.307 lb/in3
Entry-level cymbal shell
Stainless
0.290 lb/in3
Hard, durable, clear attack
| Size | Typical wt | Metric wt | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 in splash | 0.40 lb | 181 g | Accent |
| 14 in hats | 1.80 lb | 816 g | Groove |
| 16 in crash | 2.30 lb | 1043 g | Hit |
| 20 in ride | 3.60 lb | 1633 g | Time |
| Alloy | Density | Profile | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| B20 bronze | 0.317 | 0.92 | Complex pro cymbals |
| B8 bronze | 0.304 | 0.94 | Bright crash and ride |
| Brass | 0.307 | 0.90 | Budget practice cymbals |
| Stainless steel | 0.290 | 0.96 | Sharp, durable voices |
| Type | Size | Mass | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Splash | 8 to 10 in | 130 to 260 g | Quick accents |
| Crash | 14 to 18 in | 600 to 1100 g | Short decay |
| Ride | 20 to 22 in | 1500 to 2400 g | Stable ping |
| Hi-hats | 14 to 15 in | 1400 to 1900 g | Sold as pair |
Cymbal weight is one of the most important things that affects how a cymbal sounds and performs. It changes the pitch range. Heavy cymbals give higher pitch, while light ones sound lower.
But weight is not the only factor the bell and bow design also matter. So two 18″ crashes of same weight can sound different, and two cymbals of different weights occasionally have the same pitch.
How Cymbal Weight Affects Sound
Light cymbals bend more, which makes sound waves longer over it and results in lower pitch. Over heavy surfaces the waves move faster and shorter, which causes higher pitch. Here is the basic physics.
Big mass makes the sound high pitch, loud, slow reacting, long lasting, with few overtones, narrow frequency spectrum and clear stick contour. Heavy cymbals commonly sound “pingy”. Light cymbals are most discreet, quiet and short.
You can play them with a soft touch to reach full resonance, without need for an extremely hard strike. Medium weights offer a good balance between sound, volume and duration.
Cymbals above 2000 grams reach max volume and maximum duration. Some of them are difficult to “wake up” and seem quiet, but when played hard they burst lody. Even the most massive ever produced, as the Zildjian Earth Ride, reach around 5000 grams.
Slim, relatively flat cymbal with small bell sounds lower and softer than thick, curved with big bell. You can choose light weights with bigger diameters. Slim 19″ crash together with medium 21″ crash ride works for modern rock, but not for metal.
Weight helps to tell whether a cymbal is slim or heavy when it lacks a stamp. The mark or name is not always true. Zildjian “Edge” called razor thin crashes actually weighed a lot.
Classes were marked with ink labels based on ranges for castings according to diameter and weight. Orders were taken by class, with stamps keeping info.
Hi-hats top weigh 800 to 1400 grams, bottom 1000 to 1600. At 15″ the masses are a bit more larger because of diameter. Rule says around 100 grams each inch.
Jazz 22″ of 1900 to 2100 grams work well. There is no strict standard for “slim” or “heavy” in a given size, it depends on the maker. A weight calculator estimates where it locates between categories.
For example, it might show if it’s heavyweightor light.
