Disc Weights and Images

Most disc golf manufacturers pen, sticker or engrave the weights of their discs (“Manufacturer’s Weight”) on discs. However, if you weigh the discs on a scale you will find that the Manufacturer’s Weight will not always match up to your scaled weight. The weights may be 1 or 2 grams off, but sometimes they may be 3 or more grams off. We have tested our scale with calibration weights and our scale is accurate to 0.5 grams.

After a bit of research, we understand that the Manufacturer’s Weight may not match with our scale weight because most plastic is hygroscopic (plastic soaks up water and/or other liquids such as ink) and that the plastic used to make discs is dried prior to the molding process. When a disc comes out of its mold, the factory then weighs and labels it with the Manufacturer’s Weight. Then the weight of the disc may change if its plastic absorbs water depending on the humidity, sea level, atmospheric pressure, etc. of where it is located. You may have experienced this tendency of discs to absorb water when playing disc golf on a hot humid day; your discs feel sticky or slippery due to extra moisture being added to the discs. Some people say that discs are heavier in a humid place and lighter in the desert.

Since some manufacturers only indicate weight ranges on their discs and some manufacturers don’t pen, sticker or engrave weights on their discs at all, we scale most discs as part of our photographing process so that you can view the disc’s weight (based on the humidity level of our location in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia) as well as the colour and stamp of the disc. Please note that when we have a number of identical looking discs with the same Manufacturer’s Weight, we enter these discs with one photo and indicate the number of these discs that we have. In general we have noticed that these discs do have the same weight or they may differ by 1 gram. 

The above information is based on a quick review of available information on the internet and is meant to give a basic summary of our findings. We encourage you to do your own research if you want more detailed information. Just remember that the Manufacturer’s Weight on a disc is based on dry plastic weight and weight may change based on where you live and play.

We try to photograph most of the discs we have. However, it is impractical to photograph them all when we receive multiples of the same looking discs. In these cases, you will receive a disc that looks like the photo it is connected to.  Please note that disc colour may appear slightly different on your computer monitor due to lighting variations. 

Note also that there will always be some human error during the data entry process such that if the colour of the disc image differs from the colour used to describe the disc, you should assume the image is the correct colour because someone typed in the wrong colour description or that someone was a bit colour blind at the end of a shift. Additionally, if the stated weight is way off from the scaled weight, you can assume that the scaled weight is the more correct weight and someone typed in the wrong weight (if you have ever tried to look for the engraved weight on some discs, you know it is not easy for people with tired eyes).

Lastly, if you are someone who is very particular about the weight, colour and dome of a disc, we encourage you to visit our store in person (masks are required for entry) so you can inspect and weigh discs yourself.