How to Choose Arrows for a Recurve Bow
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By James Holbert · Explained Archery
To choose arrows for a recurve bow you need four numbers and one decision: your draw length, the bow's real draw weight at that draw length, the arrow's cut length, and the point weight, then feathers or vanes. Recurves are shot with fingers, so they need a weaker spine than a compound at the same weight, and any bow shot off the shelf needs feathers rather than plastic vanes.
Quick answer
Work through it in this order. Each step feeds the next, so doing them out of order means buying twice.
- Measure your draw length with the draw length calculator and confirm it on the bow.
- Set the arrow length at draw length plus about 1 to 2 inches, so the point stays ahead of the shelf at full draw.
- Weigh the bow at your draw length, not the number printed on the limb.
- Choose the point weight and the shaft material first, because the spine tables assume a 100-grain point and a carbon shaft.
- Pick the spine from that weight, the arrow length and the point weight, using the arrow spine calculator.
- Choose fletching: feathers if the arrow sits on the shelf, vanes only with an elevated rest.
- Check the nock fits your string, then buy a test group of three to six before a full dozen.
Two worked examples from the table below: a 25 lb recurve with a 29-inch arrow and a 100-grain point starts near a 1000 spine, and a 30 lb bow with the same arrow starts near an 800. Both are starting points to test, not final answers.
Step 1: How long should a recurve arrow be?
Arrow length for a recurve is measured from the nock throat, where the string sits, to the end of the shaft. It does not include the point. Start at your draw length plus 1 to 2 inches. That margin keeps the point in front of the arrow shelf at full draw, which matters because an arrow drawn back past the shelf can slip off it and into your bow hand.
Traditional archers shooting off the shelf often keep the full 2 inches. Target archers with an elevated rest and a clicker cut closer, but that is a decision for later, once your draw length has stopped changing. It will change over the first few months as your form settles, so do not cut a full dozen short in the first season.
Use the arrow length calculator for the number, and how to determine arrow length for the measuring method.
Step 2: What spine do recurve arrows need?
Spine is the stiffness of the shaft, written as deflection in thousandths of an inch. A lower number is stiffer, so a 500 spine bends less than a 700. The numbers here are carbon spine values at a 100-grain point, so settle your point weight and your material first; aluminum uses a different four-digit code covered further down. Three things about a recurve change the spine you need compared with a compound.
Use the weight at your draw length
The number on a recurve limb is the weight at a 28-inch draw. Limbs gain or lose roughly 2 to 3 lb per inch, so a bow marked 35 lb pulls about 30 lb at a 26-inch draw and about 40 lb at 30 inches. Spine follows the weight you actually pull. Measure it with a scale as shown in how to measure bow draw weight.
A finger release needs a weaker spine
The string rolls off your fingers sideways rather than snapping straight forward from a release aid. That pushes the arrow sideways at the start of the shot and it has to flex around the riser, which is the archer's paradox. A finger shooter needs a weaker shaft than a release shooter pulling the same weight, which is why a compound chart will send you to a shaft that is far too stiff.
Bows not cut to center need weaker still
A target riser cut to or past center puts the arrow almost in line with the string, so the shaft needs to bend very little. A traditional bow with a shelf that sits outside center makes the arrow bend further to clear the riser, so it wants a weaker spine again. If your bow has no sight window cut into it, start one spine group weaker than the chart suggests.
| Setup | Typical starting spine at 28 inches with a 100 gr point |
|---|---|
| 20 to 27 lb at your draw length | 1000 to 1100 |
| 28 to 33 lb | 800 to 900 |
| 34 to 39 lb | 700 |
| 40 to 45 lb | 600 |
| 46 to 52 lb | 500 |
Go one step stiffer, meaning a lower spine number, for every inch of arrow over 28 inches and for every 25 grains of point over 100 grains. A longer shaft and a heavier point both make an arrow behave weaker, so you compensate with a stiffer shaft. The arrow spine chart has the full tables, including traditional bows.
Step 3: Point weight and balance
Most recurve archers shoot 100 or 125 grain points. Target archers stay near 100 grains and traditional archers often go heavier, to 145 or 175 grains, because a forward balance steadies the arrow off the shelf and helps a broadhead fly true.
Every 25 grains you add above 100 makes the shaft behave as though it were about 3 lb weaker, so a heavy point usually means moving one spine stiffer to compensate. Decide the point weight before you buy shafts, not after.
Front of center, or FOC, is how far the balance point sits ahead of the arrow's middle. Between 10 and 15 percent suits most recurve setups. The FOC calculator works it out from the finished arrow, and the arrow weight calculator totals the grains so you can check the arrow is not too light for the bow.
Step 4: Carbon, aluminum or wood?
| Material | Suits | Strengths | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon | Almost every modern recurve, target or field | Tough, consistent, light, huge spine range, does not bend permanently | Must be inspected for cracks after a hard hit; a damaged carbon shaft can splinter on release |
| Aluminum | Target archers and beginners on a budget | Very consistent, easy to cut and fit, cheaper per dozen | Bends on impact and a bent arrow is finished; sizes are coded differently, such as 1816 or 2014 |
| Carbon and aluminum core | Competitive target archers | The most consistent and the smallest diameter for wind | Expensive, and the gain is wasted on a beginner |
| Wood | Traditional longbow and recurve shooters only | Correct for period equipment, repairable, pleasant to shoot | Spine varies between shafts, needs matching and straightening, breaks more easily |
Beginners should start with carbon or aluminum. Wood is a choice about tradition, not about performance.
Whatever you pick, buy all the shafts for a set at the same time and from the same batch. Matched arrows are what make a group; mixed arrows produce a pattern you cannot tune out.
Step 5: Feathers or vanes on a recurve?
This is the decision that separates recurve arrows from compound arrows, and getting it wrong is the most common mistake a new traditional archer makes.
If the arrow sits directly on the shelf, use feathers. The arrow has to pass over the shelf and the riser on the way out, and it will touch on the way. A natural feather folds flat on contact and springs back, so the arrow flies on. A plastic vane does not fold; it hits the shelf, kicks the back of the arrow sideways and throws the shot. Feathers also steer a heavy point or a broadhead more strongly.
If the bow has an elevated rest, which covers most modern target recurves and any Olympic-style setup, vanes are fine and are the better choice. They shrug off rain, last longer and are cheaper to replace.
| Fletching | Use when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Feathers, 4 or 5 inch | Shooting off the shelf, traditional bows, heavy points or broadheads | Ruined by rain, wear out faster, slightly more drag |
| Feathers, 3 inch | Off the shelf with lighter points and shorter distances | Less steering than a 5 inch |
| Vanes, 2 to 3 inch | Elevated rest, target shooting, any weather | Will not survive contact with a shelf |
| Spin or helical fletching | Broadheads and longer distances | A little speed lost to drag |
Whichever you use, the odd-colored cock feather or vane points away from the bow on a shelf-shot recurve.
If you need to strip and refletch a shaft, removing fletching from carbon arrows covers doing it without damaging the shaft.
Step 6: Check the nock fits your string
A nock that grips too tightly holds the arrow back for a fraction of a second and throws the shot low or sideways. One that is too loose lets the arrow fall off the string mid-draw, which on a heavy bow is how a dry fire happens.
Use the snap test. Nock an arrow on the braced bow, hold the bow horizontally with the arrow hanging below the string, and tap the string once with a finger about two inches from the nock. The arrow should fall off on a firm tap, but not under its own weight. If it clings, the nock is too tight; if it drops on its own, it is too loose.
Nock fit is set by the diameter of the string serving, so the fix is usually a different nock size or a re-served string rather than a different arrow. Nocks are also consumable, so replace any that are cracked or have a widened throat.
How many arrows should you buy?
Buy three to six of your best guess first and shoot them before committing. If they fly well, buy a dozen from the same batch. A dozen is the standard set because target rounds are shot in ends of three or six and arrows get damaged.
| Use | Sensible set |
|---|---|
| First test batch | 3 to 6 shafts of one spine, bare or fletched |
| Range practice | A dozen matched arrows |
| Target competition | A dozen, plus spares from the same batch |
| Traditional or field | A dozen, expect losses |
| Hunting | 6 matched, with broadheads that weigh the same as your field points |
Keep a note of the spine, length and point weight you settled on, so a replacement dozen matches.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Using a compound spine chart | Shafts come out far too stiff and the arrows kick right for a right-handed shooter | Use the recurve column, or the spine calculator with the finger release option |
| Going by the weight on the limb | Spine is chosen for a weight you do not actually pull | Weigh the bow at your own draw length |
| Plastic vanes on a shelf-shot bow | The vane strikes the shelf and the arrow kicks sideways | Fit feathers instead |
| Cutting a full dozen straight away | Draw length changes over the first months and the arrows end up short | Leave them long, test three, then cut |
| Mixing arrows from different batches | A group that will not tighten no matter how you tune | Buy and keep a matched set |
| Ignoring nock fit | Arrows fall off the string or leave it late and low | Run the snap test and change nock size if needed |
Most of these cost you a dozen arrows. Ignoring nock fit can cost you a bow, because an arrow that slips off the string mid-draw is a dry fire.
Related guides and tools
Each number on this page has a tool or a guide behind it.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions people ask most when buying recurve arrows.
What spine arrow do I need for a 30 lb recurve?
With a 28-inch arrow and a 100-grain point, a 30 lb recurve measured at your own draw length usually starts around an 800 to 900 spine. Longer arrows or heavier points move it weaker again.
What spine arrow for a 40 lb recurve bow?
A 700 spine is the usual starting point at 28 inches with a 100-grain point. At 29 or 30 inches, or with a 125-grain point, most shooters end up on a 600.
How long should arrows be for a recurve bow?
Your draw length plus about 1 to 2 inches, measured from the nock throat to the end of the shaft. The margin keeps the point ahead of the shelf at full draw.
Can you use compound arrows on a recurve bow?
Only if the spine happens to suit. Compound arrows are usually far too stiff for a recurve at the same draw weight, because a release aid does not push the arrow sideways the way fingers do.
Should I use feathers or vanes on a recurve?
Feathers if the arrow rests on the shelf, because they fold flat on contact. Vanes are fine and longer lasting on a recurve with an elevated rest.
How do I know if my arrows are too stiff or too weak?
Shoot a bare shaft alongside fletched arrows at short range. For a right-handed archer, a bare shaft landing left of the group means too weak and right means too stiff, and it is mirrored for a left-handed archer.
How many arrows do I need to start?
Buy three to six to test the spine, then a dozen of whatever flew well. A dozen matched arrows is the standard practice set.
References
These sources support the spine, fletching and setup guidance on this page.