Arrow Ballistics Calculator – Kinetic Energy, Drop, Speed, Momentum

We strongly recommend reading our detailed kinetic energy tests and guide for more information. Also, make sure to check out our best crossbow rankings for a scoop on the top equipment on the market.

The arrow ballistics calculator below will help you determine your arrow’s vertical drop, speed, kinetic energy and momentum, for up to 70 yards out in 10 yard increments. You will need to provide total arrow weight and initial speed for the calculation to be effective, as well as some other optional info (see below). The calculator assumes average air density and air viscosity. Actual ballistics data will vary slightly based on weather conditions and how high above sea level you are. These will result in relatively small variations that you should not worry much about. Values below should be considered very close estimates of what you will experience in the field (a 2% margin of error should be assumed).

Basic Settings:
Arrow Speed (FPS):
Total Arrow Weight (grains):
Additional Arrow Settings (Optional):
Important Note: You can provide additional fletching settings and shaft length below to obtain even more accurate calculations, as they have a certain impact on arrow drag and stability. If you don’t know this information, don’t worry: the difference it makes for the calculations is relatively small. Additionally, we have populated these three fields with values that we feel are good averages of the fletching/shaft sizes for the vast majority of crossbow arrows on the market today.
Fletching Length (inches):
Fletching Height (inches):
Shaft Length (inches):

Distance
(yards)
Vertical Drop
(inches)
Arrow Speed
(FPS)
Kinetic Energy
(ft-lbs)
Momentum
(lb-sec)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70


Calculations are largely based on the Exterior Ballistics of Bows and Arrows paper.

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