Grip Strength
Page updated: Evidence reviewed: What this means
Grip strength measures maximal handgrip force using a hand dynamometer and is a widely used marker of muscular strength. Adult norms (ages 20 to 100+) are from the iGRIPS international norms (approximately 2.4 million adults worldwide), reported in 5-year age brackets. Youth norms (ages 9-17) are from the Tomkinson 2018 Eurofit meta-analysis (n=203,295 across 24 European countries). These sources use different populations and test implementations. The gap between ages 17 and 20 marks a source boundary, not a measured biological break, and scores should not be compared directly across it. Read more on Wikipedia
Data source: iGRIPS (International norms for adult handgrip strength) About this study
Data source: Tomkinson et al. (Eurofit) About this study
Reference population: iGRIPS (International norms for adult handgrip strength): Adults worldwide, aggregated from studies across multiple countries and ethnicities
Reference population: Tomkinson et al. (Eurofit): Children and adolescents aged 9-17 from 30 European countries (n up to 2,779,165 across all tests)
Grip Strength Norms Chart by Age and Sex (kg)
| Age | Sex | Percentile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 95th | ||
| 9 | Male | 9.4 | 12.6 | 15.5 | 18.5 | 22.9 |
| Female | 8.8 | 11.7 | 14.4 | 17.1 | 21.3 | |
| 10 | Male | 10.5 | 13.9 | 17.1 | 20.4 | 25.3 |
| Female | 9.7 | 12.9 | 15.8 | 18.9 | 23.3 | |
| 11 | Male | 11.8 | 15.6 | 19.2 | 22.9 | 28.3 |
| Female | 10.7 | 14.3 | 17.6 | 21.0 | 26.0 | |
| 12 | Male | 13.4 | 17.7 | 21.7 | 25.8 | 31.7 |
| Female | 11.9 | 15.8 | 19.5 | 23.2 | 28.6 | |
| 13 | Male | 15.6 | 20.5 | 25.0 | 29.8 | 36.4 |
| Female | 13.4 | 17.6 | 21.6 | 25.7 | 31.5 | |
| 14 | Male | 18.5 | 24.2 | 29.3 | 34.6 | 41.6 |
| Female | 14.7 | 19.2 | 23.4 | 27.8 | 33.8 | |
| 15 | Male | 22.1 | 28.3 | 33.7 | 39.3 | 46.6 |
| Female | 15.7 | 20.3 | 24.7 | 29.2 | 35.4 | |
| 16 | Male | 26.0 | 32.5 | 38.0 | 43.6 | 50.8 |
| Female | 16.4 | 21.2 | 25.6 | 30.2 | 36.5 | |
| 17 | Male | 29.4 | 36.2 | 42.0 | 47.7 | 55.0 |
| Female | 17.0 | 21.9 | 26.4 | 31.2 | 37.6 | |
| 20-24 | Male | 33.9 | 41.9 | 48.0 | 54.5 | 63.6 |
| Female | 19.7 | 24.9 | 28.6 | 32.6 | 39.1 | |
| 25-29 | Male | 35.5 | 43.5 | 49.3 | 55.3 | 64.0 |
| Female | 20.0 | 25.4 | 29.4 | 33.6 | 39.7 | |
| 30-34 | Male | 35.0 | 43.6 | 49.7 | 55.9 | 64.9 |
| Female | 19.6 | 25.4 | 29.7 | 34.2 | 40.4 | |
| 35-39 | Male | 33.8 | 43.0 | 49.5 | 56.0 | 65.3 |
| Female | 19.0 | 25.1 | 29.7 | 34.3 | 40.8 | |
| 40-44 | Male | 32.3 | 42.0 | 48.8 | 55.5 | 65.1 |
| Female | 18.3 | 24.8 | 29.4 | 34.1 | 40.8 | |
| 45-49 | Male | 30.6 | 40.6 | 47.6 | 54.5 | 64.4 |
| Female | 17.6 | 24.1 | 28.9 | 33.6 | 40.4 | |
| 50-54 | Male | 28.9 | 39.0 | 46.2 | 53.2 | 63.1 |
| Female | 16.9 | 23.4 | 28.2 | 32.9 | 39.7 | |
| 55-59 | Male | 27.2 | 37.2 | 44.4 | 51.5 | 61.4 |
| Female | 16.1 | 22.6 | 27.3 | 31.9 | 38.6 | |
| 60-64 | Male | 25.5 | 35.2 | 42.4 | 49.5 | 59.3 |
| Female | 15.2 | 21.6 | 26.2 | 30.8 | 37.4 | |
| 65-69 | Male | 23.7 | 33.1 | 40.1 | 47.2 | 56.8 |
| Female | 14.3 | 20.6 | 25.0 | 29.4 | 35.8 | |
| 70-74 | Male | 21.9 | 30.9 | 37.7 | 44.7 | 54.1 |
| Female | 13.2 | 19.3 | 23.6 | 27.9 | 34.1 | |
| 75-79 | Male | 20.0 | 28.4 | 35.1 | 41.9 | 51.1 |
| Female | 12.0 | 17.9 | 22.1 | 26.2 | 32.2 | |
| 80-84 | Male | 18.0 | 25.9 | 32.3 | 39.0 | 48.0 |
| Female | 10.7 | 16.4 | 20.4 | 24.4 | 30.2 | |
| 85-89 | Male | 15.9 | 23.2 | 29.4 | 35.9 | 44.6 |
| Female | 9.3 | 14.8 | 18.6 | 22.4 | 28.0 | |
| 90-94 | Male | 13.7 | 20.4 | 26.3 | 32.7 | 41.2 |
| Female | 7.8 | 13.1 | 16.7 | 20.4 | 25.7 | |
| 95-99 | Male | 11.3 | 17.6 | 23.1 | 29.4 | 37.5 |
| Female | 6.1 | 11.1 | 14.6 | 18.1 | 23.2 | |
| 100+ | Male | 8.8 | 14.6 | 19.8 | 25.9 | 33.8 |
| Female | 4.2 | 9.1 | 12.4 | 15.7 | 20.6 | |
What to expect by age group
At ages 30-34, the middle 50% score 43.6 to 55.9 kg for men and 25.4 to 34.2 kg for women. Grip strength peaks around the late 20s to mid 30s in both sexes, then declines gradually through midlife and more steeply in older age. Scores below 43.6 kg (men) or 25.4 kg (women) are below the middle 50% for this age group; scores above 55.9 kg (men) or 34.2 kg (women) are above it.
| Age | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 12.6 to 18.5 | 11.7 to 17.1 |
| 10 | 13.9 to 20.4 | 12.9 to 18.9 |
| 11 | 15.6 to 22.9 | 14.3 to 21.0 |
| 12 | 17.7 to 25.8 | 15.8 to 23.2 |
| 13 | 20.5 to 29.8 | 17.6 to 25.7 |
| 14 | 24.2 to 34.6 | 19.2 to 27.8 |
| 15 | 28.3 to 39.3 | 20.3 to 29.2 |
| 16 | 32.5 to 43.6 | 21.2 to 30.2 |
| 17 | 36.2 to 47.7 | 21.9 to 31.2 |
| 20-24 | 41.9 to 54.5 | 24.9 to 32.6 |
| 25-29 | 43.5 to 55.3 | 25.4 to 33.6 |
| 30-34 | 43.6 to 55.9 | 25.4 to 34.2 |
| 35-39 | 43.0 to 56.0 | 25.1 to 34.3 |
| 40-44 | 42.0 to 55.5 | 24.8 to 34.1 |
| 45-49 | 40.6 to 54.5 | 24.1 to 33.6 |
| 50-54 | 39.0 to 53.2 | 23.4 to 32.9 |
| 55-59 | 37.2 to 51.5 | 22.6 to 31.9 |
| 60-64 | 35.2 to 49.5 | 21.6 to 30.8 |
| 65-69 | 33.1 to 47.2 | 20.6 to 29.4 |
| 70-74 | 30.9 to 44.7 | 19.3 to 27.9 |
| 75-79 | 28.4 to 41.9 | 17.9 to 26.2 |
| 80-84 | 25.9 to 39.0 | 16.4 to 24.4 |
| 85-89 | 23.2 to 35.9 | 14.8 to 22.4 |
| 90-94 | 20.4 to 32.7 | 13.1 to 20.4 |
| 95-99 | 17.6 to 29.4 | 11.1 to 18.1 |
| 100+ | 14.6 to 25.9 | 9.1 to 15.7 |
Detailed Breakdowns
Select an age group and sex below for detailed percentile charts, tables, and ratings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good grip strength for my age?
Grip strength varies by age and sex. Use the percentile table above to compare your score. The 50th percentile represents the median for your demographic. A score at P75 or above is considered above average, while P25 or below is below average.
Why does grip strength matter?
Grip strength is a quick measure of muscular strength and is used in research and clinical screening. These percentile values describe where a result falls in the source populations; they are not diagnostic cutoffs for sarcopenia or frailty.
How is grip strength measured?
The adult iGRIPS values were adjusted to a reference protocol using a hydraulic dynamometer while seated, elbow flexed, forearm neutral, handle fitted to hand size, three attempts per hand, and the maximum result. The youth source pools Eurofit studies with a different reference implementation. Use a protocol matching the relevant source rather than treating all dynamometer results as interchangeable.
Why do norms for ages 9-17 come from a different source?
Youth norms use the Tomkinson 2018 Eurofit meta-analysis (n=203,295), which pooled data from 24 European countries using the Eurofit handgrip protocol. Adult norms use the iGRIPS international meta-analysis (n≈2.4M). These are different populations tested under slightly different conditions, so they should not be directly compared. The trend chart shows both series with a visible gap at the source boundary (ages 17 to 20).
Why are P25 and P75 approximate?
Both source studies (iGRIPS for adults, Tomkinson 2018 for youth) report percentiles at P20, P30, P70, and P80, but not P25 or P75. We interpolate: P25 = (P20 + P30) / 2 and P75 = (P70 + P80) / 2. These are estimates, not source-reported values.
Related Metrics
Eurofit Battery
This metric is part of the Eurofit, a standardised 9-test battery for children and adolescents aged 6-18.