Choosing a lacrosse stick: the limits each rule book sets.

One stick, one code

A stick is legal or not under the rule book of the game being played, on the date it is played, and the officials decide at a stick check. This guide gives the limits each book sets; it does not describe stringing, pocket-making or head-shaping, which are outside this site's scope, and it does not say any stick is legal. The World Lacrosse books used are men's field 2025-2027 v1.0, women's field 2025-2026 v1.0, box 2026-2028 v2.0 and sixes 2026-2028 v2.0 (May 2026); later men's (v1.1, January 2026) and women's (v1.1, March 2025) versions exist but were not read. The NCAA men's and women's rule books and the NFHS books were not read, so no NCAA stick figure is given, and NFHS figures come only from its published change summaries. Check the rule your league uses.

The limits by code

Within the men's field book, the Appendix D diagram labels the short stick "100cm to 110cm" and the string limit 5 cm, against 101.60 to 106.68 cm and 5.08 cm in the rule text; the rule text is quoted here. Men's field Rule 16.7 makes adjustable-length shafts illegal, Rule 15.6 limits wooden or plastic walls to 2 in high, and Rule 16.5 limits hanging strings to 2 in.

Pocket limits differ by game

• Men's field (Rule 16.1): a field player's pocket is illegal if the top of a ball sits below the bottom edge of the sidewalls with the stick held horizontal. Sticks built or strung to withhold the ball or to mislead an opponent are prohibited (Rules 16.2 to 16.4 and 16.8).
• Women's field (Rule 3.A.1): the top of the ball must show above the top of the whole sidewall, and the ball must not lodge anywhere in the pocket. Appendix H says the purpose is free ball movement, so the ball can be dislodged without an excessively forceful check.
• Box (Rules 2.2.4 and 2.4.4): no pocket deeper than 5 in, and the ball must travel between the sidewalls and come out when the stick is turned parallel to the floor.
• Sixes: the test differs by gender. For men the ball must not show below the bottom edge of the sidewall (Rule 2.2.1M); for women the top of the ball must show above the top of the sidewall (Rule 2.2.1W).

The officials' check and the penalties for an illegal stick are on the equipment pages linked above.

US high school and college: what the change summaries say

• NFHS boys' (2023): the pocket or net may have no holes larger than 1.68 in across (Rule 1-7-1), and a crosse may have no protrusions or sharp edges (Rule 1-8).
• NFHS boys' (2024): a separate goalkeeper crosse of 40 to 72 in, with a head 10 to 12 in wide and no more than 16.5 in long (Rule 1-6-1 Art. 2). World Lacrosse men's field allows a goalkeeper head of 6 to 15 in; these are different codes, each for its own games.
• NFHS boys' (2027, announced 13 August 2026): a goal is disallowed if the scorer's head comes off or part of a broken crosse is lost on the shot (Rule 4-9-2g).
• NFHS girls' (2027): every crosse must be commercially available to the public and listed on the USA Lacrosse website (Rule 2-2-5b), and pocket materials must meet the elasticity standards in the manufacturer's specification on the USA Lacrosse website (Rule 2-2-4). That specification could not be opened for this site.
• NCAA women's (2026-27): equipment needing certification or governing-body approval must be commercially available to all schools by 1 January before the spring season, and officials stick-check draw players at least once per quarter.

Materials, heads and shafts

Men's field Rule 15.4 allows heads of wood, laminated wood, plastic or another approved material and shafts of wood, aluminum or another approved material, with a hollow butt end covered and metal caps prohibited. Women's field Appendix H allows a wider list of head materials and shafts of wood, metal alloy or composite; a bent shaft is legal only with a head designed for it, and that head is not legal on a straight shaft. Box Rule 2.4.1 allows only hollow synthetic or metal type sticks with the head attached directly to the handle and nothing filling the shaft. Lacrosse Canada's memo of 28 January 2026 permits wooden sticks for players and goalies in its 2026 box season unless a technical package or tournament contract says otherwise, so the two bodies differ for Canadian box in 2026. In 1997 the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of up to 9,000 older titanium alloy handles that might be too thin to withstand severe blows; see recalls. Makers' claims about alloys are their own and are not tested here. See stick materials.

Sticks for young players

World Lacrosse's women's field Appendix H lets players under 15 use a crosse shorter than 90 cm so it fits along the arm. USA Lacrosse's youth stick lengths appear only in search-result summaries of a 2026 comparison chart that returned an error when opened, so they are not given here. Length and fit are for a coach to judge; the youth kit guide has what is known.

Our picks by category