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AFFTA official fly line specifications & weights

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) provides standardized weights for fly lines, which you can find below. While most anglers simply use the general line weight measure when matching a line to a rod, occasionally more detailed information is useful. The table below provides the official measurements in both grains and grams. This may also be useful when trying to determine what line weight an unmarked line is, as you can simply place it on a precision scale.
STANDARD SINGLE-HANDED FLY LINES
(Weight is for the first 30′ of line minus level tip)
 Line Weight Weight in Grains Weight in Grains Weight in Grains Line Weight Weight in Grams Weight in Grams Weight in Grams
Low Target High Low Target High
1 54 60 66 1 3.5 3.9 4.3
2 74 80 86 2 4.8 5.2 5.6
3 94 100 106 3 6.1 6.5 6.9
4 114 120 126 4 7.4 7.8 8.2
5 134 140 146 5 8.7 9.1 9.5
6 152 160 168 6 9.9 10.4 10.9
7 177 185 193 7 11.5 12 12.5
8 202 210 218 8 13.1 13.6 14.1
9 230 240 250 9 14.9 15.55 16.2
10 270 280 290 10 17.5 18.15 18.8
11 318 330 342 11 20.6 21.4 22.2
12 368 380 392 12 23.8 24.6 25.4
13 435 450 465 13 28.2 29.2 30.2
14 485 500 515 14 31.1 32.4 33.7
15 535 550 565 15 34.3 35.6 36.9
STANDARD SPEY FLY LINES
Shooting Heads Short Belly Medium Belly Long Belly
Line Style H S M L
Head Length 30′-50′ 50′-60′ 60′-70′ 70′ plus
Weight Point 40′ 55′ 65′ 80′
Line Weight Increment grains / grams grains / grams grains / grams grains / grams
6 250 / 16.2 420 / 27.3 460 / 29.9 600 / 39
50
7 300 / 19.5 470 / 30.5 510 / 33.1 650 / 42.2
60
8 360 / 23.4 530 / 34.4 570 / 37 710 / 46.1
70
9 430 / 27.9 600 / 39 640 / 41.6 780 / 50.6
80
10 510 / 33.1 680 / 44.2 720 / 46.8 860 / 55.8
90
11 600 / 39 770 / 50 810 / 52.6 950 / 61.7
100
12 700 / 45.5 870 / 56.5 910 / 59.1 1050 / 68.2

2 thoughts on “AFFTA official fly line specifications & weights”

  1. V.E.Martin II

    Is there a good book on maintenance and repairs for bamboo fly rods?
    I have several over the years,some I purchased for parts or the pieces of bamboo are coming apart.
    I would like to repair/restore them now that I am retired.

    1. admin

      There are many good books on bamboo repair and maintenance. Some recommendations:

      The Fine Bamboo Fly Rod: A Master’s Secrets of Restoration and Repair
      Bamboo Rod Restoration Handbook” by Michael Sinclair

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