Kite Size Calculator — What Size Kite for Your Weight & Wind

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Cheat sheet

Kite size chart by weight and wind

Twin-tip sizes from the same formula — find your row, pack that kite.

Wind	60 kg rider	75 kg rider	90 kg rider
12 kt	11 m	14 m	16–17 m
15 kt	9 m	11 m	13 m
18 kt	7 m	9 m	11 m
20 kt	6–7 m	8 m	10 m
25 kt	5 m	6–7 m	8 m
30 kt	4 m	5–6 m	6–7 m

Behind the number

How kite sizing actually works

A kite's pull scales with its canopy area and — the part that surprises people — with the square of wind speed. Double the wind and the same kite pulls four times harder. Your weight is the anchor on the other side of the equation, which is why the rule of thumb is simply 2.2 × weight (kg) ÷ wind (knots): pull needed rises linearly with the rider, pull available rises with area.

Board choice shifts the answer. A surfboard's extra float lets you shave roughly 10% off; a hydrofoil's near-zero drag cuts kite size by close to 40% — which is why foilers ride 6 m kites on days twin-tippers rig 9s. And the calculator's gusty-day advice isn't hedging: because pull rises with wind squared, rigging for the lulls means every gust hits you with interest. Full threshold guidance is in how much wind you need to kitesurf and the wind speed chart.

One honest caveat: no formula sees your local spot. Current, chop, water state and kite design all nudge the real answer — Tarifa's gusty Levante rides a size smaller than the same reading somewhere steady. Sanity-check against your brand's chart, and when in doubt between two kites in gusty wind, take the small one. Thinking in mph instead? Run it through the wind speed converter first.

Questions

Kite size FAQ

What size kite do I need for 15 knots?

A 75 kg rider on a twin-tip wants roughly an 11 m kite in 15 knots. Lighter riders size down (60 kg ≈ 9 m), heavier riders up (90 kg ≈ 13 m). On a surfboard take one size smaller, and on a hydrofoil you can ride roughly 40% smaller — about a 7 m for that same 75 kg rider.

How is kite size calculated?

The instructor rule of thumb is kite size (m²) ≈ 2.2 × your weight in kg ÷ wind speed in knots. It works because the pull of a kite scales with its area and with the square of wind speed, while the pull you need scales with your weight. It lands within a size of the brand charts for typical riders.

What kite sizes should be in a quiver?

Most riders cover a season with two kites about 3 m apart — a 9 m and a 12 m is the classic pair for a 70–85 kg rider. The 12 m handles 14–20 knots, the 9 m takes 18–28. Add a 7 m as a third kite if your home spot regularly blows past 25 knots.

Should I size up or down in gusty wind?

Down. In gusts the kite's pull spikes with the square of wind speed — a 25-knot gust on a 20-knot day briefly adds more than 50% power. A smaller kite keeps those spikes manageable and depowers further. Rig for the gusts you'll hit, not the lulls between them.

You know your kite. Now catch the wind for it.

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Kite size calculator: weight in, kite out.

You know your kite. Now catch the wind for it.