Skateboard Decks

Skateboard decks are typically constructed from seven to seven ply cross-laminated Canadian Maple. Other materials include fiberglass, aluminum, and Kevlar which are used for different applications, though wood still remains most popular. Although decks will differ in size, they tend to be about nine inches wide by about thirty inches long.

The first skateboard decks were very flat and skinny. Because skateboard tricks involved balancing on the board in creative ways, the narrowness served to make tricks more difficult. There was also no need for the board to have any concavity because the object of early skating was to keep the board firmly planted on the ground. The 1970’s and 1980’s would change this by widening the boards and adding concavity to help facilitate new tricks such as Ollies and kick-flips. The 80’s board design was much exaggerated, being very wide over each truck and slightly narrower in the middle with a kicktail on one side only. The 90’s would redesign the board to be less ostentatious and to ride more ambidextrously.

Skateboard decks are typically covered entirely in grip tape or at the very least in part. The grip tape not only helps the rider stay on the board but is useful in completing a wide variety of different tricks. The tops of decks may be decorated, if not covered in tape, or left in a natural wood finish. The bottoms of boards are most commonly decorated with a multitude of different colors and designs. These designs may be factory drawn or custom jobs. Blank skateboard bottoms remain popular however as many riders prefer to decorate their boards themselves with various stickers they come across.