Across the 339 iron-set charts in our catalog, the median factory loft runs from 20° for a 3-iron to 45° for a pitching wedge, climbing 2° to 5° from one club to the next. Sets documented in 2018 or later have a median 7-iron of 30.25° and a median pitching wedge of 44°. Before 2010 the same clubs were 34.5° and 47°.
Every figure here is a manufacturer's published specification. None of them is a measurement of a real club, and because loft alone does not tell you how far a club carries, this page has no distance chart.
Iron loft chart: median, most common and range
| Club | Median | Most common (sets) | Range | Sets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-iron | 20° | 19° / 20° (54 each) | 17°–23° | 210 |
| 4-iron | 22° | 24° (57) | 18°–26° | 316 |
| 5-iron | 25° | 27° (60) | 20°–29° | 332 |
| 6-iron | 28° | 28° (44) | 23°–32.5° | 339 |
| 7-iron | 32° | 33° (43) | 26°–36° | 339 |
| 8-iron | 36° | 35° (44) | 29°–40.5° | 339 |
| 9-iron | 40° | 41° (53) | 33°–45° | 339 |
| Pitching wedge | 45° | 45° / 46° (65 each) | 38°–50.5° | 339 |
The median is the middle value when every chart's loft for that club is lined up. Most common is the loft that appears in the most charts, the range runs from the strongest (lowest) loft to the weakest, and sets is how many charts list that club. All 339 list the 6-iron through the pitching wedge, but only 210 list a 3-iron; many sets start at the 4- or 5-iron instead.
The median and the most common value can be far apart. The most common 7-iron loft is 33°, yet the median is 32°, and no single 7-iron loft appears in more than 43 of the 339 charts. The range is wider still: the strongest 7-iron in the catalog is the 26° of the Titleist T400 (2023). At the other end, 19 charts list a 36° 7-iron, including the Ben Hogan Apex (1998) and the Mizuno MP-14 (1999 chart). Two clubs stamped "7" can be several clubs apart in loft, so look up your exact model and generation before you compare. The iron loft finder filters every published 4-iron to PW loft in the catalog, and each model page has its full chart.
How iron lofts got stronger by era
| Club | Before 2010 | 2010–2017 | 2018 or later |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-iron | 21° (60) | 19° (54) | 19.5° (61) |
| 4-iron | 24° (60) | 22° (73) | 21° (138) |
| 5-iron | 27° (63) | 25° (74) | 23.5° (150) |
| 6-iron | 30.75° (66) | 28° (74) | 26.5° (154) |
| 7-iron | 34.5° (66) | 32° (74) | 30.25° (154) |
| 8-iron | 38.75° (66) | 36° (74) | 34.5° (154) |
| 9-iron | 42.75° (66) | 40° (74) | 39° (154) |
| Pitching wedge | 47° (66) | 45° (74) | 44° (154) |
The median 7-iron went from 34.5° in charts dated before 2010 to 32° in 2010–2017 and 30.25° in 2018 or later, 4.25° stronger overall. The pitching wedge moved 3°, from 47° to 44°. Most of the change in our charts happened between the first two periods. The 2018-or-later medians are only 1.75° stronger at the 7-iron than the 2010–2017 ones.
Read the 3-iron row with care. Only 61 of the 154 sets from 2018 or later list a 3-iron, so that cell rests on a narrower group of models than the rest of its column.
To see what one chart from each period looks like, these sets sit closest to their era's medians from the 5-iron to the pitching wedge:
- Before 2010: PING i3 Blade and O-Size
- 2010–2017: Mizuno JPX 825
- 2018 or later: PING G400
For the year-by-year picture, the 7-iron loft history plots every chart with a stated model year, back to the 36° 7-iron of the 1982 PING Eye 2, and compares current sets with classic ones.
To place a set in an era we use the model year when the source states one. Otherwise we use the year in the source's own edition label, such as a 2006 product page, a 2013 catalog or a 2026 US product page. That is the year the manufacturer documented the set, which can be later than its launch. 45 of the 339 sets are known only by a series code, such as Titleist 712 or the Srixon Z x65 lineup, so they appear in the first table but not in the era table. The models in each period are the ones we have sourced, not a sales-weighted sample, so treat the era medians as a description of this collection.
Wedge lofts in the same charts
Many iron charts go past the pitching wedge. 257 of them list a gap or approach wedge (median 49°), 139 a sand wedge (median 55°) and 57 a lob wedge (median 60°). Our wedge loft chart breaks these down by wedge and era and compares them with the lofts that specialty wedges come in. If the last club in your set is marked A, G, U or W rather than PW, check what the letter means for that brand.
Driver, fairway wood and hybrid lofts
| Club | Models | Lowest loft offered: median (range) | Highest loft offered: median (range) | Most widely offered (models) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 241 | 9° (5.5°–13.5°) | 11.5° (8.5°–16°) | 10.5° (206), 9° (122), 12° (88) |
| Fairway wood | 178 | 15° (12°–19°) | 21° (13°–33°) | 15° (121), 18° (94), 21° (81) |
| Hybrid | 134 | 18° (14°–23°) | 27° (20°–39°) | 19° (86), 22° (60), 25° (53) |
Woods and hybrids usually come with a short list of loft options rather than one chart per club number, so this table counts the lofts each model lists. 206 of the 241 drivers with published loft options list a 10.5° head, 122 list 9° and 88 list 12°. For fairway woods, the lowest loft in each model's list has a median of 15°, and 121 of 178 models list a 15° head. Hybrids start at a median of 18°, and 19° is the most widely listed hybrid loft (86 of 134 models).
Not every record says which loft belongs to which head number, so we do not turn these lists into a 3-wood or 4-hybrid column. Many current drivers and fairway woods also have an adjustable hosel, and the loft printed on the head is the standard setting, not the angle the club is set to now.
Loft is an angle, not a distance
Loft is the angle of the clubface relative to vertical, measured with the club in its specified position. In a specification table it is a static number. The loft you present at impact can differ, depending on how you deliver the club. Loft at impact is one of the main inputs to launch angle and backspin. Our guide to launch angle, spin and ball flight height shows with modeled trajectories how those two numbers change the height and landing of a shot.
Within one model, each shorter iron normally has more loft. That organizes the set, but it does not turn each degree into a fixed number of yards. Swing speed, strike, shaft, head design and delivery all feed into where the ball ends up.
"Stronger" means less loft and "weaker" means more. A change from 35° to 33° is 2° stronger. The words describe the angle, not the quality of the club or the skill of the golfer.
Compare the specification, then compare the club
Matching lofts across two models does not make them interchangeable, and a stronger 7-iron is not proof that a set flies farther for you. When you compare sets, write down:
- The exact model family and generation, not just the brand.
- The loft of the clubs you actually use, including the pitching wedge.
- The published length and any known build differences.
- Your own measured carry distances under comparable conditions, if you have them.
Generations can share some lofts and differ elsewhere. The TaylorMade M2 (2016) and M2 (2017) both list a 28.5° 7-iron, but their sand and lob wedge lofts differ, so one club cannot show that two tables are the same. The iron specification comparison tool puts two published charts side by side. It shows differences in the source figures, not an estimate of how far either set will fly.
At the wedge end, the pitching wedge is part of the iron set's design and has no universal loft. If you replace an iron set but keep your wedges, check the angle gap between the new pitching wedge and your next wedge, then test the actual carry gaps before deciding a combination is right.
Check an older set before relying on the chart
Published specifications describe the original build. A previous owner may have ordered custom lofts or had the heads bent later. If the history is unknown and the numbers matter to a decision, have the actual clubs measured by a qualified fitter or repair shop.
How these figures were computed
The tables are computed when the site is built from the 339 iron-set specification charts in our catalog (3,140 club rows from 14 brands), plus the driver, fairway wood and hybrid records that state their loft options. Each model page names its source: the manufacturer's specification page or PDF, or an Internet Archive capture of the manufacturer's own site, with the date we retrieved it. Each chart counts once per club. Wedge rows are matched by the name the chart prints (AW, GW, UW, SW, LW and their brand variants), never by loft. Wedges named only by a loft and second or third wedges are left out. Loft options outside a plausible range for the club type are left out and listed by our check script. The catalog covers the sets we have sourced, not every club ever made. Figures reviewed October 14, 2026.
Continue with lie angle or the used iron checklist.