Fairway Wood Loft Chart
What degree each fairway wood is, which long iron or hybrid it replaces, and the stock lofts every major manufacturer currently builds.
A standard 3-wood is 15°, a 5-wood 18°–19° and a 7-wood 21°–22°. The retail range runs from 13.5° low-spin 3-woods to 9-woods at 26° and beyond, and most current families add an adjustable hosel worth a degree or two in each direction. Unlike irons, fairway woods are usually bought one slot at a time — which makes the loft, not the number on the sole, the thing to gap by.
- 3-wood
- 15° standard
- 5-wood
- 18°–19°
- 7-wood
- 21°–22°
- 9-wood
- 24°–26°
- Typical hosel adjustment
- ±1°–2°
Fairway wood lofts at a glance
| Wood | Typical loft | Replaces | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-wood | 13.5°–16.5° | — | Distance off the tee and long par 5s; 15° is the standard |
| 4-wood | 16°–17.5° | 2-iron | The 3/5-wood tweener, easier to flight than a 3-wood |
| 5-wood | 17.5°–19.5° | 2–3 iron / 3-hybrid | The most versatile fairway loft for most golfers |
| 7-wood | 20.5°–22.5° | 3–4 iron / 4-hybrid | High, soft-landing long approach club |
| 9-wood | 23.5°–26.5° | 4–5 iron | Maximum height; increasingly common even on tour |
Bands overlap on purpose — a strong 5-wood and a weak 4-wood are the same club. Gap fairway woods by loft and carry against the driver above them and the hybrids or irons below.
Stock fairway wood lofts by brand
| Brand | Current line | Stock lofts | Hosel adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callaway | Quantum (2026) | Max 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 20°, 21°, 24°, 27°; Max D 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 21.5°; Max Fast 16°, 19°, 22°, 25°; Triple Diamond 15°, 18°, 21°; Ti 15°, 18° | 7 loft/lie configurations (OptiFit 4) |
| Cobra | OPTM (2026) | LS Ti 14.5°, 16°, 17°; X 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 21°, 24°; MAX 15.5°, 18.5°, 21.5°, 24.5° | ±2° (FutureFit33) |
| Mizuno | JPX One (2026) | Std 15°, 18°, 21°, 24°; 3T 15° | ±2° (Quick Switch) |
| Ping | G440 (2025) | Max 15°, 17°, 19°, 21°, 24°; LST 15°, 19°; SFT 16°, 19°, 22° | ±1.5° (Trajectory Tuning 2.0) |
| PXG | Lightning (2025) | Std 15°, 17°, 18°, 21°, 24°, 27°; Tour 15°, 18° | ±1.5° (PXG adjustable shaft adapter) |
| Srixon | ZXi RKT (2026) | Std 13.5°, 15°, 18°, 21° | ±1.5° (QTS 1.5 sleeve) |
| TaylorMade | Qi4D (2026) | Std 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 21°, 24°; Tour 15°, 18°, 21°; Max 15°, 18°, 21°, 24°; Max Lite 15°, 18°, 21°, 24° | ±2° (4° Loft Sleeve) |
| Titleist | GTS (2026) | GTS2 13.5°, 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 21°; GTS3 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 21° | −0.75° to +1.5° (SureFit hosel) |
| Wilson | Dynapwr (2025) | Carbon 13.5°, 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 21°; Max 15°, 18°, 21° | ±1° (Wilson six-way adjustable hosel (Carbon only)) |
| XXIO | 14 (2025) | XXIO 14 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 20°, 23° | Non-adjustable |
Generated from the LoftChart spec archive, last verified October 2026; the model link opens the family’s full chart with every head variant and hosel setting. Some lofts are right-hand only.
Fairway wood spec charts on file
Per-family pages with the stock lofts for every head variant and the hosel adjustment chart where the family shares one — including discontinued lines whose spec pages have left the manufacturer sites.
Loft decides the job, not the number
The number on a fairway wood's sole is a naming convention; the loft is what sets launch, carry and landing angle. A 15° 3-wood is a distance club that needs speed to fly from the turf. From about 18° upward the equation flips: the ball climbs easily, lands steeply and stops — which is why a 7-wood from light rough is one of the easiest long shots in golf, and why the highest-lofted woods have returned to tour bags.
When gapping, work downward from the driver in roughly 3°–4° steps of loft and make each slot either a fairway wood or a hybrid, not both. The same loft in a wood flies higher and further; in a hybrid it is shorter, more iron-like and easier to control.
Frequently asked questions
What loft is a 3-wood?
15° is the standard, with stock options running from about 13.5° on low-spin tour heads to 16.5° on high-launch builds. Most adjustable hosels move that by a degree or so in each direction.
Should I carry a 3-wood or a 5-wood?
Most amateurs get more out of a 5-wood. A 3-wood's 15° face needs clubhead speed to launch from the turf, so it often becomes a tee-only club; an 18°–19° 5-wood flies almost as far, launches far more easily and holds greens. Carry both only if the gap to the driver justifies it.
What fairway wood is easiest to hit?
The highest-lofted one that fills the gap. Loft adds launch and backspin, which keeps mis-hits airborne and reduces curve — a 7-wood or 9-wood is markedly easier from the fairway and rough than a 3-wood, which is why high-lofted woods are back in fashion.
Can a fairway wood replace a driver?
Off the tee, yes — a 13.5°–16.5° 3-wood costs distance against a driver but its shorter shaft and extra loft make it straighter. Players who fight the driver often tee off with a 3-wood and give up less than they think.
Shop fairway woods
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Working on the rest of the long game? The driver loft chart covers the tee shot and the hybrid loft chart maps each hybrid to the iron it replaces.
- Loft bands and the iron equivalences are the accepted club-fitting conventions, given as ranges because no governing body defines them and shaft length and head design move every one of them.
- Brand and model figures come from the LoftChart spec archive — the per-model pages linked above, each compiled from the manufacturer’s own spec sheets and source-attributed — last verified in October 2026.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Spot an error? info@loftchart.com