40-Yard Dash Times by Age
What's a good 40 time for your age? Here are 40-yard dash benchmarks for boys and girls aged 8–18, electronic and hand-timed, NFL combine averages by position, a free 40 checker, and how to run a faster 40.
Check your 40 How to run a faster 40 By Allan Smith, head coach at Edinburgh Sprint Coach: 4× British Champion, GB International and UKA Level 3 coach. Updated October 2026.The short answer
For a 16–18-year-old boy, an electronic 40-yard dash of 4.82–5.08 seconds is very good and under 4.82s is excellent. Hand-timed, that's about 4.58–4.84s and under 4.58s. For a 14–15-year-old boy, 5.09–5.41s (electronic) is very good. For 16–18-year-old girls, 5.34–5.64s is very good and under 5.34s is excellent. At the NFL combine, wide receivers average 4.52 seconds.
Check your 40
Enter your age, your time and how it was timed. You'll get your band and your average speed.
Your band will appear here.
Important: these are coaching benchmarks, not recruiting standards. They're converted from our 40-metre sprint standards for boys and girls, so they're consistent with the rest of our sprint tables. How the 40 is timed changes the number more than anything else, so always note it.
40-yard dash times by age
Choose boys or girls and how your 40 was timed. Find your age row, then the band your time falls in.
40-yard dash times: boys
Seconds · electronic| Age | Developing | Good | Very Good | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–9 | 7.13s+ | 6.71–7.12s | 6.34–6.70s | Under 6.34s |
| 10–11 | 6.67s+ | 6.25–6.66s | 5.88–6.24s | Under 5.88s |
| 12–13 | 6.25s+ | 5.79–6.24s | 5.46–5.78s | Under 5.46s |
| 14–15 | 5.83s+ | 5.42–5.82s | 5.09–5.41s | Under 5.09s |
| 16–18 | 5.46s+ | 5.09–5.45s | 4.82–5.08s | Under 4.82s |
Fully electronic timing (laser or touch-pad start on first movement, beam at 40 yards).
40-yard dash times: girls
Seconds · electronic| Age | Developing | Good | Very Good | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–9 | 7.13s+ | 6.71–7.12s | 6.34–6.70s | Under 6.34s |
| 10–11 | 6.67s+ | 6.25–6.66s | 5.88–6.24s | Under 5.88s |
| 12–13 | 6.57s+ | 6.08–6.56s | 5.74–6.07s | Under 5.74s |
| 14–15 | 6.30s+ | 5.85–6.29s | 5.50–5.84s | Under 5.50s |
| 16–18 | 6.07s+ | 5.65–6.06s | 5.34–5.64s | Under 5.34s |
Fully electronic timing (laser or touch-pad start on first movement, beam at 40 yards).
40-yard dash times: boys
Seconds · hand-timed| Age | Developing | Good | Very Good | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–9 | 6.89s+ | 6.47–6.88s | 6.10–6.46s | Under 6.10s |
| 10–11 | 6.43s+ | 6.01–6.42s | 5.64–6.00s | Under 5.64s |
| 12–13 | 6.01s+ | 5.55–6.00s | 5.22–5.54s | Under 5.22s |
| 14–15 | 5.59s+ | 5.18–5.58s | 4.85–5.17s | Under 4.85s |
| 16–18 | 5.22s+ | 4.85–5.21s | 4.58–4.84s | Under 4.58s |
Hand-timed bands are the electronic bands minus 0.24 seconds, the typical gap between a stopwatch and a laser.
40-yard dash times: girls
Seconds · hand-timed| Age | Developing | Good | Very Good | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–9 | 6.89s+ | 6.47–6.88s | 6.10–6.46s | Under 6.10s |
| 10–11 | 6.43s+ | 6.01–6.42s | 5.64–6.00s | Under 5.64s |
| 12–13 | 6.33s+ | 5.84–6.32s | 5.50–5.83s | Under 5.50s |
| 14–15 | 6.06s+ | 5.61–6.05s | 5.26–5.60s | Under 5.26s |
| 16–18 | 5.83s+ | 5.41–5.82s | 5.10–5.40s | Under 5.10s |
Hand-timed bands are the electronic bands minus 0.24 seconds, the typical gap between a stopwatch and a laser.
The 8–9 and 10–11 bands are the same for boys and girls, because sprint speed differs very little before puberty. Adults can use the 16–18 row as a guide.
Why are these slower than some numbers online? Many charts mix hand times, rolling starts and self-reported times. Ours are for a true standing start with electronic timing, then converted for hand timing.
NFL combine 40 times by position
For context, here's what the best football players in the world run. These are the average 40 times for every NFL Scouting Combine participant since 2003, by position group, as published by the NFL. The fastest on record is 4.21 seconds, by Xavier Worthy in 2024.
Average 40-yard dash by position
NFL combine, since 2003| Position | Average |
|---|---|
| Cornerbacks | 4.50s |
| Wide receivers | 4.52s |
| Safeties | 4.57s |
| Running backs | 4.59s |
| Linebackers | 4.71s |
| Tight ends | 4.76s |
| Quarterbacks | 4.82s |
| Edge rushers | 4.83s |
| Defensive linemen | 4.94s |
| Defensive tackles | 5.11s |
| Offensive linemen | 5.26s |
Elite adult athletes: compare yourself with your own age group above, not with these.
Hand-timed vs electronic: why it matters
A timer with a stopwatch reacts to your first movement a split second late and often stops the watch a little early. Both make the time faster. Comparisons of the two have found hand-timed 40s usually come out about 0.2–0.3 seconds faster than fully electronic times.
- 40 yards is 36.58 metres. It's 3.4m shorter than 40m, which takes about 0.35–0.45s at full speed, so a 40-yard time is always quicker than a 40m time.
- Start rules change times. Starting on your first movement, starting 0.5m behind a gate, and rocking or rolling starts all give different numbers.
- Surface and shoes matter. A fast track or dry turf in spikes or flats is quicker than grass in cleats.
- Compare like with like: same timing method, same surface, same shoes.
How to run a faster 40
The first 10 yards are only a quarter of the distance but take well over a third of your time, and most players are still speeding up when they cross the line. So the stance, the start and the drive decide most of your 40:
- Own your stance. Front foot 1–1½ foot-lengths behind the line, hips level with or just above the shoulders, weight forward on the down hand.
- Push, don't step. The down hand rips back, the off arm punches forward, and both legs push. No false step backwards.
- Keep the first steps low. The feet skim the ground and land under your hips, and each step gets a little longer.
- Rise gradually. Don't pop up. Your body rises a little with every step until you're tall by 20–30 yards.
- Run through the line. Sprint to 45 yards. Easing off, lunging or looking for the clock costs tenths.
40-Yard Dash: the full program
The full stance-to-finish program: test your 40 and broad jump in Week 0, train twice a week, and retest in Week 6. Built for combines, camps, pro days and the season.
40-Yard Dash
The 6-week 40 program · ages 13 and up
- The perfect three-point stance, measured and drawn step by step.
- Push, don't step: the start and the first three steps.
- Drive, transition and the finish: run through the line.
- 14 drills and 5 strength exercises, every one drawn.
- Combine-day plan, hand vs electronic timing and age benchmarks.
Read it on your phone or print it. Written by Allan Smith: UKA Level 3 coach, 4× British Champion and GB International.
40-Yard Dash, Agility (the 5-10-5) and Top Speed: everything a combine tests on the move. Save £18.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a good 40-yard dash time?
It depends on age, sex and timing. For 16–18-year-old boys, 4.82–5.08 seconds electronic (about 4.58–4.84s hand-timed) is very good and under 4.82s electronic is excellent. NFL wide receivers average 4.52 seconds at the combine.
What is a good 40 time for a 12-year-old?
For 12–13-year-old boys, 5.46–5.78 seconds electronic is very good and under 5.46s is excellent. For girls the same age, 5.74–6.07s is very good. Hand-timed, take off about 0.24s.
What is a good 40 time for a 14-year-old?
For 14–15-year-old boys, 5.09–5.41 seconds electronic (about 4.85–5.17s hand-timed) is very good. For girls, 5.50–5.84s electronic is very good.
What is a good 40 time for a 16-year-old?
For 16–18-year-old boys, under 4.82s electronic (about 4.58s hand-timed) is excellent and 4.82–5.08s is very good. For girls, under 5.34s electronic is excellent.
What is a good 40 time for a 10-year-old?
For 10–11-year-olds, boys and girls share the same bands: 5.88–6.24s electronic is very good and under 5.88s is excellent.
How much faster is a hand-timed 40?
Usually about 0.2–0.3 seconds faster than fully electronic timing, because the timer starts late and often stops early. Always say how a time was taken.
What is the fastest 40-yard dash ever?
The fastest NFL combine 40 on record is 4.21 seconds, by Xavier Worthy in 2024.
How is a 40-yard dash different from a 40m sprint?
40 yards is 36.58 metres, about 3.4m shorter than 40m, so 40-yard times are faster. The start rules often differ too.
How can I improve my 40 time fast?
Fix the stance and the start first: that's where most beginners lose the most time. Then the drive phase, the rise and running through the line. Our 40-Yard Dash guide is a six-week program for all of it, for £19.
Related guides
Want a faster 40?
Most players lose the most time in the stance and the first three steps, and they're the easiest part to fix. Follow the 40-Yard Dash program at home, or book a session in Edinburgh.
Get the 40-Yard Dash program · £19 Book a sprint assessment