What does the rating on shuttlecock flight, durability and consistency mean?

by Radhica

(Bangalore, India)

Question: I seem some shuttles are classified by their flight, durability and consistency and are rated as A, B+ , B, etc. What does this rating mean in a shuttle?

Hi Radhica, thanks for your question.

There are 2 main factors that determine the quality of a shuttlecock.

  • Flight trajectory and consistency
  • Durability

Flight Trajectory

Higher grade shuttlecocks have better flight trajectories compared to lower grade shuttles.

Good flight trajectory simply means the shuttle can fly downwards sharply at a steep angle. See the picture below.

shuttles trajectory

With a good flight trajectory (blue line in the picture), players can perform high defensive clears without worrying about the shuttlecock flying out.

Manufacturers often rate the flight quality of their shuttlecocks. This is what manufacturers mean by A+, A, B, B+ and so on. They are referring to flight quality.

Flight Consistency

Consistency refers to how long a shuttlecock can maintain a consistent flight pattern. New ones often have the best flight pattern.

Shuttlecocks with low flight consistency lose the quality of its flight pattern after a few hits. On the other hand, more consistent shuttlecocks can maintain flight quality much longer.

High grade shuttlecocks should have good trajectory (blue line in the picture). If shuttles are inconsistent, they will very quickly produce lousier trajectories (like the red line) after several hits.

You’ll often see manufacturers rating consistency along with flight (flight and consistency).