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Cricket Bat Rules: Size Limits, Materials and the New Laminated Bats

Law 5's cricket bat rules: 38-inch length, 4.25-inch width, depth and edge limits, the bat gauge, Types A to D, and the 2026 change on laminated bats.

By Published 3 min read

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Key takeaways

  • A bat may be no longer than 38 in (96.52 cm), and its blade no wider than 4.25 in, no deeper than 2.64 in, with edges no thicker than 1.56 in.
  • Every legal bat must also pass through a bat gauge, and the handle may be at most 52% of the bat's length for bats larger than size 6.
  • The blade must be made solely of wood, and nothing on the bat may damage the ball more than bare willow would.
  • Type A bats can be used at any level; Types B, C and D only at levels set by each country's governing body.
  • The 2026 Laws let laminated Type D bats, up to three pieces of wood, be used in adult cricket where governing bodies allow, to curb rising bat costs.

Law 5 of the Laws of Cricket, with a long technical appendix, sets out what a legal bat is made of, how big it can be, and which kinds of bat may be used at which level. MCC's 2026 edition also made one of the biggest equipment changes in years: laminated bats in adult cricket.

The size limits

Law 5.7 sets the maximum dimensions:

Measurement Limit
Overall length, handle inserted 38 in / 96.52 cm
Blade width 4.25 in / 10.8 cm
Blade depth 2.64 in / 6.7 cm
Edge thickness 1.56 in / 4.0 cm
Handle, for bats larger than size 6 At most 52% of the overall length
Protective covering on the blade At most 0.04 in / 0.1 cm thick
Protective material on the toe At most 0.12 in / 0.3 cm thick

Numbers on paper are hard to police in the middle, so every legal bat must also pass through a bat gauge. Appendix B gives its aperture: 4.33 in wide, 2.68 in deep in total and 1.61 in at the edge, slightly larger than the blade limits in Law 5.7. A bat must pass through it with or without the protective coverings that Law 5.4 permits.

What a bat is made of

Law 5 splits a bat into a handle and a blade:

  • The handle must be made principally of cane and/or wood, and its upper part may have a grip.
  • The blade must consist solely of wood.
  • Repairs may insert solid material into the blade, but only wood with minimal adhesive.
  • No part of the bat, covered or not, may be so hard or rough that it causes "unacceptable damage" to the ball: anything beyond the normal wear from hitting bare wood.

Wikipedia's article on the cricket bat adds the traditional recipe: a blade of cricket bat willow, a variety of white willow, treated with raw linseed oil, with a cane handle spliced in. It credits the tapered splice design to Charles Richardson in the 1880s.

The wood-only rule has a history. Wikipedia recounts that in 1979 Dennis Lillee briefly used an aluminium ComBat bat; after discussion with the umpires and complaints from the English team, he reverted to wood, and the Laws were soon amended to say the blade must be made entirely of wood. In 2005, Kookaburra withdrew a bat with a carbon-fibre support down its spine after MCC advised the ICC that it was illegal.

Types A to D

Law 5.8 sorts bats into four categories:

Type What is allowed Where it can be used
A The basic Law 5 bat Any level of cricket
B Material inserted at the toe and/or along the sides Levels set by the national governing body
C As B, plus a cloth covering and more non-wood material in the handle Levels set by the national governing body
D May be laminated and/or coloured Lower levels, as set by the national governing body

Bats that fit none of the four are not recognised in the Laws.

The 2026 change: laminated bats

Appendix B lets a Type D blade be laminated, using only wood, from no more than three pieces, with one single piece forming the face. MCC's summary of the ten major 2026 changes explains the reason: Type D bats are now permitted in open-age cricket rather than just junior cricket, as part of an attempt to slow the rising cost of bats. Laminating lets more of the best willow be used, by gluing lower-quality willow behind a high-quality face.

MCC says its testing did not suggest laminated bats give a significant performance advantage, and that it expects top-level bats to remain a single piece of willow. As the Law says, the level at which Type D bats may be used is for each country's governing body.

Bat limits and the balance between bat and ball

MCC's preface to the Laws names maintaining a fair balance between bat and ball as one of the guiding objectives of the 2017 Code, and says those principles continued to guide the 2026 fourth edition. The ball, its size and its colour are covered in cricket ball types, and the strokes a modern bat makes possible in cricket batting shots.

In Cricket Sport Career Simulator, one of our sports career games, batting technique and scoring is one of the skill groups your cricketer develops, whatever bat they use.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

What is the maximum size of a cricket bat?
Law 5 limits the overall length to 38 in (96.52 cm). The blade may be no more than 4.25 in (10.8 cm) wide and 2.64 in (6.7 cm) deep, with edges of at most 1.56 in (4.0 cm). The bat must also pass through the bat gauge described in Appendix B.
Are laminated cricket bats legal?
As Type D bats, yes, at the levels a country's governing body allows. They may be laminated from up to three pieces of wood, with a single piece forming the face. MCC's 2026 changes opened them to adult cricket to slow rising bat costs, while expecting top-level bats to remain a single piece of willow.
What does a cricket bat have to be made of?
The blade must consist solely of wood, and the handle principally of cane and/or wood. Wikipedia notes bats are traditionally made from cricket bat willow, a variety of white willow, with a cane handle spliced into the blade.
Are aluminium bats allowed?
No. Because the blade must be made solely of wood, metal blades are not legal. Wikipedia recounts that Dennis Lillee briefly used an aluminium ComBat bat in 1979, and that the Laws were amended soon afterwards to require a blade made entirely of wood.

Sources

  1. The Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026), Law 5 and Appendix B (opens in a new tab)Marylebone Cricket Club — accessed
  2. Laws of Cricket: Changes for 2026 (opens in a new tab)Marylebone Cricket Club — accessed
  3. Cricket bat (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed

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