Dart Sections
All darts have the same basic parts: Point, Barrel, Shaft, and Flight.

Points
Points are the portion of the dart which penetrates the dartboard and can be either ‘Steel-Tipped’ or ‘Soft-Tipped’. Steel-tip points can be used on standard bristle dartboards while Soft-tip points are exclusively used on electronic dartboards.

Barrel
The Barrel is the main body of the dart and is made from a wide range of shapes, sizes, and materials. The barrel is the ‘grip’ portion of the dart.

Shaft and Flight
These parts provide aerodynamic qualities and stability to the dart.

Points, Shafts and Flights will wear out over time with constant usage. However, all three are replaceable accessories. Points, shafts, and flights also vary in size and shape. This is done so that each dart player can match, satisfy their individual needs, and ‘build’ the dart to suit their particular style.

Weight
Barrels are commonly available in a range of weights from 16 grams to 30 grams or more for a variety of throwing styles. A heavier dart overcomes air resistance more efficiently than a lighter dart and provides greater control because it is less susceptible to minor variations in throwing release. Heavier darts with wide barrel diameters will block more of the dartboard’s scoring areas.

Balance between a dart’s weight and diameter is optimal. Tungsten’s high-density material provides thin diameters with heavier weight. Tungsten darts are superior to other darts for this reason.

Style
Combining grip elements and weight with shape and material creates dart style. Dart performance is the top priority in dart throwing. Nonetheless, dart aesthetics are an integral part of the dart as well. Darts come with an array of grooves, contours, lengths, knurls, diameters and colors.

Try different barrel designs, styles and weights and choose a combination that results in the best ‘feel’ and optimal scoring for you. Keep in mind that the quality of craftsmanship is an indicator of performance.


Types of Dart Barrel

Brass
Brass barrels are economical and excellent for beginners to use. Brass is extremely consistent because each dart barrel has the same weight and balance.

Nickel-Silver
Nickel-Silver barrels are similar to Brass but are slightly heavier, harder and more durable. Nickel-Silver barrels have a silver finish and are resistant to corrosion. Compared to Brass, Nickel-Silver barrels are thinner but have the same consistency of weight and balance. These also cost more that Brass darts.

Both Brass and Nickel-Silver barrels have large circumference, and in darts big barrels create more air resistance. Thinner darts have less air resistance which is better.

These dart types are also hard to ‘pack-in’ to tight spaces when thrown at a dart board. Double and triple scoring on a dartboard requires darts to be thrown into tight spaces. Higher scores can be achieved by using thinner darts.

Nickel-Silver is definitely better than Brass, but the best dart barrels are made of high-quality Tungsten. Tungsten is a high density alloy which gives darts weight without bulk.

Tungsten
Tungsten barrels provide consistency and weight without the large circumference associated with Brass and Nickel-Silver darts. Tungsten barrels definitely cost more that Brass and Nickel-Silver but the very thin, dense dart barrels that allow dart throwers to achieve maximum point scores is worth the higher expense.

A quality set of Tungsten darts with matched weight and balance are the players’ choice in competitive play. Tungsten darts can be described in three words: slim, sleek and accurate.