List of skateboarding terms

This is a skateboarding related list that defines everything, maneuver, venue, and physics terms that are important to skateboarding. These terms are commonly used in the vocabulary of a skateboarder in order to reference specific parts, tricks, and locations efficiently.

A skateboard is made up of many parts both movable and immovable that when put together allow a rider to propel him or herself forward and steer left or right. A skateboard is propelled by pushing with one foot while the other remains on the board, or by pumping in structures such as a pool or half-pipe. A skateboard can also be used by simply standing on the board while on a downward slope and allowing gravity to propel the board and rider.

• Hardware: Nuts, bolts, and screws that hold the trucks, bushings, and base plate onto the board.
• Board: Also known as the Deck or Shape, this is the main part of a skateboard, the portion that is used to skate on. Boards are typically made of 7 or 9 plies of maple, birch, or some other wood, laminated together and shaped into numerous board shapes.
• Grip tape: Sandpaper affixed to the top of the board with adhesive. Grip tape provides traction so movement from the feet is transferred to the board.
• Nose: The front of the skateboard.
• Tail: The rear of the skateboard, usually measured from the rear truck bolts to the end of the board (usually curved up at about a 10-degree angle from the rest of the deck).

• Trucks: The truck is the collective name for the front and rear axle assemblies that connect the wheels to the deck and provide the turning capabilities for the board. The major components of the truck includes the base plate, axle, and the hanger. The truck bears the weight load of board.
• Axle: The axle is a metal rod which runs through the hanger and extends from it on either side. Wheels are inserted on either end and secured with the axle nut.
• Wheels: Usually made of polyurethane and sized between 39 and 70 millimeters in diameter, their hardness is measured by durometer, a number ranging from 0 to 100. Soft wheels have a durometer of about 85, hard wheels have a durometer of 98 or higher. .63 mm wheels are usually reserved for longboards, which go significantly faster and benefit from a softer wheel.
• Wheelbase: The distance between the front and back wheels, measured between the two sets of innermost truck bolt holes. A longer wheelbase adds stability by increasing its moments of inertia and reducing the pitch and/or yaw induced by wheel displacement.
• Kingpin: A partially threaded bolt placed through the base plate and truck and secured with the kingpin nut. The kingpin holds the bushings, truck hanger, and base plate together. Trucks with kingpins that face away from each other, with the kingpin nuts on the inside, are called "traditional kingpin". Longboards are often fitted with trucks that have the kingpins facing away from each other, with the kingpin nuts on the outside, closer to the nose and tail. This is called "reverse kingpin".
• Bushing: Bushings are donut-shaped polyurethane pieces that are inserted onto the kingpin of a truck. There are two bushings per truck, one above and one below where the hanger fits onto the kingpin. These are sometimes called the boardside and roadside bushing, respectively. Like wheels, bushings are available with different levels of hardness. The kingpin nut may be tightened or loosened to adjust the turning radius and response of the truck itself. Tighter bushings mean stiffer trucks and less chance of "wheel bite", where the wheel makes contact with the deck, damaging the deck and slowing or stopping the wheels. Loose bushings make for easier turning at the cost of more frequent wheel bite.
• Pivot cup: A raised and hollowed receptacle on the base plate opposite the kingpin which holds the pivot bushing.
• Pivot bushing: A plastic cup-shaped piece which rests in the pivot cup of the base plate and supports the truck's hanger at the pivot point allowing the truck to pivot smoothly. The pivot bushing prevents frictional contact between the truck and the base plate and provides a cushioned pivot point.

• Bearings: Bearings allow for the smooth turning of a wheel on its axle. Bearings consist of 6, 7, or 8 balls enclosed in races between two shields encased in a disc-like body. Bearings can be measured by an ABEC rating. Skateboard bearings typically come in sets of eight and are inserted into both sides of the wheel; two bearings for each of the four wheels.
• Crown: Crowns are also called retainers or cages and are usually made of Delrin. Crowns hold and separate the individual balls in a bearing.
• Bearing shield: The two walls that hold the ball bearings and Delrin crowns from falling out. The bearing shield plays an important role as well in keeping dirt from getting into the bearing and slowing it down. Some bearings have only one shield and can be taken apart for maintenance.
• C clip: The C clip is a mechanism for locking bearing shields in place. It is essentially a thin C-shaped wire that fits tightly into a groove around the outside perimeter of the bearing shield to hold it in place against the bearing casing. Not all bearings have a C clip, but those that do can usually be taken apart for cleaning and maintenance.^[1]
• Casing: The casing is the body of the bearing. It holds the ball bearings, crown, and shield in place.