How Heavy Is a Go Board? Legged Boards Run 10-30 kg, Mostly Set by Thickness

A solid wooden go board with legs is not a game accessory you can slip into a bag. It is closer to a small piece of furniture. Someone who has only handled a thin tabletop or folding board may be surprised the first time they lift a legged one.

The good news is that weight can be roughly estimated. Much of it comes from one number, the thickness of the board. This page gives the commonly quoted range, an estimate of weight by thickness that you can reproduce yourself, the places where the sources disagree, and what to sort out before a heavy board arrives at your door.

The short version (as of October 2026)

• Legged go and shogi boards generally weigh 10-30 kg, and thick ones can exceed 30 kg. This range is stated by Kuroki Goishi-ten, a Japanese go equipment dealer.
• Thickness is the main driver. Maekawa Kaya Goban-ten, a specialist kaya board shop, says boards thicker than 7 sun (about 21 cm) become very heavy, some over 30 kg.
• A rough calculation for a 19×19 kaya board gives about 17-18 kg at 5 sun (about 15 cm) and about 31-32 kg at 9 sun (about 27 cm), using a kaya density of 0.6. These are estimates for a solid block, not measured weights, and a lower density would give lower figures.
• Published figures do not agree with each other, so the weight you should trust is the one stated for the specific board you are buying.
• If weight is a problem, tabletop and folding boards are the lighter route. They are also easier to ship and store.

What “sun” means, and why thickness is quoted in it

Japanese board makers state thickness in sun (寸), a traditional unit. In board-making, 1 sun is treated as roughly 3 cm (about 3.03 cm). So:

Legged go boards are made from about 2 sun up to about 9 sun, according to Japanese Wikipedia’s articles on the go board and the shogi board. Thick boards are traditionally regarded as higher-grade; boards of 8 or 9 sun do exist but are rare.

The commonly quoted range: 10-30 kg

Two Japanese specialist shops give figures that line up with each other on the headline range.

• Kuroki Goishi-ten says a legged board, depending on thickness, is generally 10-30 kg, and heavy ones go beyond 30 kg. It also says legged boards are usually made as a one-piece board, and are thick.
• Maekawa Kaya Goban-ten says boards over 7 sun become very heavy, and some exceed 30 kg, so placement and housing conditions need to be considered.

Taken together, the safest reading is this: a legged go board is something you place once and leave, not something you move casually.

Estimating weight by thickness

Actual weight depends on the wood species, how dry the board is, and how it is cut. To see how thickness and weight relate, you can do a simple calculation with published numbers.

The inputs:

• A 19×19 board is about 45.5 cm long and 42.4 cm wide (1 shaku 5 sun by 1 shaku 4 sun), per Japanese Wikipedia.
• Kaya (Japanese torreya) has a specific gravity of about 0.6, per Japanese Wikipedia.
• 1 sun is about 3.03 cm.

Multiplying length by width by thickness by density gives the weight of a plain rectangular block of kaya:

These are this page’s own arithmetic on published figures, not measured weights. Three things make real boards differ:

• Legs add weight. The table treats the board as a plain block and leaves them out.
• The hollow on the underside removes weight. Many legged boards have a recess in the middle of the back, called the heso (navel) in Japanese. According to Japanese Wikipedia it helps limit warping and cracking as the wood dries, and improves the sound of the stones. Thin legged boards of about 2 sun do not have one.
• Other woods differ. The calculation is for kaya. Boards in other woods will have a different density, and this page does not give figures for them.

The sources do not say how large the leg and hollow effects are, and the density used is itself uncertain: 0.6 is the figure Japanese Wikipedia gives, and a density about 10% lower would lower every figure in the table by about 10%. Treat the table as a ballpark. It is useful mainly for one thing: showing how fast weight climbs with thickness. Each extra sun adds roughly 3.5 kg on a 19×19 board by this arithmetic.

Where the sources disagree

Kuroki Goishi-ten’s guide also says a 3 sun board weighs “about 3-4 kg”. That is hard to reconcile with the other figures. The same guide says legged boards are generally 10 kg and up, and the arithmetic above gives around 10 kg for a 3 sun kaya board. The difference is unresolved here, and it may be a typo or refer to a different board type. Do not rely on that single figure.

The same guide gives a standard tabletop board of 2 sun as about 4-6 kg, which is a little lighter than the 7 kg or so the arithmetic suggests. That fits an estimate that errs on the heavy side, but it is a single source.

The takeaway: published weights come with real ranges. If a seller does not state the weight, ask for it.

Shogi boards are lighter at the same thickness

A shogi board has a smaller playing surface, about 36 cm by 33 cm (1 shaku 2 sun by 1 shaku 1 sun), per Japanese Wikipedia. At the same thickness it is lighter than a go board.

Using the same arithmetic and kaya’s density, a 6 sun shogi board comes out near 13 kg and a 7 sun board near 15 kg. Again, this is an estimate for the plain block, with legs and the underside hollow ignored.

Legged shogi boards are also made from about 2 sun to about 9 sun. At professional title matches, boards of about 6-7 sun (about 20 cm) are commonly used, according to Japanese Wikipedia’s article on the shogi board. Thick shogi boards are heavier than they look.

For choosing shogi board thickness, see Shogi Board Sizes and Thickness.

Thickness changes more than weight

Weight is not the only reason thickness matters. Two practical points from Maekawa Kaya Goban-ten:

• 3-4 sun is the entry and standard size for a legged board. It is lighter and easier to move, but the playing surface is low, and taller people can end up leaning forward.
• 5-6 sun is described as the most popular size. Around 5 sun the posture is upright and you can see the whole board.
• Above 7 sun the board gives an impressive presence, but the surface is so high that reaching the near side can mean bent elbows, and it can be harder to view the board as a whole.

So the heaviest board is not automatically the best one to own. For a first legged board, a mid thickness is often the more comfortable choice. For how thickness relates to price and wood, see How to Choose a Go Board.

Three things to check before a heavy board arrives

Once you know a legged board is furniture-weight, three practical checks avoid the common problems.

1. The route into the house. A 19×19 board is about 45 cm by 42 cm in plan, and the legs add height. Check doorways, stairs, any tight turns, and lifts if you live in an apartment. Boards may have to be carried at an angle.
2. The final position. A legged board is made to sit directly on a tatami mat or floor, with the players seated on the floor. Keep it away from direct sun, heaters and air-conditioning drafts, where the board is more prone to cracking, warping and sun fading. Maekawa Kaya Goban-ten gives this same advice for storage in its care notes. For more, see Caring for a Go or Shogi Board.
3. How often it will move. If you plan to set it up once and leave it, weight matters less. If you want to move it between rooms or take it to a club, a lighter board is more realistic.

If the board comes from a long way away, also ask the seller for the packed weight and packed dimensions, not just the weight of the board itself. This site’s sources do not give figures for packaging or carrier limits, so those details need to come from the seller and the carrier.

Moving a heavy board

Details depend on how the board is built, so the maker or dealer’s advice comes first. These are general habits, not drawn from the sources above:

• Do not lift it alone if it is heavy. Two people, keeping it level.
• Do not drag it. It marks the floor and puts unnecessary stress on the board.
• Clear the surface first. Remove bowls, stones, ornaments or any cover before moving.
• Check the new spot afterwards. The sun can fall differently in the new position, and a vent may now blow on the board.
• Avoid sudden changes of temperature and humidity while it is being moved. Wood reacts to them.

If weight is the problem, change the type of board

If you like the idea of a kaya board but not the weight, think about the type rather than the thickness.

Maekawa Kaya Goban-ten says tabletop boards are generally 1-3 sun and become heavier as they get thicker, but play and sound improve with thickness. Kuroki Goishi-ten says tabletop boards start at around 1 kg, with a typical 2 sun board at about 4-6 kg, so they are much easier to handle than a legged board.

Choosing the size of a go board for the grid, rather than the weight, is covered in 9×9, 13×13 or 19×19?. If you are considering a second-hand board, remember that a heavy used board can also be costly to send for repair; see Buying a Used Go Board.

FAQ

How much does a legged go board weigh? Generally 10-30 kg, according to Kuroki Goishi-ten, and thick ones can exceed 30 kg. A rough arithmetic estimate for a solid kaya board gives about 17-18 kg at 5 sun and about 31-32 kg at 9 sun.

Is a 30 kg board unusual? Not for a thick board. Maekawa Kaya Goban-ten says boards over 7 sun become very heavy and some exceed 30 kg.

Are shogi boards lighter than go boards? At the same thickness, yes, because the playing surface is smaller (about 36 x 33 cm against about 45.5 x 42.4 cm). The same arithmetic gives roughly 13 kg for a 6 sun kaya shogi board, but this is an estimate.

Does a deeper hollow on the back make a board lighter? It removes some wood, but the sources give no figure for how much, and thickness is the main driver of weight in the estimates above. The hollow’s main purposes are limiting warping and cracking and improving the sound of the stones.

What is the lightest way to own a kaya board? A tabletop or folding board. Maekawa Kaya Goban-ten describes tabletop boards as light and easy to handle; Kuroki Goishi-ten puts a 2 sun tabletop board at about 4-6 kg.

Why do published weights differ for the same thickness? Species, dryness, the legs and the hollow on the underside can all differ, and so can how a figure was measured. Published numbers are approximate. Ask the seller for the weight of the specific board.

Related pages

• How to Choose a Go Board: Wood, Form and Thickness
• Shogi Board Sizes and Thickness
• Caring for a Go or Shogi Board
• Buying a Used Go Board
• Where to Buy Go Equipment Outside Japan

Figures here come from Maekawa Kaya Goban-ten’s board guides, Kuroki Goishi-ten’s board guide, and Japanese Wikipedia’s articles on the go board, shogi board and kaya, checked October 2026. The weight-by-thickness tables are the author’s arithmetic on those published dimensions and density, not measured weights. Real boards vary, so confirm the actual weight and dimensions with the seller. Kayajudo is an independent guide to Japanese go and shogi equipment, and we can also order boards, stones and pieces from makers and shops in Japan for you and ship them abroad — see Ordering from overseas.