Field Goal Percentage Calculator

What the field goal percentage calculator does

Field goal percentage, or FG%, is the most basic measure of how well a player or team shoots: the share of shots from the field that go in. This tool works it out. You give it the field goals made and the field goals attempted, and it returns the percentage.

It is quick and useful, and it is the number every box score leads with. It also has one well-known blind spot, which is worth understanding before you lean on it too hard, and that is most of what this page is about.

How to use it

1. Enter the field goals made. Shots from the field that went in, both two-pointers and three-pointers.
2. Enter the field goals attempted. All the shots from the field that were taken.

One thing to note: field goals are shots from the floor, the twos and threes. Free throws are not field goals, so they do not count here at all. Press Calculate for the percentage, or Reset to clear the boxes.

How field goal percentage is worked out

It is makes over attempts, turned into a percentage:

Field goal percentage = (field goals made ÷ field goals attempted) × 100

So 9 makes out of 20 attempts is 9 divided by 20, which is 0.45, or 45 percent. That is all there is to the sum. The wrinkle is not in the math, it is in what the math quietly ignores.

An example with real numbers

Say a player goes 9 for 20 from the field in a game.

• Field goal percentage = (9 ÷ 20) × 100 = 45%

So they made 45 percent of their shots, which is roughly league average for a typical mix of attempts. But here is the catch: this 45 percent treats every one of those nine makes as exactly the same, and in real basketball, they are not.

What field goal percentage leaves out

This is the thing to understand. Field goal percentage counts a made three-pointer and a made two-pointer as the same event, one make. But a three is worth fifty percent more than a two, so treating them as equal quietly undersells anyone who shoots from deep.

Picture two players who each take ten shots and make four. By field goal percentage, they are identical, both at 40 percent. But if one made all of his from two-point range and the other made all of his from behind the arc, the second player scored twelve points to the first player's eight, off the same number of shots. Field goal percentage cannot see that difference at all. That blind spot is exactly why a smarter version exists, called effective field goal percentage, which gives a made three the extra credit it deserves. If you shoot threes, or you are judging someone who does, that is the number to reach for.

What a good field goal percentage looks like

It depends heavily on where a player takes their shots, because a layup is far easier than a long jumper. A big man who lives near the basket, taking mostly dunks and close shots, might shoot 55 percent or higher, and that is normal for the position. A guard or wing who takes a lot of jumpers and threes will sit lower, often around 44 to 47 percent, and that can be perfectly good for their role. Across a whole league, somewhere in the mid-to-high 40s is typical. So read field goal percentage against a player's shot selection, not against one universal target, and remember it flatters players who only shoot from close in.

Questions people ask

How do you calculate field goal percentage?

Divide field goals made by field goals attempted, then multiply by 100. A player who goes 9 for 20 has a field goal percentage of 45 percent.

Do free throws count in field goal percentage?

No. Field goals are shots from the floor, the twos and threes. Free throws have their own separate percentage and are not included here.

What is a good field goal percentage?

It depends on position. Big men near the basket often shoot 55 percent or more, while guards and wings who take jumpers might be around 44 to 47 percent. League-wide, the mid-to-high 40s is typical.

Why does field goal percentage undervalue three-point shooters?

Because it counts a made three the same as a made two, even though a three is worth more. Effective field goal percentage fixes this by giving extra credit for made threes.

References

1. Basketball-Reference.com, Glossary (definitions of field goal percentage and related shooting stats). https://www.basketball-reference.com/about/glossary.html