Best Bushings for Skateboard Trucks: Soft, Medium, and Hard Options

Overview

Bushings are the small urethane cushions inside your trucks that control how easily your board turns and how strongly it returns to center. They are not as visible as decks, wheels, or trucks, but they have a direct effect on carving, landing stability, wheelbite resistance, and the amount of effort it takes to lean into turns.

For most skaters, the useful way to think about bushings is simple:

• Soft bushings turn easily, feel lively, and respond well to lighter riders or loose trucks.
• Medium bushings offer a balanced mix of turn and support, which is why they are often the safest starting point for all-around setups.
• Hard bushings resist turning more, feel more stable at speed, and usually suit heavier riders or skaters who want tighter, more supportive trucks.

That sounds straightforward, but bushing choice is rarely just about hardness. Shape matters too. A barrel bushing usually feels more supportive and stable, while a cone tends to feel more turny and quick. Many trucks use a barrel-and-cone combination from the factory because it creates a middle-ground feel that works for a wide range of riders.

Before buying, keep one important point in mind: tightening your kingpin nut is not the same as using the right bushings. If you crank down soft bushings to force stability, you often end up with a board that feels stiff in the center but still collapses unpredictably once you lean hard. Good bushings matched to your weight and setup tend to feel smoother, more controllable, and more consistent.

If you are still dialing in the rest of your setup, it helps to look at bushings alongside truck sizing and overall board fit. Our Complete Skateboard Setup Guide: Deck, Trucks, Wheels, Bearings, and Hardware and How to Choose Skateboard Trucks: Size, Height, and Turning Explained are useful companion reads.

Use this article as a checklist before you buy:

1. Start with your body weight.
2. Factor in how loose or tight you like your trucks.
3. Consider whether you mostly skate street, park, transition, or mixed terrain.
4. Check your current problems: wheelbite, speed wobble, sluggish turning, or unstable landings.
5. Choose hardness first, then refine with shape and washer setup if needed.

Checklist by scenario

This section is the core of the guide. Find the scenario closest to your setup, then use it as a practical starting point rather than a rigid rule.

1. Best bushings for beginners

If you are new to skateboarding, medium bushings are usually the safest first choice. They give enough turn to help you learn balance and carving, but they do not feel so loose that the board starts reacting faster than your control level.

Choose medium bushings if:

• You are building your first complete.
• You are not yet sure whether you prefer loose or tight trucks.
• You split time between flatground, pushing around, and basic park sessions.
• You want one setup that can do a bit of everything.

Consider soft bushings instead if: you are a lighter rider and your stock trucks already feel stiff even when loosened modestly.

Consider hard bushings instead if: you are a heavier rider and stock bushings feel unstable during simple rolling or kickturns.

Beginners often assume truck tightness should solve everything. In reality, the right bushing durometer makes learning more predictable. If truck feel is still confusing, see How Tight Should Skateboard Trucks Be? A Setup Guide for Street and Park.

2. Best bushings for street skateboarding

Street skaters usually want a setup that turns well enough for lines and quick adjustments but stays stable for ollies, flip tricks, ledges, stairs, and rough landings. For that reason, medium bushings are the most versatile option for street skateboard setup use.

Choose medium bushings if:

• You skate ledges, manuals, flatground, and small gaps.
• You want a balanced feel between quick turning and landing support.
• You like your trucks slightly loose or slightly tight, but not extreme.

Lean toward soft bushings if:

• You prioritize technical flatground and quick directional changes.
• You are a lighter rider.
• You like a very surfy, responsive front truck.

Lean toward hard bushings if:

• You skate bigger drops or faster spots.
• You value landing stability more than deep turn.
• You often get wheelbite or feel your trucks fold over under pressure.

Street setups also interact heavily with wheel size and truck height. If you are getting wheelbite, it may not be just a bushing issue. Check Best Skateboard Wheels for Street, Park, and Rough Ground and Skateboard Wheel Hardness Guide: What Durometer to Choose.

3. Best bushings for park and transition skating

Park and transition riders often need more support than casual street skaters, especially when skating bowls, mini ramps, or faster concrete parks. Here, medium-to-hard bushings are a common starting point because they help the truck hold shape under speed and pressure.

Choose medium bushings if:

• You skate smaller ramps and mixed park features.
• You still want easy carving without making the board feel twitchy.
• You ride at moderate speed rather than fully charging bowls.

Choose hard bushings if:

• You skate transition with speed and strong pumps.
• You want more resistance and rebound in hard carves.
• You are a heavier rider or ride wide boards with larger wheels.

Use caution with very soft bushings in park settings if:

• You are getting unstable on drop-ins or coming out of turns too loosely.
• You are dealing with wheelbite in deep carves.
• You want a confident, centered feel on coping approaches.

Harder does not always mean better in transition. Some skaters prefer a responsive truck that still turns deeply, especially on mini ramps. The right answer depends on whether you want carve and flow or maximum support at speed.

4. Best bushings for cruising and carving

If your goal is smooth turning, easy pumping, and a relaxed ride around town, soft bushings are usually the most intuitive place to start. They make the board feel more alive under your feet and require less effort to steer.

Soft bushings are a strong fit if:

• You mostly cruise, carve, or commute short distances.
• You prefer loose trucks.
• You are a lighter rider.
• You ride mellow terrain and low-to-moderate speed.

Move to medium bushings if:

• Your board feels too twitchy on rough ground.
• You want better support when pushing faster.
• You are mixing cruising with tricks or park sessions.

On cruiser-style setups, wheel size and softness matter alongside bushings. Larger and softer wheels can make a board feel more forgiving, but they can also increase the chance of wheelbite if truck setup is not dialed in.

5. Best bushings for heavier riders

Heavier riders often benefit from medium-hard or hard bushings because softer stock bushings can compress too easily and lose support. This is one of the most common reasons a complete skateboard feels unstable straight out of the box.

Start with harder bushings if:

• You are tightening stock bushings a lot just to keep the board controllable.
• The truck leans deeply with very little effort.
• Your turns feel mushy rather than smooth.
• You land tricks and feel the trucks collapse sideways.

A harder bushing matched to rider weight usually feels better than over-tightened soft bushings. You get more usable turn and better return to center, instead of a truck that feels dead until it suddenly tips too far.

6. Best bushings for lighter riders

Lighter riders often have the opposite problem: stock bushings may feel too stiff, especially on completes aimed at the general market. If you have to work hard just to turn, softer bushings can make the board feel more natural and easier to learn on.

Soft bushings make sense if:

• You struggle to carve comfortably.
• You loosen the kingpin and the board still feels rigid.
• You want easier kickturns and smoother turning at lower speed.

For lighter riders who skate street and still want stability for tricks, medium-soft rather than ultra-soft is often the more useful middle ground.

7. Best bushings if you want tighter trucks without losing all turn

This is one of the most common buying situations. If you like a controlled setup but do not want your trucks to feel locked, hard bushings may be too much and soft bushings may collapse too easily. Medium or medium-hard bushings are usually the better answer.

Good signs you need medium or medium-hard bushings:

• You tighten your trucks but still want a smooth lean.
• You skate mixed terrain.
• You want better support on landings without a completely stiff feel.

In many cases, this is the true sweet spot in a truck bushings guide: enough support to trust, enough movement to steer naturally.

What to double-check

Before you order new bushings, take a minute to rule out other setup problems. Bushings matter, but they are part of a system.

Truck brand and bushing fit

Not every bushing fits every truck the same way. Standard street trucks are often cross-compatible in broad terms, but seat shape, hanger geometry, and washer fit can affect how a bushing performs. If possible, confirm that the bushing shape and height suit your truck model.

Top and bottom bushing shape

A barrel bottom bushing generally adds support. A cone top bushing usually increases turn and liveliness. Two barrels can feel more locked-in and stable. Two cones can feel more turny but less supportive. If you are not sure, a barrel-cone combination remains a safe all-around starting point.

Washers

Washers can subtly change feel. A cupped washer tends to add support and limit bushing spread, while a flat washer can allow a bit more freedom. This is not a total transformation, but it is worth checking if you are trying to fine-tune turning response.

Truck tightness

If your trucks are wildly over-tightened or too loose, it will be difficult to judge your bushings fairly. Set the trucks to a normal riding range first, then evaluate. Again, if you need a reset, read How Tight Should Skateboard Trucks Be? A Setup Guide for Street and Park.

Wheelbite and wheel size

If you are getting wheelbite, harder bushings may help, but so might smaller wheels, risers, different truck height, or a less extreme truck looseness setting. Bushings are only one variable. Our Best Skateboard Wheels for Street, Park, and Rough Ground guide can help you look at the full picture.

Worn-out parts

If your current bushings are cracked, split, permanently squashed, or feel inconsistent from one turn to the next, replacing them is reasonable even if you plan to stay in the same hardness range. If several parts are aging at once, see When to Replace Skateboard Wheels, Bearings, Trucks, and Grip Tape.

Board size and use case

A wider board, bigger wheels, and transition-focused setup often need more support than a smaller street deck used mostly for flatground. If your whole setup is in flux, revisit your board dimensions with Skateboard Size Chart by Height, Shoe Size, and Riding Style.

Common mistakes

A lot of skaters spend more than they need to because they solve the wrong problem. These are the most common mistakes to avoid when shopping for the best skateboard bushings.

1. Buying by someone else’s preference

A favorite pro setup, shop recommendation, or online comment can be useful context, but bushings are highly personal. A rider who loves soft bushings may be much lighter than you, skate different terrain, or simply prefer a looser truck feel.

2. Confusing tight trucks with supportive bushings

If you want control, do not assume you should only tighten the kingpin nut. Too much compression can make a truck feel strange rather than stable. Proper hardness usually works better than excessive tightening.

3. Going too hard too soon

Some skaters switch to very hard bushings after a few unstable sessions, then discover the board no longer turns naturally. If you are between options, the smarter move is usually one step firmer, not the hardest available setup.

4. Ignoring weight

Weight is one of the biggest factors in bushing feel. A hardness that feels perfect for one skater can feel completely wrong for another. If there is one variable you should not skip, it is this one.

5. Blaming bushings for every handling issue

Wheels, truck geometry, deck width, truck height, and even your stance can affect how the board feels. Bushings are important, but they are not magic. If the whole setup feels off, zoom out.

6. Replacing bushings before breaking in stock ones at all

New bushings can feel slightly stiff at first. Give them some normal skating time unless they are clearly the wrong hardness for your weight or goals. That said, if your complete came with very generic stock parts and the feel is obviously wrong, an upgrade can still be worthwhile.

When to revisit

Your bushing choice is not a one-time decision. It is worth revisiting whenever the inputs change, especially before a new season of skating or any time you make major setup changes.

Revisit your bushings if:

• You gain or lose enough body weight that truck feel changes noticeably.
• You move from casual cruising into regular street or park skating.
• You switch from street skating to bowls, mini ramp, or faster transition.
• You change wheel size, truck height, or board width.
• You start experiencing wheelbite, speed wobble, or unstable landings.
• Your current bushings show cracks, deformation, or inconsistent rebound.
• You notice that you are constantly adjusting truck tightness but never feel quite comfortable.

Here is a simple action plan you can reuse:

1. Name the problem clearly. Is your board too twitchy, too stiff, unstable at speed, or hard to turn?
2. Check your current setup. Note your rider weight, truck looseness, wheel size, and where you skate most.
3. Choose the nearest category. Soft for easier turn, medium for balance, hard for more support.
4. Adjust one variable at a time. Do not swap bushings, wheels, and truck tightness all at once if you want useful feedback.
5. Skate the setup enough to judge it. A parking lot test helps, but real sessions tell you more.

If you are building or rebuilding a complete, it also helps to review the setup as a whole. These related guides can save you from solving one part in isolation:

• Complete Skateboard Setup Guide: Deck, Trucks, Wheels, Bearings, and Hardware
• How to Choose Skateboard Trucks: Size, Height, and Turning Explained
• Best Skateboard Bearings Ranked by Speed, Durability, and Value

The short version is this: the best bushings for skateboard trucks are the ones that let your board turn as much as you want, while staying as stable as you need. For many skaters, medium bushings are the safest all-around pick. Soft bushings make sense for lighter riders, cruising, and loose-truck feel. Hard bushings are often the better fit for heavier riders, faster park skating, and anyone who wants more support. If you use that framework and revisit it whenever your setup changes, you will make better choices than by chasing a single universal answer.