Ski binding settings: DIN calculator and the ISO 11088 chart
How to read your DIN value from the ISO 11088 chart for your weight, height, age, skier type and boot sole length, what each of these factors changes, and when a ski service should check your bindings.
What the DIN value on a binding means
A binding holds the boot on the ski until the force twisting the leg or tipping it forward goes past a set limit. That limit is shown on the scale in the windows of the toe piece and the heel piece. The numbers on the scale are commonly called DIN, after the old German standard DIN 7881, which was replaced in 1993 by the international standard ISO 11088.
Set too low, the binding can release in the middle of a turn or on a mogul. Set too high, it may not release the boot in a fall, and all the force goes into the knee or the lower leg.
- DIN scale on the toe piece. The value shows in the window and is changed with the adjusting screw.
- DIN scale on the heel piece. The toe piece and the heel piece are set to the same starting value.
- Boot sole length. The number followed by mm on the side of the shell at the heel, for example 305 mm. It decides the column of the chart.
- Heel forward pressure indicator. A ski service sets it according to the manufacturer’s instructions, because the pressure also decides whether the binding releases in time.
DIN calculator based on the ISO 11088 chart
Enter your details and choose your skier type. The calculator shows your code, the starting DIN value and its place in the chart. Everything is calculated in your browser and your data is not sent anywhere.
Enter your weight, height, age and sole length, then choose your skier type. The result appears straight away.
The result is a starting value from the ISO 11088 chart, not a finished setting. A ski service sets bindings and checks them on a testing device: badly set bindings may not release in a fall or may release while you are skiing, which can lead to injury. skionline.eu is not responsible for bindings you set yourself using the calculator.
| Code | up to 230 | 231 to 250 | 251 to 270 | 271 to 290 | 291 to 310 | 311 to 330 | 331 to 350 | from 351 | Mz | My |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.75 | none | none | none | none | none | 8 | 29 |
| B | 1 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.75 | none | none | none | none | 11 | 40 |
| C | 1.5 | 1.25 | 1.25 | 1 | none | none | none | none | 14 | 52 |
| D | 2 | 1.75 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.25 | none | none | none | 17 | 64 |
| E | 2.5 | 2.25 | 2 | 1.75 | 1.5 | 1.5 | none | none | 20 | 75 |
| F | 3 | 2.75 | 2.5 | 2.25 | 2 | 1.75 | 1.75 | none | 23 | 87 |
| G | none | 3.5 | 3 | 2.75 | 2.5 | 2.25 | 2 | none | 27 | 102 |
| H | none | none | 3.5 | 3 | 3 | 2.75 | 2.5 | none | 31 | 120 |
| I | none | none | 4.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3 | none | 37 | 141 |
| J | none | none | 5.5 | 5 | 4.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 43 | 165 |
| K | none | none | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 5 | 4.5 | 4 | 50 | 194 |
| L | none | none | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 5 | 58 | 229 |
| M | none | none | none | 8.5 | 8 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 | 67 | 271 |
| N | none | none | none | 10 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 78 | 320 |
| O | none | none | none | 11.5 | 11 | 10 | 9.5 | 9 | 91 | 380 |
| P | none | none | none | none | none | 12 | 11 | 10.5 | 105 | 452 |
How the ISO 11088 chart works
The chart used by ski services has rows marked with the letters A to P and columns for boot sole length. The value is read in four steps.
- Code from weight and height. Each weight and height range has its own letter. When weight and height fall in different rows, you take the row nearer the top of the chart, which is the lighter one.
- Adjustment for skier type. The chart is calculated for type 1. Type 2 moves the code one row down, type 3 two rows.
- Adjustment for age. Children aged 9 and under and skiers aged 50 and over move one row up, because their bones are more easily injured.
- Sole length column. A longer sole gives a longer lever when the leg twists, so with the same code the DIN value is lower.
| Code | Weight | Height |
|---|---|---|
| A | 10 to 13 kg | does not change the code |
| B | 14 to 17 kg | does not change the code |
| C | 18 to 21 kg | does not change the code |
| D | 22 to 25 kg | does not change the code |
| E | 26 to 30 kg | does not change the code |
| F | 31 to 35 kg | does not change the code |
| G | 36 to 41 kg | does not change the code |
| H | 42 to 48 kg | up to 148 cm |
| I | 49 to 57 kg | 149 to 157 cm |
| J | 58 to 66 kg | 158 to 166 cm |
| K | 67 to 78 kg | 167 to 178 cm |
| L | 79 to 94 kg | 179 to 194 cm |
| M | 95 kg and over | 195 cm and over |
Example: a skier weighing 70 kg and 175 cm tall has code K. As a type 2 skier they move to row L and, with a 305 mm sole, read a value of 6.5. At the age of 55 the age adjustment would take them back to row K and a value of 5.5.
Which skier type am I
Your type depends on your speed and style of skiing, not on how many seasons you have skied. If you fit neither type 1 nor type 3, choose type 2.
| Type | How you ski | Row in the chart |
|---|---|---|
| Type -1 | you want a lower setting than type 1 | one row up (from 18 kg) |
| Type 1 | carefully and slowly, on easy pistes | no change |
| Type 2 | at a moderate speed, on a variety of pistes | one row down |
| Type 3 | fast and aggressively, often on steep pistes | two rows down |
| Type 3+ | you want a higher setting than type 3 | three rows down |
If your binding releases on its own or failed to release in a fall, do not change your type yourself. Tell the ski service about it.
When to have your bindings checked by a ski service
The calculator gives the value a ski service starts from. Binding springs wear out, and each of the four jaws (two toe pieces and two heel pieces) can release at a different force from the one shown on the scale. In our article from 2010 a ski technician described a binding set to 7.5 whose toe pieces released at 8.0 and 7.0 and whose heel pieces released at 5.5 and 6.0. Only a testing device that measures the release torque with the boot clipped into the ski will pick this up.
- Before the seasonat least once a year, at the start of the season
- New bootsa different sole length means a different chart column and a different forward pressure
- After a fallwhen the binding failed to release in a fall or releases on its own
- Used skissecond-hand or ex-rental, with an unknown history
A change of weight, skis or bindings is also a reason to visit. The check takes a few minutes. Apart from the DIN value, the service sets the heel forward pressure and checks that the boot fits the binding.
More: How to find your DIN and set your bindings correctly. For waxing and sharpening your skis, read the guide Ski service.
Questions and answers
How do I calculate the DIN setting for ski bindings?
From the ISO 11088 chart. First the skier code from weight and height (the lighter of the two rows counts), then the adjustments for skier type and age, and finally the value in the boot sole length column. This is a starting value: a ski service checks the setting on a testing device.
Where do I find the sole length of a ski boot?
On the side of the shell at the heel, as a number followed by mm, for example 305 mm. It is not the boot size: the same size in two models can have a different sole length.
Can I set my bindings myself using the calculator?
The calculator shows the starting value from the chart. Your bindings should be set and checked by a ski service: it measures the actual release force of each jaw, sets the forward pressure and checks that the boot fits the binding. A badly set binding may not release in a fall.
How often should binding settings be checked?
At least once a year, at the start of the season. Also after changing boots, skis, bindings or weight, after a fall in which the binding did not release, and when it releases for no reason.