How free throw percentage is calculated
FT% is the share of attempts that go in: FT% = (made ÷ attempted) × 100. Make 80 of 100 free throws and your percentage is 80 ÷ 100 × 100 = 80%.
Partial numbers work the same way: 15 of 18 is (15 ÷ 18) × 100 = 83.3%, and 7 of 9 is 77.8%. Round to one decimal place, which is how percentages appear on official stat sheets. Note that a technical-foul free throw still counts as an attempt, and a shot waved off for a lane violation by the shooter counts as a miss.
If the next number you need is a related one, the winning percentage calculator covers it.
How to use this calculator
Enter free throws made and free throws attempted. Makes can't exceed attempts. The result is your shooting percentage. For overall output, pair it with the points per game calculator.
Worth having open at the same time: the slugging percentage calculator.
What FT% tells you
Free throw percentage measures shooting touch under no defensive pressure, so it is a clean indicator of form. Good NBA shooters hit around 80%, elite ones exceed 90%, and the league average sits near 78%.
Sample size matters more than the figure itself. Going 4 of 5 is 80%, but a single miss would drop it to 66.7%, so percentages over a handful of attempts swing wildly. Coaches usually want at least 50 attempts before treating FT% as a real measure of touch. Season benchmarks: around 70% is typical at high-school level, 75% is solid in college, 80% is good in the NBA and 90% is elite.
A quick pass through the save percentage calculator saves a step later on.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I calculate free throw percentage?
- Divide makes by attempts and multiply by 100. 80 ÷ 100 × 100 = 80%.
- What is a good free throw percentage?
- Around 80% is good in the NBA, 90%+ is elite, and the league average is roughly 78%.
- Can free throw percentage exceed 100%?
- No. You can't make more than you attempt, so the calculator requires makes to be no greater than attempts.
- Does this work for field goals too?
- Yes. The same makes-over-attempts formula gives field goal or three-point percentage.
- How many in a row do I need to lift my percentage?
- Work it out from your current totals: a player at 60 of 100 (60%) needs 25 straight makes to reach 68%, which is 85 of 125. Because attempts grow along with makes, raising a percentage late in a season takes far more shots than most players expect.