Best Cornhole Boards – Buyer’s Guide

There are few games out there that are as fun as the game of cornhole. Having said that, with all of the do-it-yourself guides out there, some players opt to construct their own boards. It’s important to understand that purchasing a premade board is really the best way to go. This is because the best cornhole boards are manufactured with the best materials, have minimal bounce back, and slide less.

Reviews of the Best Cornhole Boards in December 2018

Unfortunately, finding the right board isn’t easy; there is a wide array of middling boards out there on the market. If you want the best board, you’ll want one that’s in-line with the American Cornhole Association’s (ACA) requirements. For this reason, we have reviewed five unique boards for this guide. Each of these have an excellent construction and can serve as a great way to practice the sport at home. In case you travel a lot, we’ve even tested a board that you can take with you on your trips.

1.These Tailgating Pros 4’x2′ & 3’x2′ Cornhole Boards are Best for Regulation Players

When cornhole players think of an ACA regulation board, they might consider a product like this one from Tailgating Pros. This product is relatively standard-looking and has a simple construction, but there’s more to the board.

Best wood for cornhole boards

The first thing of note is the construction; the board is made of high-quality wood, which is designed to last. The bags are also filled with actual whole kernel corn, which means that these are high-quality bean bags.

Additionally, the bags are double-stitched, which means that you can expect them to last through hundreds of games. Each bag weighs about 16 ounces so that they are easy to toss and guide from the underhand position. The exterior itself is made of a cotton duck canvas material that is tough and resilient. When it comes to measurements, each handmade bag is about 6″ x 6″.

More than 150 color combinations

The boards themselves are made of premium sanded plywood that’s about a half-inch thick. The finish on the board is coarse enough to catch your tossed bean bags but smooth enough to fit ACA regulations.

The material’s tough enough not to be worn down by your environment, so playing on sand or asphalt is easy. When it’s time to pack up, the board has folding legs that make it easy to transport and store.The set also makes this easy by including a carry bag for the entire set.

As a result of these features, this is a very portable board. In fact, it weighs 15 pounds and carrying it around is simple due to the bag and its low weight. The bag even has a carrying strap so that you can carry it to and fro on your shoulder.

Finally, there are more than 150 colors combinations available for the bags so that you can customize your bags. This is a great way to achieve a sense of uniqueness for a two-person cornhole team. This is definitely a board and bag combo that could work for a player that wants to play ACA-style.

2.The GoSports Solid Wood Premium Cornhole Set is the Best Choice for Cornhole Practice

This is another board that’s excellent for tournament-style play, and it also stands out as a good option backyard play. Why is this the case? Well, to start, the surface is varnished, and as a result, you can paint your own logos onto the surface. Additionally, it’s fairly easy to customize this surface to your own exacting specifications.

Additionally, the company also cut the dimensions so that the board is precisely what the ACA uses in tournament play. This means that the boards are two feet from the side-to-side perspective and four feet from front-to-back.

Best plywood for cornhole boards

This set also stands out due to its bean bags being all-weather bags. As a result, if a little rain falls, you can continue the game until the downpour stops. The board comes with eight bean bags in total – with four being red and four being blue, which means that it is fairly easy to keep track of scoring. When you’re taking the show on the road, you can simply pack up your bags in the handy tote bag.

In totality, the product weighs about 38 pounds, which is very reasonable for one of these sets. It’s not uncommon for a cornhole board to weigh more than double this weight, so this is a light product. Like some of the best products on the market, the legs are retractable. This allows you to more easily fold up the product for portability and storability.

3.GoSports Regulation Size Solid Wood Cornhole Set is the Best Choice for Flag Enthusiasts

If you’re looking for a product that shows a bit of nationalism, this product from GoSports is a great option. Not only does it provide several paint options that depict flags, but the bags themselves are red and blue. Additionally, for those looking to play cornhole in their yard and impress their guests, the vintage oak design is perfect.

The wooden material used is very solid and won’t cause much bounce on your tosses. Once again, GoSports has designed this product to have a sizing that’s in-line with the ACA regulations. This means that the width of the product is two feet wide and the length is four feet. This allows for backyard players to practice under league conditions, which can help prepare players for tournament play.
In addition to the American flag design, GoSports also has models that depict the Texas flag and the California flag as well. The designs are perfectly functional; they won’t cause extra sliding, which means that your underhand tosses will be accurate.

All-weather design

Insofar as the bean bags, as mentioned, the set comes with blue and red bags, which have an all-weather design. GoSports has created these bags using plastic pellets that simulate corn – these pellets won’t rot in moisture like standard bags.

In fact, the main body of the product is also weatherproof so that weather won’t disrupt your games. In addition to this, the set also comes with a carrying bag, which makes this a very portable set that won’t get ruined by inclement rainfall. The bag itself is made of a very tough canvas material, which means that it should last for years of use.

4.The GoSports Cornhole PRO Regulation Size Bean Bag Toss Game Set is the Best Choice for Durability

As the first non-wood board in this guide, this product, which also comes from GoSports, is nevertheless a great option. This is really a board that’s designed exclusively for portability, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that it weighs little. In fact, the product only weighs about 31 pounds and folds, so bringing it with you shouldn’t be a hassle.

Even with its portability, you won’t have to worry about playing on an imprecise surface. In fact, the boards that are included in this set are regulation-sized at four by two inches. This means that you can have your own mini-tournaments with your friends, and the platforms have the performance of wood. This means that they will provide relatively minimal bounce and have a tendency to inhibit the bags from sliding off.

Lightweight and durable

You might worry that the foldable seams on this product might slow down the bags. Fortunately, this isn’t the case; GoSports was able to make them virtually flat so that you can play seamlessly. The surface of this product is made of medium-density fiberboard, which provides a very respectable performance. Additionally, the frame of the product is comprised of aluminum, which serves as a very lightweight yet strong material. Simply put, this board set should last for years if not decades of use.

If you’re a cornhole enthusiast that wants to take your game to a friend’s, then maybe this is for you. Also, this is a great set for about any event – it can even be set up during a tailgate party. When it’s time to pack it up, just fold it, and you can carry each board with the attached handles. As a result of this simplicity, there’s no need for a carrying bag – you can even store the bean bags inside.

5.The Himal Collapsible Portable Corn Hole is the Best Choice for Portability

Out of the products reviewed, several have been designed with portability in mind, but this Himal product outperforms them. The product comes in a soft case when you have it shipped, and this same case serves as a carrying case. When you’re ready to play, the entire cornhole board springs out of the case and is ready to play within moments. While it doesn’t go back in so easily, the convenience of a quick to set up cornhole board can’t be understated.

The bean bags themselves are all-weather due to the fact that the manufacturer opted to use plastic “corn.” Additionally, thanks to the soft and pliable fabric, the product itself shouldn’t suffer damage due to wetter environments. This makes it a good travel cornhole board to take with you when you don’t know the destination’s precise weather. Additionally, since it folds down to such a small sizing, the board can also be packed away into a suitcase.

Thin strong fabric

Despite the thin fabric material, this is also a fairly durable product that should last for years with tearing. While you shouldn’t expect a truly ACA-accurate playtime, the board is definitely a fine practice tool for beginners. If you’re playing in a windier environment, the product also comes with stakes so that you can play without worry. Also, the product has Velcro components that will ensure that games aren’t interrupted by the elements.

Due to how fast these are to set up, this may also be a perfect option for families with small children. In fact, the boards are very lightweight and kid-friendly.

Buying Guide Cornhole Boards of 2018

When you’re in the market for a new cornhole set, you definitely don’t want to go cheap. Consider that you’ll be using this board for years, so with that in mind, material and construction are important. Additionally, if you want your games to be on the level, you’ll want a cornhole that has the right dimensions. Paint is also important if you want a regulation board backed by the American Cornhole Association (ACA). For this reason, we’re going to go into the details so that you can purchase the right cornhole set for your needs.

The Material Construction

If you’re looking to have a board that is accepted by the ACA, then it’ll have to be made of a half inch of plywood or other wooden material. Ideally, the wood should minimize the amount of bounce on a bag as you toss it. As a result, you can experience more accuracy in your games. As a general rule, there are multiple materials that are used for cornhole boards. If you’re playing in tournaments, you may be better suited to a board with a wooden construction that inhibits bouncing. On the other hand, if your goal is just backyard fun, any material will do the job.

The Right Surface

In addition to the inhibition of a bag’s bouncing, the surface of the board should also have the right texture. This ensures that the bag doesn’t slide once it lands. As a rule, look for boards that have a smooth texture, and it should also be free of any imperfections. As a result, all can have a fair game that’s free of blemishes that can affect scoring.

Siding Count

When determining the score, it can be hard to determine whether a bag has fallen through the cornhole or whether it simply landed underneath the board during a toss. For this reason, many tournament organizations and professional players prefer a board that has some siding that can prevent a bag from landing underneath the board. These siding areas don’t have to be large, they just have to provide a barrier for mis-thrown bags.

Best paint for cornhole boards

As you may have noticed from our guide, some products come with designs like the American flag and other visuals. Despite these purely aesthetic concessions, the ACA and other tournament organizations do have requirements that you should consider if you’re thinking about playing competitively. The preferred color is white, but some other colors are permitted as long as they can be seen clearly. Additionally, latex-based high gloss paints are preferred as long as they don’t cause excess sliding.

Other Cornhole Types

As you might’ve noticed from our fifth product, not every cornhole set is made of wood or another hard material. In fact, the product from Himal is made of a canvas-like material, which allows it to be collapsible and portable. These cornhole sets are versatile and allow you to carry them from place to place and practice on the go.

While you won’t necessarily see these types in an ACA game, they’re a great way to really hone your skills.

Types of Bags

All of the products that we have featured in our guide come pre-equipped with cornhole bags. That being said, the bags that a set comes with should have certain features to ensure a good game. When purchasing a new set, try to purchase one that has features that support your game such as:

All-Weather Performance

Rain happens, and when it does, the last thing you want is to experience reduced accuracy when you’re playing cornhole. For this reason, many manufacturers produce all-weather bean bags that won’t get soaked in the rain. Also, bags that aren’t all-weather have a tendency to become damaged due to the excess moisture. When this happens, the lifetime of the bag will be greatly reduced. As a general rule, it’s a safer bet to just ensure that any set you purchase has bags that can handle bad weather.

Regulation Sizing

Learning to play cornhole is about being able to control the bag so that it lands where you want it. For this reason, your bag should be of the standard sizing so that you can be ready for local tournaments. Events will invariably have ACA-certified bags, and the last thing you want is to not be accustomed to this sizing.

A Carrying Bag

Many manufacturers also opt to include a carrying bag with the bean bags included in cornhole sets. This makes the process of keeping up with your bean bags much easier and allows you to take them with you.

An additional bag feature that you can consider includes light-up LED lighting, which allows you to play in the dark. Also, some pros consider all-weather resin filled bags to be the best for cornhole play. Just remember, bags are an integral part of the game, so purchase sets that include great bags for your game.

Final Thoughts

Playing cornhole is great exercise, is easy to learn, and is very fun for anyone playing with friends or family. Each of the products that we’ve covered in this guide is excellent for learning and playing the game. That being said, we’ve selected two products that we prefer above the others. These products are the Tailgating Pros 4’x2′ & 3’x2′ Cornhole Boards and the GoSports Solid Wood Premium Cornhole Set.

Both of these cornhole board sets have regulation sizing and have great surfaces for playing the game. They both also fold up fairly neatly and provide an ADA-compliant game. These are fairly lightweight and easy to use as well.