What is the shape of a hockey puck?

A hockey puck is a disc, specifically a short cylinder made from vulcanized rubber.

Its flat, round design lets it slide smoothly across the ice while remaining stable enough for players to pass, shoot and control with a stick. The puck is not a ball: its low profile makes it easier to keep on the playing surface and allows it to rebound predictably from the boards.

A standard NHL puck is about 3 inches in diameter, 1 inch thick and weighs between 5.5 and 6 ounces. It is frozen before games to reduce bouncing and improve consistency during play. Six raised ridges around the edge help players grip the puck with their sticks.

“Disc” describes the puck's overall shape, while “cylinder” is the more precise three-dimensional term. Other forms exist in related sports, including open-disc pucks for some types of floor hockey, but the familiar closed rubber puck is used in ice hockey.