What is the average 50m breaststroke time by age?

In a 50-meter pool (LCM), the USA Swimming B cut in the 50 Breast is 52.29 at 11, 49.79 at 12 and 47.89 at 14 for girls, and 53.39 at 11, 49.79 at 12 and 44.09 at 14 for boys. A is 44.89, 42.69 and 41.09 for girls and 44.99, 41.99 and 37.79 for boys.

What is an average 25m swim time by age?

USA Swimming has no national standard for 25s: its motivational tables start at the 50. 25-yard or 25-meter races are mostly for young swimmers at local meets, and each meet or LSC sets its own times. The next official target is the 50 in the 10 & under standard.

Which swimming stroke is the slowest?

Breaststroke. For a 12-year-old girl in a 25-yard pool, the B cut is 43.99 in the 50 Breast and 34.09 in the 50 Free, almost ten seconds apart for the same letter. Compare each stroke with its own table.

What is a good 200 IM time for a 12 year old?

In SCY, a 12-year-old girl's USA Swimming B cut in the 200 IM is 3:03.99 and A is 2:37.69. A 12-year-old boy's B is 2:59.29 and A is 2:32.29.

Average Swim Times by Age: Every Stroke, 8

Quick answer

The most useful "average" for a club swimmer is the official USA Swimming cut for their age. For a 12-year-old girl in a 25-yard pool, the B cut is 34.09 in the 50 Free, 38.79 in the 50 Back, 43.99 in the 50 Breast, 36.99 in the 50 Fly and 3:03.99 in the 200 IM. The tables below give B and A for every age from 8 to 18, girls and boys, in yards and long course.

Every stroke has its own speed. Breaststroke is the slowest, freestyle the fastest, and a child can be at A in one and still chasing B in another. That is why a single "average swim time by age" chart does not work. You need the right table for the right event.

This page is the hub of our swim-times-by-age series. It puts every 50, every 100 and the 200 IM on one page, with the B and A cuts from USA Swimming's 2024–2028 motivational standards.

Go deeper on one event:

Average 50 freestyle time by age: B, BB, A and AA.
Average 100 freestyle time by age: B, BB, A and AA, ages 8 to 18.
What is a good swim time by age: how to read the letters and what to do with the result.

How to use these tables

B is the first competitive mark. A is a strong age-group time. BB sits between them, and AA, AAA and AAAA are faster. Here we show B and A to keep the tables readable on a phone.
Use the age your child will be on the first day of the meet, their gender, and the pool of the swim.
SCY is a 25-yard pool (most US winter meets). LCM is a 50-meter pool (most summer championships). The cuts are different, so never mix them.
Ages 10 to 18 are USA Swimming single-age cuts. Ages 8 and 9 have no national single-age cut: they swim in the 10 & under age group, so that row shows the 10 & under standard.

USA Swimming says the motivational standards are set every four years "based on the previous Quad's data, using the fastest 25th place time for event, gender, and age group" (Times FAQ). They are goals built from real results, not an average of every child who swims.

Short course yards (SCY)

Freestyle

50 Free SCY

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	39.79	32.09	38.19	31.09
10	39.89	32.19	38.29	31.19
11	35.39	30.49	35.09	30.09
12	34.09	29.39	32.79	28.09
13	33.29	28.59	31.09	26.69
14	32.69	27.99	29.89	25.59
15	32.29	27.69	28.89	24.69
16	31.99	27.39	28.49	24.39
17	31.79	27.19	28.09	24.09
18	31.49	26.99	27.59	23.69

100 Free SCY

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	1:30.79	1:11.49	1:27.99	1:09.79
10	1:30.89	1:11.49	1:28.49	1:10.19
11	1:17.69	1:06.59	1:16.09	1:05.19
12	1:14.69	1:04.09	1:11.49	1:01.29
13	1:12.49	1:02.09	1:07.59	57.89
14	1:10.99	1:00.89	1:05.09	55.79
15	1:10.09	1:00.09	1:03.29	54.29
16	1:09.39	59.49	1:02.39	53.49
17	1:08.89	58.99	1:01.39	52.59
18	1:08.39	58.59	1:00.69	51.99

Backstroke

50 Back SCY

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	48.59	37.99	48.29	37.59
10	48.59	37.99	48.49	37.79
11	40.59	34.79	41.19	34.89
12	38.79	33.29	38.49	32.69
13	37.19	31.89	35.39	30.39
14	36.59	31.39	33.69	28.89
15	35.89	30.79	32.69	27.99
16	35.29	30.29	31.79	27.29
17	35.19	30.19	31.19	26.79
18	34.89	29.89	30.89	26.49

100 Back SCY

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	1:45.79	1:22.29	1:40.69	1:19.59
10	1:45.79	1:22.29	1:41.09	1:19.89
11	1:30.69	1:16.39	1:29.79	1:15.59
12	1:26.59	1:12.99	1:22.19	1:09.29
13	1:19.29	1:07.99	1:14.39	1:03.79
14	1:17.19	1:06.19	1:11.39	1:01.19
15	1:15.89	1:05.09	1:09.49	59.59
16	1:14.99	1:04.29	1:07.79	58.09
17	1:14.49	1:03.89	1:06.79	57.29
18	1:14.39	1:03.79	1:05.59	56.19

Breaststroke

50 Breast SCY

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	54.59	42.79	53.39	42.09
10	54.59	42.79	53.49	42.09
11	45.49	38.99	46.89	39.49
12	43.99	37.69	43.49	36.69
13	43.19	36.99	40.49	34.69
14	42.09	36.09	38.59	33.09
15	41.89	35.89	37.49	32.09
16	41.29	35.39	36.69	31.49
17	40.99	35.19	35.99	30.89
18	40.79	34.99	35.59	30.59

100 Breast SCY

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	2:00.29	1:33.59	1:54.09	1:30.59
10	2:00.29	1:33.59	1:55.49	1:31.69
11	1:40.29	1:25.49	1:40.29	1:24.99
12	1:36.49	1:22.19	1:32.59	1:18.39
13	1:30.99	1:17.99	1:24.29	1:12.29
14	1:28.69	1:16.09	1:20.59	1:09.09
15	1:27.49	1:14.99	1:18.59	1:07.39
16	1:26.59	1:14.19	1:16.99	1:05.99
17	1:25.59	1:13.39	1:15.49	1:04.69
18	1:25.19	1:12.99	1:14.89	1:04.19

Butterfly

50 Fly SCY

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	48.39	36.99	46.49	35.99
10	48.39	36.99	46.49	36.09
11	38.89	33.39	40.09	33.69
12	36.99	31.69	37.09	31.19
13	36.69	31.49	34.69	29.69
14	35.99	30.89	33.19	28.39
15	35.29	30.29	32.39	27.79
16	35.09	30.09	31.79	27.19
17	34.79	29.89	31.19	26.69
18	34.89	29.89	30.89	26.49

100 Fly SCY

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	1:56.69	1:26.09	1:53.49	1:24.39
10	1:56.69	1:26.09	1:53.89	1:24.59
11	1:30.79	1:16.29	1:30.49	1:15.59
12	1:26.09	1:12.29	1:22.89	1:09.29
13	1:18.89	1:07.59	1:13.79	1:03.19
14	1:16.89	1:05.89	1:10.49	1:00.39
15	1:15.79	1:04.99	1:08.69	58.89
16	1:14.79	1:04.09	1:07.29	57.69
17	1:14.09	1:03.49	1:06.09	56.69
18	1:13.89	1:03.29	1:05.59	56.19

Individual medley

200 IM SCY

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	3:42.09	2:55.49	3:38.59	2:53.49
10	3:42.99	2:56.19	3:38.59	2:53.49
11	3:12.79	2:45.19	3:12.69	2:43.69
12	3:03.99	2:37.69	2:59.29	2:32.29
13	2:56.69	2:31.39	2:44.69	2:21.19
14	2:52.49	2:27.89	2:37.99	2:15.39
15	2:48.89	2:24.79	2:34.19	2:12.19
16	2:47.29	2:23.39	2:31.29	2:09.69
17	2:46.19	2:22.39	2:29.59	2:08.19
18	2:46.09	2:22.39	2:27.89	2:06.79

What the tables tell you

Strokes are not equal. For a 12-year-old girl, B is 34.09 in the 50 Free and 43.99 in the 50 Breast. Almost ten seconds apart, and both are the same letter.
Biggest jumps come early. In the B cut, 10 to 11 is the biggest one-year jump in every event on this page. For a girl's 50 Free B, it is 39.89 at 10 and 35.39 at 11. A time can drop a letter after a birthday even when the child swims the same.
Boys pull away in the teens. At 10 the girls' and boys' cuts are close. By 15 and 16 the gap is much wider, which follows the growth years.
The 200 IM is the best single snapshot. It needs all four strokes and turns, so it shows where the weak stroke is.

In Gophin you see all of your swimmer's events against these cuts at once. Search your swimmer, open Comparisons → Standards, pick USA Swimming Motivational Single Age, and every best time shows how far ahead or behind the cut it is.

Long course meters (LCM)

Summer meets and championships usually swim in a 50-meter pool. With half as many walls, times are slower than in yards.

Freestyle

50 Free LCM

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	45.29	36.59	43.89	35.69
10	45.39	36.59	43.89	35.69
11	40.39	34.79	39.89	34.19
12	38.69	33.39	37.39	32.09
13	38.09	32.59	35.69	30.59
14	37.39	31.99	34.29	29.39
15	36.79	31.59	33.29	28.59
16	36.39	31.19	32.99	28.29
17	36.09	30.99	32.49	27.79
18	36.09	30.99	31.99	27.39

100 Free LCM

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	1:44.09	1:21.89	1:40.99	1:20.19
10	1:44.19	1:21.99	1:41.09	1:20.19
11	1:29.19	1:16.49	1:27.79	1:15.29
12	1:25.69	1:13.49	1:22.09	1:10.39
13	1:22.79	1:10.99	1:18.19	1:07.09
14	1:21.19	1:09.59	1:15.09	1:04.39
15	1:19.49	1:08.19	1:12.69	1:02.29
16	1:18.49	1:07.29	1:11.89	1:01.59
17	1:18.29	1:07.09	1:10.69	1:00.59
18	1:18.09	1:06.99	1:10.19	1:00.19

Backstroke

50 Back LCM

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	55.79	43.59	55.39	43.09
10	55.79	43.59	55.39	43.09
11	46.79	40.09	47.59	40.29
12	44.89	38.49	44.59	37.79
13	43.79	37.49	41.19	35.39
14	42.69	36.59	39.49	33.89
15	42.29	36.29	38.69	33.19
16	41.29	35.39	37.89	32.49
17	41.39	35.49	37.39	31.99
18	41.79	35.79	37.29	31.99

100 Back LCM

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	2:01.59	1:34.59	1:56.69	1:32.29
10	2:01.99	1:34.99	1:56.69	1:32.29
11	1:45.79	1:29.19	1:44.69	1:28.19
12	1:40.59	1:24.79	1:37.19	1:21.89
13	1:32.59	1:19.39	1:27.39	1:14.89
14	1:29.99	1:17.09	1:23.69	1:11.69
15	1:28.29	1:15.69	1:21.19	1:09.59
16	1:27.49	1:14.99	1:19.49	1:08.09
17	1:27.09	1:14.59	1:18.69	1:07.49
18	1:26.59	1:14.19	1:18.19	1:06.99

Breaststroke

50 Breast LCM

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	1:02.19	48.79	1:00.89	47.89
10	1:02.19	48.79	1:00.89	47.89
11	52.29	44.89	53.39	44.99
12	49.79	42.69	49.79	41.99
13	49.09	42.09	45.89	39.39
14	47.89	41.09	44.09	37.79
15	47.09	40.29	42.59	36.49
16	46.89	40.19	41.89	35.89
17	46.29	39.69	40.89	34.99
18	46.19	39.59	40.99	35.09

100 Breast LCM

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	2:19.39	1:48.39	2:12.89	1:45.49
10	2:19.49	1:48.49	2:13.09	1:45.59
11	1:55.89	1:38.79	1:57.19	1:39.29
12	1:50.39	1:33.99	1:47.79	1:31.29
13	1:44.69	1:29.79	1:37.19	1:23.29
14	1:42.39	1:27.79	1:33.99	1:20.59
15	1:40.19	1:25.89	1:31.39	1:18.39
16	1:39.19	1:25.09	1:29.89	1:16.99
17	1:38.29	1:24.19	1:28.09	1:15.49
18	1:38.29	1:24.29	1:27.09	1:14.69

Butterfly

50 Fly LCM

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	54.49	41.59	52.29	40.59
10	54.49	41.59	52.29	40.59
11	43.59	37.39	45.29	37.99
12	41.79	35.79	41.99	35.29
13	41.19	35.29	38.99	33.49
14	39.99	34.29	37.29	31.99
15	39.79	34.09	36.49	31.29
16	39.09	33.59	35.89	30.79
17	38.99	33.39	35.19	30.19
18	38.79	33.19	34.79	29.89

100 Fly LCM

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	2:12.79	1:37.99	2:09.49	1:36.19
10	2:13.39	1:38.49	2:09.59	1:36.29
11	1:43.39	1:26.89	1:43.49	1:26.49
12	1:38.39	1:22.69	1:35.09	1:19.49
13	1:29.89	1:16.99	1:24.09	1:12.09
14	1:27.39	1:14.99	1:20.29	1:08.89
15	1:25.79	1:13.49	1:18.59	1:07.29
16	1:24.39	1:12.39	1:16.99	1:05.99
17	1:24.29	1:12.29	1:15.99	1:05.19
18	1:24.19	1:12.19	1:14.99	1:04.29

Individual medley

200 IM LCM

Age	Girls B	Girls A	Boys B	Boys A
8–9 (10 & under)	4:15.69	3:22.09	4:09.49	3:17.89
10	4:16.19	3:22.39	4:09.89	3:18.29
11	3:40.59	3:09.09	3:40.69	3:07.49
12	3:30.79	3:00.69	3:24.99	2:54.19
13	3:22.39	2:53.49	3:10.39	2:43.19
14	3:17.39	2:49.19	3:02.99	2:36.89
15	3:14.49	2:46.69	2:58.79	2:33.19
16	3:11.69	2:44.39	2:56.49	2:31.29
17	3:10.79	2:43.59	2:53.29	2:28.59
18	3:10.19	2:42.99	2:52.69	2:28.09

A 25-meter pool (SCM)?

Outside the US, and in some US meets, races are in a 25-meter pool (SCM). USA Swimming publishes SCM cuts in the same PDFs, but we left them out here to keep the page usable. To compare a meters time with a yards time, use the swimming time converter, and treat the result as an estimate.

Sources

USA Swimming, 2024–2028 Single Age Motivational Standards (ages 10–18), version of 10/10/2025. Also stored in Gophin's standards database.
USA Swimming, 2024–2028 Motivational Standards, age group (10 & under rows), version of 10/10/2025.
USA Swimming, Times FAQ.
BB, AA, AAA and AAAA for every event are in the two PDFs above. What each letter means and how championship cuts work: USA Swimming time standards guide. In Canada: Swimming Canada standards guide.

Average Swim Times by Age for Every Stroke (Ages 8 to 18)

How to use these tables

Short course yards (SCY)

Freestyle

50 Free SCY

100 Free SCY

Backstroke

50 Back SCY

100 Back SCY

Breaststroke

50 Breast SCY

100 Breast SCY

Butterfly

50 Fly SCY

100 Fly SCY

Individual medley

200 IM SCY

What the tables tell you

Long course meters (LCM)

Freestyle

50 Free LCM

100 Free LCM

Backstroke

50 Back LCM

100 Back LCM

Breaststroke

50 Breast LCM

100 Breast LCM

Butterfly

50 Fly LCM

100 Fly LCM

Individual medley

200 IM LCM

A 25-meter pool (SCM)?

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Articles

What Is a Good Swim Time by Age? Tables for Ages 8 to 18

Average 100 Freestyle Time by Age (B, BB, A, AA Tables)

Average 50 Freestyle Time by Age (B, BB, A, AA Tables)