A 7-iron is anywhere from 29.5 to 34 degrees in the models below, so the same number on the club does not mean the same loft. This page indexes our iron specs and lofts pages, charts the lofts and shows how well sourced each number is, because maker spec pages were often unavailable to us and some figures rest on a single listing. We summarize published specifications and have not tested these clubs. For more club guides, see the golf clubs hub.

7-iron loft, strongest to weakest

A lower number is a stronger loft, which sends the ball lower and farther. Strong lofts raise distance but are not a sign of a better club.

Chart · 7-iron loft
Strongest to weakest
  1. Cobra King Forged TEC (2020)
    29.5°
  2. Titleist 718 AP1 (verified clubs only)
    30°
  3. PING G410
    30°
  4. PING G400
    30°
  5. PING G425
    30°
  6. Callaway Apex 19
    30.5°
  7. Callaway Apex CF16
    31°
  8. Mizuno JPX919 Forged (verified clubs only)
    32°
  9. Titleist T100S (2019)
    32°
  10. Titleist T100 (2019)
    34°
  11. Titleist 718 AP2
    34°
Maker, maker-owned store or named outletSingle source
A lower number is a stronger loft. The bars start at 26 degrees so the gaps are visible. This chart shows 11 of the 13 models on this page; the P770 (33°) and JPX921 (31°) are in the release-year chart below. Solid and dashed bars follow the status field on each spec page (solid: maker, Callaway store or named outlet; dashed: a single retailer listing or an untraced result). The provenance board further down is the fuller, current picture of how each number is sourced. Strong lofts raise distance but are not a sign of a better club.

The same lofts by release year

Plotted by release year, the players irons (gold) mostly sit at 32 to 34 degrees, with the Mizuno JPX921 Forged at 31, while game-improvement and distance irons cluster at 29.5 to 31. Thirteen models and approximate categories make this a snapshot, not proof of a trend.

Chart · 7-iron loft by release year
Players irons mostly sit at 32 to 34
29°30°31°32°33°34°35°201620172018201920202021CF16: 31° (2015 to 2016)CF16718 AP2: 34° (2017)718 AP2P770: 33° (2017)P770718 AP1: 30° (2017)718 AP1G400: 30° (2017)G400JPX919: 32° (2018)JPX919T100: 34° (2019)T100T100S: 32° (2019)T100SApex 19: 30.5° (2019)Apex 19G410: 30° (2019)G410Cobra TEC: 29.5° (2020)Cobra TECJPX921: 31° (2020)JPX921G425: 30° (2021)G425Release year7-iron loft
  • Players or forged cavity back
  • Game improvement
  • Distance
Across these 13 models the 7-iron runs from 29.5° to 34°. The Titleist AP2 and T100 sit at the weak end; the one gold dot below 32° is the Mizuno JPX921 Forged at 31°.
Lofts from each model’s spec page and the sources there: Titleist, National Club Golfer, Golf Monthly, TaylorMade’s 2017 spec PDF (P770), GlobalGolf and Callaway store listings. Release years are approximate, taken from our model table, and the AP1 and G400 dots are nudged apart because they share a year and loft; the CF16 is plotted mid-way between 2015 and 2016. The G400 loft (hollow dot) is inferred from the G410, and the 718 AP2 7-iron figure is a journalist’s. Categories follow our model table, so they are approximate. Standard lofts only.

The models

ModelBrandYearType7-iron loftPage
718 AP2Titleist2017Players cavity back34° (National Club Golfer review; maker page not read)Titleist 718 AP2 specs
718 AP1Titleist2017Game improvement30° (Titleist; National Club Golfer)Titleist 718 AP1 specs
T100 and T100STitleist2019Players cavity back34° and 32° (GlobalGolf and TGW listings)Titleist T100 specs
G400PING2017Game improvement30° (inferred from the G410)PING G400 specs
G410PING2019Game improvement30° (GlobalGolf listing; Golf Monthly)PING G410 specs
G425PING2021Game improvement30° (GlobalGolf listing; National Club Golfer)PING G425 specs
Apex CF16Callaway2015 to 2016Forged, game improvement31° (Callaway store listing)Callaway Apex CF16 specs
Apex 19Callaway2019Forged, distance30.5° (Callaway store listing; Golf Monthly)Callaway Apex 19 specs
JPX919 ForgedMizuno2018Forged cavity back32° (National Club Golfer)Mizuno JPX919 Forged specs
JPX921 ForgedMizuno2020Forged cavity back31° (GlobalGolf and GolfBox listings; Golf Monthly)Mizuno JPX921 Forged specs
P770TaylorMade2017Players, tungsten back bar33° (TaylorMade's 2017 spec sheet)TaylorMade P770 specs
King Forged TECCobra2020Players distance29.5° (GlobalGolf listing)Cobra King Forged TEC specs

Lofts are the standard set. Several makers sell stronger or weaker options. The later TaylorMade P770 generations have different lofts from the 2017 model, so do not mix them. Our older pages for the 718 AP2, G425, CF16 and JPX921 were written before we began checking numbers, so use the figures on this page and on the newer pages when they differ. See also Apex Pro 21 vs P790 for a comparison of two current players-distance irons.

How well sourced is each number?

Not every figure here is equal. The 2017 P770 comes from TaylorMade's own spec sheet and the 718 AP1 lofts from Titleist's release. Most of the others come from retailer or store listings and press reviews, and the G400 is inferred. The board shows what we could trace for each model.

Illustration · Where each number comes from
How well sourced is each model?
  • Titleist 718 AP234°
    Press report
    National Club Golfer review; other figures unsourced
  • Titleist 718 AP130°
    Maker spec sheetPress report
    Titleist release and National Club Golfer
  • Titleist T100 and T100S34° and 32°
    Retailer listing
    GlobalGolf and TGW listings
  • PING G40030°
    Inferred
    Inferred from the G410
  • PING G41030°
    Retailer listingPress report
    GlobalGolf; Golf Monthly for the 7-iron
  • PING G42530°
    Retailer listingPress report
    GlobalGolf; National Club Golfer
  • Callaway Apex CF1631°
    Maker-owned store listing
    Callaway store listing, not re-checked
  • Callaway Apex 1930.5°
    Maker-owned store listingPress report
    Callaway pre-owned page; Golf Monthly
  • Mizuno JPX919 Forged32°
    Press report
    National Club Golfer, 7-iron only
  • Mizuno JPX921 Forged31°
    Retailer listingPress report
    GlobalGolf, GolfBox; Golf Monthly
  • TaylorMade P770 (2017)33°
    Maker spec sheet
    TaylorMade 2017 spec PDF
  • Cobra King Forged TEC29.5°
    Retailer listing
    One GlobalGolf used listing
Figure shown is the 7-iron loft.
Based on the sources named on each model’s spec page, rechecked 7 October 2026 except the CF16, which we did not re-check. “Maker-owned store” means a Callaway-owned pre-owned page. Maker spec pages from Titleist, PING and Mizuno would not load for us, which is why so many figures rest on listings and press. A press or retailer figure can still be right; the board shows what we could trace.

Compare two sets club by club

Pick any two models to see their lofts from the 4-iron to the pitching wedge and the gap between clubs. A set with a stronger 7-iron often, though not always, has a stronger pitching wedge too, which matters when you plan your wedge lofts.

Chart · Compare two loft ladders
4-iron to pitching wedge
20°25°30°35°40°45°456789PWTaylorMade P770 (2017) 4: 23°TaylorMade P770 (2017) 5: 26°TaylorMade P770 (2017) 6: 29.5°TaylorMade P770 (2017) 7: 33°TaylorMade P770 (2017) 8: 37°TaylorMade P770 (2017) 9: 41.5°TaylorMade P770 (2017) PW: 46°Callaway Apex 19 4: 21°Callaway Apex 19 5: 23.5°Callaway Apex 19 6: 26.5°Callaway Apex 19 7: 30.5°Callaway Apex 19 8: 34.5°Callaway Apex 19 9: 38.5°Callaway Apex 19 PW: 43°Club
Loft456789PW
TaylorMade P770 (2017)23°26°29.5°33°37°41.5°46°
Callaway Apex 1921°23.5°26.5°30.5°34.5°38.5°43°
Gaps between clubs for TaylorMade P770 (2017): 3°, 3.5°, 3.5°, 4°, 4.5°, 4.5°. For Callaway Apex 19: 2.5°, 3°, 4°, 4°, 4°, 4.5°. Sources: maker spec sheet; Callaway-owned store listing.
Standard lofts by club. Sources: the TaylorMade 2017 P770 spec PDF (maker), Callaway’s pre-owned Apex 19 listing (Callaway-owned), and GlobalGolf, TGW and GolfBox retailer listings for the rest, seen 7 October 2026. Retailer listings are single sources, so confirm with the maker. The gaps between clubs are our subtraction. Makers also sell stronger and weaker options.

How much lofts have strengthened

Golf Digest reported in September 2025 that the average 5-iron loft was 36 degrees a century ago and about 31 degrees by the 1970s, and that the average 7-iron in the game-improvement category was 28 degrees in 2025. Golf.com has described the trend as loft jacking: a traditional 7-iron around 36 degrees against 29 degrees for the PING G430, a different measure from Golf Digest's 5-iron average. The Golf Digest averages cover the game-improvement category; our own models are too few to show a trend within players irons.

Chart · Lofts through time
Stronger lofts, mostly in game-improvement sets
Golf Digest, average loft
  1. 5-iron, a century ago (average)36°
  2. 5-iron, by the 1970s (about)about 31°
  3. 7-iron, game-improvement average, 202528°
One brand’s 7-iron
  1. Callaway X Forged (2013)34°
    Callaway pre-owned listing
  2. Callaway Apex 19 (2019)30.5°
    Callaway pre-owned listing; Golf Monthly
  3. Callaway Apex Ti Fusion (2025)30.5°
    Callaway pre-owned listing
Golf Digest's 2025 game-improvement 7-iron average (28°) is about 3 degrees stronger than its 1970s average 5-iron (about 31°).
Top: Golf Digest (via Australian Golf Digest), 7 September 2025. It compares a 5-iron in the earlier eras with a 7-iron today, so the first two bars are not directly comparable with the third. Bottom: three Callaway 7-irons, with the years as named on the listings, from Callaway’s pre-owned listings (X Forged, Apex 19, Apex Ti Fusion). Golf.com’s Fully Equipped column puts a traditional 7-iron at 36° and the PING G430 at 29°.

How to read an iron spec

Five numbers describe most irons. Three of them, lie, loft and offset, are easy to picture.

Illustration · Reading an iron spec
Lie, loft and offset
lie
Lie
The angle between the shaft and the ground when the sole sits flat.
loft
Loft
The tilt of the face back from vertical. Less loft sends the ball lower and farther.
offset
Offset
How far the leading edge sits behind the hosel line. Game-improvement irons often have more.
Schematic drawings, not to scale and not any one model. Definitions follow the spec glossary on this page; GOLFTEC also defines lie and bounce.
  • Loft is the angle of the face. A lower number sends the ball lower and farther. Because makers set lofts differently, the 7-iron in one set can match the 6-iron in another. Golf Monthly noted, for example, that the Mizuno JPX921 Forged lofts were a degree stronger in the 4 to 8 irons than the generation before.
  • Lie is the angle between the shaft and the ground when the sole sits flat. GOLFTEC gives iron lies of about 59 to 64 degrees. It is changed in a fitting.
  • Length is the club's length in inches. The 7-iron is 37 inches in the PING, Mizuno and Callaway tables on our G410, JPX921 and Apex 19 pages, and 36.75 inches in TaylorMade's 2017 P770 sheet.
  • Offset is how far the leading edge sits behind the hosel. It shrinks from the long irons to the short irons in every table we have: the G410 goes from 0.27 to 0.11 inches (GlobalGolf listing), and the 2017 P770 from 3.6 to 1.6 mm (TaylorMade's sheet).
  • Bounce is the angle that helps the sole glide through turf. Only some of our sources list it for irons: the GlobalGolf listing for the G410 gives 5 to 12 degrees and the G425 listing 5 to 13.

Game improvement, players and distance irons

Golf.com, quoting True Spec's Mike Briand (24 December 2020), describes game-improvement irons by their wider soles, more offset and larger profiles, and player-distance irons as having "a svelte profile and similar game-improvement technology", with less offset, thinner soles and smaller profiles. Our "Type" column reflects the labels on each model's page, so the categories are approximate.

Sources and dates

Lofts are from the sources named in the table and on each model's page. The TaylorMade P770 2017 figures are from TaylorMade's spec PDF. The 718 AP2 7-iron figure is from National Club Golfer's 718 AP1 review (6 April 2018). Retailer listings were rechecked on 7 October 2026, except the CF16. Specifications are manufacturer or retailer claims and not our measurements.