Knee pads are one of the nine items every player must wear, alongside the helmet and the shoulder pads. Elbow pads appear nowhere on that list. This guide uses the IFAF rulebook and the manufacturers' own spec sheets to separate what is compulsory, what is banned, and what comes down to personal preference.
Contents · 8 parts
The 2-minute summary
- Knee pads are mandatory: Rule 1-4-3 lists them among the nine compulsory items, alongside the helmet, the pants and the shoulder pads.
- Always under the pants: Rule 1-4-4-d requires the pants to cover the knee pads, the two together to cover the knee, and no pad to be worn outside the pants.
- Elbow pads are optional: absent from the mandatory list, they still fall under the ban on hard or abrasive equipment that is not covered.
- The rulebook sets a figure for shins, not knees: Appendix E demands 12.7 mm of closed-cell foam on a shin guard and sets no thickness at all for a knee pad.
- One sleeve, three places: both models in our catalogue are sold for the elbow, the knee or the shin, and they come in pairs.
- Sizing is measured, not guessed: McDavid publishes a joint circumference for each size, taken with the leg bent around the kneecap.
Knee pads are compulsory, and they go under the pants
Rule 1-4-3 of the IFAF rulebook lists nine items every player must wear: helmet, hip pads, jersey, knee pads, mouthpiece, pants, shoulder pads, socks and thigh guards. Knee pads are not a comfort accessory, then — they are a condition for taking the field, exactly like the rest of the mandatory equipment. Our catalogue gathers the relevant models in the elbow and knee pads collection.
Rule 1-4-4-d goes further than simply requiring them: "Knee pads must be covered by pants. Furthermore, the pants and knee pads must cover the knees. No pads or protective equipment may be worn outside the pants." That single sentence explains how match pants are cut. The Barnett FP-2, for instance, is advertised by its maker with pockets designed for pads, double reinforcing stitching on those pockets, and elastic retention at the waist and at the knee. The rest of that layer sits in the football apparel collection.
Enforcement is immediate. Rule 1-4-8-a states that no player wearing illegal equipment or failing to wear mandatory equipment shall be permitted to play, and Rule 1-4-8-b sends that player off for at least one down until the kit is made legal.
Two exceptions touch the knee without concerning the pad itself. Rule 1-4-4-h, which requires socks or leg coverings identical in colour and design across a team, makes an exception for unaltered knee braces and for tape or a bandage used to protect an injury. Appendix E-5 adds that a therapeutic or preventive knee brace should be worn under the pants and entirely covered from direct external exposure.
Elbow pads are the player's own call
The elbow appears nowhere in the Rule 1-4-3 list: no elbow pad is required. The rulebook does not ignore them, though — it covers them through its general equipment rules. Rule 1-4-7-c makes illegal any "hard, abrasive or unyielding equipment that is not completely covered and padded, subject to the approval of the umpire", and Rule 1-4-7-a catches anything that could endanger other players.
Appendix E is blunter still: hard or unyielding substances are permitted, once covered, only to protect an injury (E-1); hand and arm protectors, meaning covered casts or splints, are permitted only to protect a fracture or a dislocation (E-2); and no metal or other hard substance may project from a player's person or clothing (E-6). A soft foam sleeve raises no question at all. An exposed rigid shell does.
Then there is the question of coverage. Rule 1-4-5-a-1 states that the jersey must cover all pads worn at or above the waist, and Rule 1-4-7-i lists rib pads, shoulder pad attachments and back protectors that are not totally covered among illegal equipment. Before buying, it is worth checking that the jersey sleeves take the extra bulk, the same way you would when sizing football shoulder pads.
One sleeve for three different places
Neither catalogue reference is a knee pad in the strict sense. Both are compression sleeves with a cellular pad that the manufacturer sells for the elbow, the knee or the shin, in pairs. That explains the product names, and why a single size chart covers three parts of the body.
The McDavid HEX Knee/Elbow/Shin Pads combine an 80% nylon and 20% elastane fabric with polyethylene foam and a 9 mm HEX pad, plus the brand's hDc moisture management treatment. The McDavid HEX Viz Knee/Elbow/Shin Pads use a HEX generation that McDavid describes as 40% thinner for equivalent protection, without publishing the matching thickness, and add a one-size youth option to the adult range. Both are machine washable, and neither claims a standard: neither McDavid nor the rulebook defines a certification for this piece, unlike helmets and facemasks. McDavid also sells a sleeve dedicated to the elbow alone, the HEX Shooter Arm Sleeve, sold single with the same 9 mm HEX pad positioned precisely at the joint, in four adult sizes from XS to L; our guide to arm and leg sleeves covers what this model and its padded or plain equivalents actually do.
These sleeves do not replace the lower-body base layer. Hip, thigh and tailbone pads belong to the girdle, such as the McDavid HEX Thudd Short and the other models in girdles; our guide on how to choose a girdle covers that in detail. Everything sits together in football protection.
What the rulebook actually puts a number on
The detail is a surprise on first reading of Appendix E: the rules set minimum thicknesses for the shin and for a hard thigh guard, and none at all for the knee pad.
| Item | Appendix E requirement | Minimum thickness |
|---|---|---|
| Shin guard (E-4) | Covered on both sides and all edges with closed-cell, slow-recovery foam padding | 1/2 inch, i.e. 12.7 mm |
| Hard thigh guard (E-3) | All surfaces covered, for example with closed-cell vinyl foam | 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) on the outside, 3/8 inch (9.525 mm) on the inside and on the edge overlaps |
| Knee pad | No thickness specified in Rule 1-4-4-d or in Appendix E | not set |
The practical consequence: a hard shin guard bought for another sport may well fail inspection, while the knee pad is left to the player's judgement as long as it stays under the pants.
Getting the size right
McDavid publishes both a measuring method and a size chart for each reference. For the standard HEX, the elbow is measured bent at 45° across the joint, the knee with the leg bent at less than 45° around the kneecap, and the shin at the widest part of the calf; sizes run from 26.7–29.2 cm in XS to 45.7–50.8 cm in 2XL, with the brand's European shop stocking only the four sizes S to XL. For the HEX Viz, the measurement is taken with the leg slightly bent, directly above the kneecap, across six sizes from 25.5–33 cm in XS to 42–47 cm in XL, plus the one-size youth option.
| Model | Places | Sizes sold in Europe | Materials | Recorded price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDavid HEX Knee/Elbow/Shin Pads | Elbow, knee, shin | S, M, L, XL | 80% nylon, 20% elastane; polyethylene foam; 9 mm HEX pad | €37.95 |
| McDavid HEX Viz Knee/Elbow/Shin Pads | Elbow, knee, shin | Youth (one size), XS to XL | Mesh 90% polyester / 10% elastane; jersey 82% polyester / 18% elastane; polyethylene foam | €34.95 |
Prices recorded on McDavid's European shop on 4 October 2026. Both references are sold in pairs.
FAQ
Are knee pads really mandatory in American football?
Yes. Rule 1-4-3 of the IFAF rulebook lists them among the nine compulsory items, and Rule 1-4-8-a bars any player from playing without mandatory equipment.
Can a knee pad be worn over the pants?
No. Rule 1-4-4-d requires the pants to cover the knee pads and states that no pad or protective equipment may be worn outside the pants.
Are elbow pads allowed?
Yes — the rulebook neither requires them nor bans them. They simply have to satisfy Rule 1-4-7-c: anything hard, abrasive or unyielding must be completely covered and padded, subject to the approval of the umpire.
How thick must the foam on a shin guard be?
Appendix E-4 requires closed-cell, slow-recovery foam at least half an inch thick, i.e. 12.7 mm, on both sides and all edges, or an alternate material of the same minimum thickness.