Effective FG Calculator — calculate effective fg for training and performance. Evidence-based formula and benchmarks.
Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) adjusts field-goal percentage for the extra point awarded by a made three. This page starts in the eFG mode and asks for field goals made, three-pointers made, and field-goal attempts, the inputs needed for that calculation.
It isolates the value of made field goals. Free throws are outside the measure, as are turnovers, offensive rebounds, shot quality, and the decision to take a particular attempt. The result is a scoring-efficiency description, not a complete measure of offensive value.
For another view of shooting efficiency, compare this result with the True Shooting Percentage calculator and Basketball PER Calculator. True shooting includes free throws, while PER summarizes a broader box-score profile.
Choose one player or team and one sample window, then make sure every count covers that same window.
Use a box score or a consistent statistical provider. The calculator does not infer a missing attempt count or repair inconsistent totals.
The calculation is eFG% = (field goals made + 0.5 × three-pointers made) ÷ field-goal attempts × 100. The half-point bonus converts the additional point from a made three into an equivalent field goal in the numerator.
Suppose a player makes 280 shots, including 85 threes, on 480 attempts. The adjusted makes are 280 + 42.5 = 322.5, and 322.5 ÷ 480 × 100 is about 67.2%. A three made is counted once in total makes and receives the additional half in the adjustment.
A higher result indicates that the sample produced more field-goal points per attempt after accounting for the three-point value. It does not reveal whether the player reached that number through close-range finishes, open threes, contested shots, or a small number of attempts.
Compare like samples: players with similar roles, teams in the same season, or a single player's performance across defined periods. Pair eFG% with free-throw rate and turnover information when the question concerns overall scoring efficiency rather than field-goal value alone.
If a provider supplies a per-game average, it is still possible to calculate a rate from averages when all values share the same games and minutes. Totals are easier to audit and are preferable when samples differ in availability.
Separate two-point and three-point results when diagnosing a change. eFG% summarizes both, so its overall movement can hide an improvement in one shot class and a decline in another.
For team comparisons, retain lineup and schedule context. A team may generate open threes against one opponent and face crowded paint against another. The formula rewards the value of made threes, but it does not evaluate whether those attempts were created by good process or defensive mistakes.
Look at attempts alongside the percentage. A player who makes a high share on a handful of tries has less evidence behind the estimate than one who sustains the same rate across a larger volume. The display rounds to one decimal, so preserve full counts for any deeper analysis.
An analyst can split eFG% by two-point and three-point attempts to diagnose the mix, then return to this combined calculation for a headline summary. The split requires its own made and attempted counts; it cannot be reconstructed from the overall percentage alone.
The example's 85 made threes add 42.5 equivalent makes. They are not added as a full extra 85 because a three is worth one additional point compared with a two, not twice as many points as a two.
If the same 280 total makes included no three-pointers, the adjusted numerator would stay at 280 and the rate would be 58.3%. The added three-point credit raises the sample to 67.2%, showing how shot mix changes eFG% even when total field goals made remain fixed.
A common input error is entering three-point attempts instead of three-pointers made. The numerator needs made threes; the denominator remains all field-goal attempts. Another error is excluding missed shots from attempts, which inflates the rate.
Do not call eFG% a free-throw-inclusive metric. True Shooting Percentage adds free-throw attempts to its denominator and is better suited to a broader estimate of scoring efficiency.
Do not add three-pointers twice to total field goals made. The formula already counts a made three in FGM, then adds only half a make to represent its extra point; adding the full three-point total again changes the statistic.
This result describes recorded field-goal production under the entered counts. It should not be presented as a causal explanation of winning, a prediction of future performance, or a substitute for reviewing shot location and game context.