The ten longest bones in the human skeleton by average adult length, from the femur (50.5 cm) to the sternum (17.0 cm), with each paired bone counted once.
The femur (thigh bone) is the longest bone in the human body, averaging about 50.5 cm (19.9 in). The tibia is second at about 42.9 cm and the fibula third at about 40.4 cm. The ranking uses average lengths from a published popular reference table of the ten longest bones; paired bones are counted once.
An adult human skeleton has 206 bones. The longest are the long bones of the legs and arms, followed by the ribs, the hip bone and the breastbone. This list ranks the ten longest by average length. This is anatomy trivia, not medical information: individual bones vary a lot with height, sex and ancestry, and the figures here are single published averages, not normal ranges.
The femur runs from the hip joint to the knee and is the longest bone in the body, averaging 19.9 in (50.5 cm) in the reference table. Femur length is on average about 26.7% of a person's height, which is why it is used to estimate stature from skeletal remains.
The tibia is the main weight-bearing bone of the lower leg, running from the knee to the ankle. The reference table gives an average of 16.9 in (42.9 cm).
The fibula is the slender bone beside the tibia. It is almost as long, averaging 15.9 in (40.4 cm), but much thinner, and serves mainly for muscle attachment and ankle stability.
The humerus runs from the shoulder to the elbow and is the longest bone of the arm, averaging 14.4 in (36.6 cm).
The ulna is the forearm bone on the little-finger side; its upper end forms the point of the elbow. It averages 11.1 in (28.2 cm), slightly longer than the radius.
The radius is the forearm bone on the thumb side. It rotates around the ulna when the palm turns up or down, and averages 10.4 in (26.4 cm).
The 7th rib is the longest rib in the reference table, averaging 9.5 in (24.1 cm) measured along its curve. It is the last of the true ribs, joined to the sternum by its own cartilage.
The 8th rib averages 9.1 in (23.1 cm) along its curve. It is the first of the false ribs, which reach the sternum only through the cartilage of the rib above.
The hip bone forms from three bones (ilium, ischium and pubis) that fuse in adolescence. It joins the sacrum at the back and holds the socket for the femur. The reference table gives 7.3 in (18.5 cm).
The sternum is the flat bone at the front of the chest, made of the manubrium, the body and the xiphoid process. The reference table gives an average of 6.7 in (17.0 cm).
| # | Name | Bone type | Location | Average length (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Femur (thigh bone) | Long bone | Upper leg (thigh) | 19.9 |
| 2 | Tibia (shin bone) | Long bone | Lower leg (inner side) | 16.9 |
| 3 | Fibula (calf bone) | Long bone | Lower leg (outer side) | 15.9 |
| 4 | Humerus (upper arm bone) | Long bone | Upper arm | 14.4 |
| 5 | Ulna (forearm, little-finger side) | Long bone | Forearm (inner side) | 11.1 |
| 6 | Radius (forearm, thumb side) | Long bone | Forearm (outer side) | 10.4 |
| 7 | 7th rib | Flat bone (curved) | Chest wall | 9.5 |
| 8 | 8th rib | Flat bone (curved) | Chest wall | 9.1 |
| 9 | Innominate bone (hip bone) | Irregular bone | Pelvis | 7.3 |
| 10 | Sternum (breastbone) | Flat bone | Front of chest | 6.7 |
Bones are ranked by average adult length as given in a widely reproduced table of the ten longest human bones (Infoplease's The Top Ten: Longest Bones in the Human Body, also reproduced by Adda247). The table gives lengths in inches to one decimal place; centimetre values here are converted at 2.54 cm per inch and rounded to 0.1 cm. Ribs are measured along their curve. Paired bones (left and right femur, and so on) are counted once, and each rib is a separate bone. The table does not say which anatomical reference, population or sex its averages come from, so treat the figures as approximate averages rather than clinical reference values; we have not been able to match them to a specific anatomy textbook.
The femur, or thigh bone. The reference table used here gives an average adult length of 19.9 in (about 50.5 cm).
The tibia (shin bone), at an average of 16.9 in (about 42.9 cm), followed closely by the fibula at 15.9 in (about 40.4 cm).
No. Paired bones such as the two femurs count once. The 7th and 8th ribs appear separately because they are different bones, not a left-right pair.
The stapes, one of the three tiny bones of the middle ear.
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