Calculate basketball effective field goal percentage from field goals made, three-pointers made, and field goal attempts. See the added value created by made threes.
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Effective field goal percentage, usually shortened to eFG%, is a basketball shooting efficiency stat that improves on regular field goal percentage. Traditional field goal percentage treats every made basket the same, even though a made three-pointer is worth one more point than a made two-pointer. eFG% fixes that by giving a made three-pointer an extra half make in the numerator. The result is a single percentage that describes how efficiently a player or team turned field goal attempts into points from the floor.
This distinction matters because modern offenses do not take all shots from the same places. A player who shoots 8 for 20 with four made threes created 20 points from field goals. Another player who shoots 10 for 20 on only two-pointers also created 20 points. Their normal field goal percentages look different, but their scoring value from the floor is the same. Effective field goal percentage helps you see that value without manually converting every shot into points.
Coaches use eFG% to evaluate shot selection, lineup spacing, and offensive design. Players use it to understand whether their shot diet is helping the team. Fans and analysts use it to compare scorers who play different roles. A rim-running center, a movement shooter, and a pull-up guard may all arrive at strong eFG% numbers in different ways. The statistic does not say which style is best, but it does show how much value each style produced per attempt.
The effective field goal percentage formula is:
eFG% = ((FGM + 0.5 × 3PM) ÷ FGA) × 100
FGM means field goals made, 3PM means three-pointers made, and FGA means field goal attempts. Free throws are not part of eFG% because the metric is only about field goal attempts. If you want a scoring efficiency metric that includes free throws, true shooting percentage is the better companion stat.
Count every made two-pointer and every made three-pointer. This is the same made field goal total shown in a box score.
Count only made shots from behind the three-point line. This number must be less than or equal to total field goals made.
Count every two-point and three-point field goal attempt. It must be greater than zero and at least as large as field goals made.
The extra 0.5 multiplier matters here. A made three-pointer already counts as a made field goal inside FGM. Adding another half make accounts for the extra point. In effect, a made three is valued as 1.5 made two-point field goals because three points are 50 percent more than two points.
Suppose a player goes 9 for 18 from the field and makes 4 three-pointers. Regular field goal percentage is simple: 9 divided by 18 equals 50 percent. That number tells you the player made half of their shots, but it does not tell you how much those makes were worth. Because four of those makes were worth three points, the scoring efficiency was better than a plain 50 percent field goal percentage suggests.
| Field goals made | 9 |
| Added value from threes | 0.5 × 4 = 2.0 |
| Adjusted makes | 9 + 2.0 = 11.0 |
| Effective field goal percentage | 11.0 ÷ 18 × 100 = 61.1% |
The same player has a 50.0 percent regular field goal percentage and a 61.1 percent effective field goal percentage. The gap between those numbers is the value created by made threes. If another player shoots 11 for 18 on only two-pointers, both players created the same field-goal point value even though their raw make totals are different.
This is why eFG% is helpful when comparing players with different shot profiles. A high-volume three-point shooter can look less efficient by regular field goal percentage because three-point shots are harder to make. eFG% gives proper credit when those harder shots pay off. Conversely, a player with a high raw field goal percentage but very few threes may need to be compared with role, location, and shot difficulty in mind.
Interpreting eFG% works best when you combine benchmarks with role context. A number around 50 percent means the player or team produced roughly one point per field goal attempt before free throws, offensive rebounds, and turnovers are considered. Numbers in the mid-50s are generally strong. Numbers around 60 percent or higher are excellent, especially over a meaningful sample. Very low numbers can point to difficult shot selection, poor spacing, cold shooting, or a role that asks a player to create late-clock looks.
These ranges are not universal rules. Centers who finish dunks, layups, and put-backs often post higher eFG% numbers because their attempts are close to the rim. Guards who take pull-up threes and late-clock jumpers often face harder attempts. A team may accept a lower individual eFG% from a creator if that player bends the defense, creates assists, and prevents turnovers. The calculator gives the shooting efficiency result, and the basketball meaning comes from the role behind it.
Sample size also matters. One game can produce a dramatic eFG% because a player might hit or miss a few threes. A ten-game stretch is more useful, and a season is better still. When using this calculator for practice sessions, track the same shot types over time rather than mixing wide-open corner threes, contested pull-ups, and layups into one number without notes.
Effective field goal percentage can guide better decisions because it connects shot selection to point value. If a player makes 50 percent of two-pointers, that is the same point value as making 33.3 percent of three-pointers. A team that understands this tradeoff can compare the expected value of different shots instead of judging everything by raw make percentage. That does not mean every shot should be a three or a layup, but it does explain why spacing and shot quality have become central to modern basketball.
The best eFG% analysis is specific. A single eFG% is a useful starting point, but the number becomes more helpful when split by corner threes, above-the-break threes, paint attempts, post-ups, or mid-range jumpers. Those splits tell a player where their efficient offense is coming from and where possessions are losing value.
eFG% is useful, but it is not a complete offensive rating by itself. It excludes free throws, so a player who draws many fouls may be more efficient than their eFG% suggests. It also ignores turnovers, assists, offensive rebounds, pace, defensive attention, and end-of-clock responsibility. A player who takes difficult shots because the offense has stalled may have a lower eFG% while still providing value that a box-score formula cannot fully capture.
Team context matters too. A role player who takes only wide-open corner threes might have a higher eFG% than the star who creates those open shots. That does not automatically make the role player a better offensive player. It means the role player finished their assigned shots efficiently. Use eFG% alongside usage rate, assist rate, turnover percentage, true shooting percentage, and lineup performance when making broader evaluations.
Used this way, effective field goal percentage is a clear, practical tool rather than a shortcut that replaces watching the game. It shows how efficiently shots from the floor became points, while leaving room for film, scouting, and the rest of the stat profile to explain why that efficiency happened.
Effective field goal percentage is a basketball shooting efficiency metric that adjusts field goal percentage for the extra value of made three-pointers. The formula is ((field goals made + 0.5 × three-pointers made) ÷ field goal attempts) × 100. It helps compare players and teams with different shot profiles because a made three is worth more than a made two.
Regular field goal percentage treats every made basket as one make, whether it was worth two points or three points. eFG% gives a made three-pointer an extra half make, which reflects that three points are worth 50 percent more than two points. That is why a player can have a modest field goal percentage but a strong eFG% if many of their makes are threes.
A good eFG% depends on role, level of play, and shot difficulty, but 50% is a good baseline because it represents about one point per field goal attempt. The mid-50s is usually strong, while 60% or higher is excellent across a meaningful sample. Bigs who finish near the rim often post higher numbers, while high-usage creators may have lower numbers because they take harder shots.
eFG% only measures efficiency on field goal attempts, so free throws are intentionally excluded. If you want to include free throws and capture broader scoring efficiency, use true shooting percentage instead. Many analysts look at both stats together: eFG% isolates shot-making from the floor, while true shooting percentage adds foul-drawing and free throw accuracy.
Yes, in a small or unusual sample eFG% can exceed 100% because made threes count as 1.5 adjusted makes. For example, going 4 for 4 with all four makes from three gives an eFG% of 150%. Over larger samples, numbers above 70% are rare and usually indicate a very selective role, a hot streak, or mostly high-value attempts.
Use total field goals made, total three-pointers made, and total field goal attempts. Do not add three-pointers to field goals made again, because they are already included in the total field goal makes. Also do not include free throw attempts in field goal attempts; free throws belong in true shooting percentage, not effective field goal percentage.