what are the numbers curlers call out

February 15, 2026

In curling, those numbers you hear sweepers and players calling out are a quick code for how far the stone is expected to travel —essentially, its “weight” and where it will stop on the ice.

What are the numbers curlers call out?

Most teams today use a 1–10 (sometimes 1–11) “zone system” to describe where a thrown stone will end up along the sheet.

1–3: Guard zone (stones in front of the house, the free guard zone).

4–6: Front part of the rings, in front of the tee line (top 12‑foot, top 8‑foot, top 4‑foot).

7: On or around the button/tee line.

8–10: Stones that end up behind the tee line in the back rings.

11 (sometimes): Thrown so hard it goes right through the house and out of play.

So when a sweeper yells “5!” they’re saying, in a single syllable, “This rock has enough weight to stop roughly in the front rings/top house,” instead of a long description like “top eight-foot.”

Why they use numbers instead of words

The number system is all about fast, efficient communication while everyone is focused and breathing hard.

It lets sweepers tell the skip where they think the rock will stop.

It helps the thrower and skip learn and adjust their feel for the ice over the game.

It’s easier to shout “3!” or “7!” than “tight guard!” or “on the button!” when you’re sprinting down the sheet.

An example: the skip calls for a draw to the front of the house (around a “5”). As the rock slides, the sweepers might shout “4… 5… 6!” as they reassess where it’s tracking to stop, so the skip can decide whether to keep sweeping or stop.

Not all teams use the exact same scale

There is a standard pattern, but teams tweak it a bit.

Many club and TV teams follow the 1–10 or 1–11 Ferbey-style system (named after Canadian curler Randy Ferbey’s rink, which popularized it).

Some teams anchor “7” as tee‑line weight and then space the other numbers around that.

Others mostly talk in plain language: “high guard,” “top four,” “back eight,” and only sometimes add numbers.

So if you switch clubs or watch different elite teams, you’ll see the same idea—numbers for zones—but slightly different habits and fine details.

A second use: timing fast shots

There’s one twist: sometimes, especially on take-outs (harder hits), the numbers can refer to stopwatch times instead of zone positions.

Sweepers or coaches time the rock from hog line to hog line in seconds.

You might hear “9!” or “9‑5!” meaning 9.0 or 9.5 seconds, which corresponds to a specific hit weight for that team.

A smaller number (like 8) is a faster, heavier hit than a larger one (like 10).

That’s why context matters:
If it’s a draw, “8” likely means a back-ring draw zone. If it’s clearly a hit, “8” might be a very firm take‑out timing instead.

Quick forum‑style takeaway

“What are the numbers curlers call out?”
They’re a shorthand code for where the stone will stop: 1–3 for guards, 4–6 for front house, 7 for the button, 8–10 for back house, and sometimes 11 for right through—plus, on hits, they can also be split‑second timing calls for how hard the stone was thrown.

TL;DR:
Curlers call out numbers to quickly communicate the weight and expected final position of the stone using a 1–10 (or 1–11) zone system, and on some take‑outs those same kinds of numbers can double as stopwatch times for hit weight.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.