Fencing (activity, Apparel Or Equipment)
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Sports Protective Equipment & Gear · CPSC Code 3260
Up 30% over 5 years
The verdict
Fencing (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) carry a danger score of 31/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 318 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 30% over the last five years.
- 31/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 318
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.8%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 3260 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 31/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for fencing (activity, apparel or equipment) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume318 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.8%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+30%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Fencing (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) (CPSC product code 3260, in the Sports Protective Equipment & Gear category) generate an estimated 318 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 6,351 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 31/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are rising by about 30% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2023 (702 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2015 (112 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for fencing (activity, apparel or equipment) is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 405 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (381 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 3,323 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 1.8% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how fencing (activity, apparel or equipment) fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 0 | 16 | |
| 5-14 | 493 | 382 | |
| 15-24 | 1,585 | 1,738 | |
| 25-34 | 841 | 111 | |
| 35-44 | 241 | 164 | |
| 45-54 | 245 | 248 | |
| 55-64 | 151 | 0 | |
| 65-74 | 103 | 32 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Finger | Strain, Sprain | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Knee | Dislocation | |
| Lower Leg | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Finger | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Puncture | |
| Hand | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
15YOM COMES TO THE ER WITH A HEAD INJURY.. HE WAS IN A FENCING TOURNAMENT, WEARING PROTECTIVE HEAD GEAR AND MASK, AND DURING ONE OF THE EVENTS HE WAS STRUCK IN THE RIGHT JAW TWICE AND THEN ON ANOTHER TIME HE WAS HIT IN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HEAD. HE HAS A HEADACHE. EXAM NOTES NAUSEA, HEADACHE. DX: CONCUSSION NO LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
12YOF,WAS FENCING AN WENT FOR LUNGE AN INJURED HIP,DX:HIP PAIN
24YOM PRESENTS WITH LEFT KNEE DEFORMITY AFTER FENCING AT A FACILITY WHEN HE SLID DOWN ONTO HIS KNEE DX: INJURY WHILE SPORT FENCING, DISLOCATION OF PATELLA
17YOF WAS IN A FENCING TOURNAMENT AND TWISTED LEFT ANKLE DX: STRAINED ANKLE
24YOM, FELL ONTO KNEE DURING FENCING COMPETITION RESULTING IN SKIN AVULSION, DX: KNEE LACERATION, LEFT; CONTUSION OF LEFT KNEE
17YOF PRESENTS AFTER SHE TWISTED HER ANKLE WHILE FENCING. DX: ANKLE SPRAIN
11YOM, FELL ONTO HAND WHILE FENCING THEN A FRIEND FELL ONTO THE SAME HAND LATER, DX: LEFT HAND SPRAIN
14YOF WAS FENCING AND FELL BACKWARDS DURING A LUNGE STRIKING HEAD DX: CONCUSSION
17YOF WAS FENCING WHEN SHE TWISTED HER LEFT FOOT AND HER KNEE POPPED OUT OF PLACE DX: DISLOCATION LEFT KNEE
16YOM HURT ANKLE IN A FENCING TOURNAMENT. DX: ANKLE SPRAIN
15YOM WAS AT *** (+MESH FACE COVERING) WHEN HE WAS HIT IN THE FACE WITH A SWORD HANDLE. DX: MINOR HEAD INJURY; CONCUSSION.
46 YOF WITH C/O RIGHT UPPER QUADRANT ABDOMINAL PAIN. PT STATES SHE SPENT THE EVENING FENCING AND HAD 3 ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. NO BAL DOCUMENTED. DX: PAIN OF UPPER ABDOMEN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Uhlmann Saber Fencing Glove, EN 10414-2000, Art: 10414, Size: 7.5, Right Hand Glove made of 60% Polyamid/40% Polyurethan. Glove was new with no signs of tears, rips or loose fibers. During a fencing match, opponants blunt saber pierced the glove between right index finger and right middle finger causing saber to go thru the child wearing the above mentioned glove injuring her hand. Saber with thru skin, thru muscle tissue along bone line creating a very deep puncture wound in childs hand. Glove failed to protect childs hand.
Multiple dangerous protective mesh failures of Blue Gauntlet Fencing masks discovered during tournament safety checks
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to fencing (activity, apparel or equipment) on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are fencing (activity, apparel or equipment)?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, fencing (activity, apparel or equipment) have a danger score of 31/100 (low risk). An estimated 318 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from fencing (activity, apparel or equipment)?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 405 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from fencing (activity, apparel or equipment) increasing or decreasing?
Up 30% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for fencing (activity, apparel or equipment) injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 3,323 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by fencing (activity, apparel or equipment)?
Of all ER visits involving fencing (activity, apparel or equipment), approximately 1.8% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.2%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with fencing (activity, apparel or equipment)?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Sports Protective Equipment & Gear
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 31/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 15-24 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
