# 2025 Season Game Manual

# Commonly Used Individual Sections

# Build Season

# Competition

# Construction

# Bumpers

# 2025 Bumper Construction Guide (offical pdf from FRC)

# 2025 Bumper Rule Changes (offical pdf from FRC)

The Bumper Task Force looked at the existing bumper materials and rules to see how they could be improved. The group came up with three overall goals on which to focus:

Make bumpers easier to build

Make bumpers easier to inspect

Improve options for teams to make more robust bumpers

# Changes:

Gaps between segments increased from 0.5 in. → 1.5 in.
Hard parts limit from 1 in. → 1.5in.
Allow for heavier bumpers by only specifying a maximum overall robot weight
More flexibility in backing materials and mounting solutions
Remove specific measurement requirements on frame backing
Reduce restrictions on backer thickness and holes
Allow thicker padding extending up to 4.25 in. from the frame perimeter
Allow taller bumpers
Allow additional padding materials including
- Backer rod
- Foam floor tiles
- Solid Polyethylene (PE) closed cell foam with density between 1.5 and 3 lb/cu ft.
- Solid Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) closed cell foam with density between 2 and 6 lb/cu ft.
- Pool Noodles
While hollow pool noodles will remain legal for 2025, testing suggests that these new materials likely provide better protection.
Increase bumper to bumper overlap between robots by requiring the bumpers to fill the portion of the BUMPER ZONE between 2.5 in. and 5.5 in.
Disallow weaker corner construction options including
- Mitered corners
- Wrap around corners