Fibonacci
0123581321?
The Fibonacci deck uses widening gaps as work gets larger: 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and 21, with a question mark for items that need more information. It is the classic planning poker scale because it encourages relative sizing without pretending large work can be estimated precisely.
Fibonacci is best for story-point estimation, product backlog refinement, and teams that want a familiar agile scale. It works especially well when the discussion should focus on uncertainty, complexity, and hidden assumptions.
Modified Fibonacci
00.512358132040100?
The modified Fibonacci deck keeps the familiar early values but adds 0.5 for very small work and larger jumps at 20, 40, and 100. This gives teams a wider range while still making big estimates feel intentionally coarse.
Modified Fibonacci is best when your backlog includes both tiny follow-up tasks and large, uncertain items. It is a strong default for teams that want more range than classic Fibonacci without turning every estimate into a precise number.
T-Shirt Size
XSSMLXL?
The T-shirt size deck uses familiar labels instead of numbers: XS, S, M, L, and XL, plus a question mark for unclear items. The scale is intentionally rough, which can make estimation feel less like negotiation over exact point values.
T-shirt sizing is best for early discovery, roadmap conversations, stakeholder workshops, and teams that are still calibrating. It is useful when the goal is to group work by relative size before the details are ready for sprint-level planning.
Powers of Two
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The powers of two deck doubles each value as work grows. That creates a clear exponential scale, where each step represents a meaningful increase in effort, risk, or uncertainty.
Powers of two is best for teams that like crisp mathematical spacing and want to avoid small debates between neighboring values. It can work well for technical teams that already think in exponential ranges.
Sequential
12345678910
The sequential deck uses a simple 1 through 10 range. It is easy to understand and can be helpful when a team wants a lightweight ranking scale rather than a traditional story-point sequence.
Sequential decks are best for quick calibration, prioritization conversations, and teams that need a gentle introduction to estimation. The main tradeoff is that adjacent numbers can invite false precision, so it helps to agree what each part of the range means.
Hours
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The hours deck estimates work in time-based buckets. The values are grouped around common workday and workweek increments, which can make the scale easier to discuss for operational tasks or short-lived work.
Hours are best for support work, implementation checklists, production tasks, or teams that plan directly in time. For complex product development, hours can create pressure to forecast too precisely, so many teams reserve this deck for work that is already well understood.
Customizing your deck
A good estimation deck should fit the way your team actually talks. SprintBee lets teams add, remove, or reorder values, so you can keep the cards that create useful discussion and remove the ones your team rarely uses.
Custom decks are helpful when you need smaller values, larger values, or non-estimate signals. A question mark can mean the item needs more information, Infinity can mean the work is too large or uncertain to estimate responsibly, Pass lets someone opt out when they do not have enough context, and a coffee card can signal that the team needs a short break before continuing.
