A normal arrow consists of shaft with an arrowhead attached the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other. Shafts are usually made of solid wood, fibreglass, aluminium alloy or carbon fiber. Wooden arrows are prone to warping. Fiberglass arrows are brittle, but are more easily produced to uniform specifications. Aluminum shafts were a very popular high-performance choice in the later half of the 20th century due to their light weight, and subsequently higher speed and flatter trajectories. Carbon fiber arrows became popular in the 1990's and are very light, flying even faster and flatter than aluminum arrows.

The arrowhead is the primary functional part of the arrow, and plays the largest role in determining its purpose. Some arrows may simply use a sharpened tip of the solid shaft, but it is far more common for separate arrowheads to be made, usually from metal, horn, or some other hard material. The most commonly-used forms are target points, field points, and broadheads, although there are also other types, like bodkin, judo, and blunts.

Fletching is traditionally made from bird feathers, but solid plastic vanes are also used. They are attached near the nock (rear) end of the arrow with glue, or, traditionally, sinew. The fletching is equally spaced around the shaft with one placed such that it is perpendicular to the bow when nocked on the string. This fletch is called the index fletch and is a reference for the nocking of the arrow. Three fletches is the most common configuration, though more may be used. The fletching is sometimes attached at a slight angle , to introduce a stabilizing spin to the arrow while in flight. Oversized fletchings can be used to accentuate drag and thus limit the range of the arrow significantly; these arrows are called flu-flus.

Fletching

 

Feather fletches

Plastic fletches

Fletching is the ancient art of aerodynamically stabilizing arrows from materials such as feathers or plastics. The English-language surname "Fletcher" derives from this term, meaning "one who fletches." It is sometimes generally used for an arrow-maker, not only for someone restricted to this step of the process. In Spanish, the word for arrow is "flecha".

As a noun, fletching refers to the fins or vanes attached to an arrow, each of which fins is known as a fletch. Traditionally, the fletching consists of three matched half-feathers attached near the back of the arrow or dart's shaft that are equally spaced around its circumference. Today, modern plastics may be used instead. Fletches are traditionally attached with silk thread but simpler methods are also used, such as gluing. The fletching is used to stabilize the arrow through air resistance in flight. Some fletches act to impart a spin on the projectile, but all are there to impart a drag on the tail of the projectile to ensure that it does not tumble during flight; for this reason, a bow and arrow will not work properly in a vaccumn.

More generally, it can refer to any structures added to a projectile in order to aerodynamically stabilize its flight, many of which resemble arrows in form and function. For instance, the feathers at the butt end of a dart (of the type cast using an atlatl) are very similar in purpose and construction to those used in arrows. Most of the techniques of fletching were likely adapted from earlier dart-making techniques. The fins used to stabilise rockets also work in a similar manner.

Nocks

The nock serves to keep the arrow in place on the string as the bow is being drawn. Nocks may be simple slots cut in the back of the arrow, or separate pieces made from wood, plastic, or horn that are then attached to the end of the arrow.