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How does arrow speed from a modern composite bow compare with arrow speed from a longbow?

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A modern archer stands with a recurved bow drawn, aiming at a circular recreational target on a stand. The archer wears protective gear and carries arrows in a quiver at his side. — Archery Archer with a recurve bow and recreational target.

Modern composite bows offer superior performance compared to the traditional longbow in terms of velocity and efficiency.

When comparing the two, the modern composite bow—typically constructed from laminated wood, plastic, and fibreglass—achieves a higher arrow velocity of approximately 65 metres (213 feet) per second, whereas the longbow reaches about 45 metres (150 feet) per second.1

This difference is largely due to the technical design of the modern bow, which is more efficient at transferring the energy stored in the limbs to the arrow at the moment of release. In fact, the efficiency of the modern composite bow is double that of the longbow. Additionally, modern bows are less affected by environmental factors like temperature and humidity, which historically impacted the performance of wooden longbows.1