Game Room Calculators: Will It Actually Fit?
Minimum room for a pool table equals the table's outside cabinet dimensions plus two cue lengths, in both directions. A 7 ft table with a 58 in cue needs 13 ft 6 in by 16 ft 9 in, an 8 ft table needs 14 ft by 17 ft 8 in, and a 9 ft table needs 14 ft 6 in by 18 ft 8 in. A dartboard needs a lane of 5 ft by 9 ft 9 in.
The most expensive mistake in this hobby is buying an anchor game before measuring the room, and it is entirely avoidable. These 15 tools answer the question in one screen. Every figure on the site, in the calculators, the charts, the buildouts and the roundups, comes out of one module, so a number here and a number three pages away cannot disagree.
Minimum room = the equipment's outside dimension + 2 x the clearance it needs on that axis. For a cue sport the clearance is one full cue length, on all four sides, because a ball can freeze against any cushion. For everything else it is the space a player stands in, which is why a foosball table needs so much less than a pool table of similar size: the foosball player does not move.
The numbers most people came for
| Pool table | Room, 58 in cue | Room, 52 in cue |
|---|---|---|
| 7 ft | 13 ft 6 in x 16 ft 9 in | 12 ft 6 in x 15 ft 9 in |
| 8 ft | 14 ft x 17 ft 8 in | 13 ft x 16 ft 8 in |
| 9 ft | 14 ft 6 in x 18 ft 8 in | 13 ft 6 in x 17 ft 8 in |
If your room is smaller than the first row, do not stop there. Turn the table ninety degrees, which is free and rescues more rooms than everything else combined, then consider a short cue on the tight side only. The fit calculator tests both orientations and every cue length automatically and tells you exactly which combinations work.
Every calculator
- Air Hockey and Foosball Clearance Calculator How much room air hockey, foosball, bumper pool and poker tables actually need, including the side clearance for foosball rods...
- Arcade Cabinet Footprint Planner Footprints, standing room and ceiling heights for upright arcade cabinets, multicades, pinball machines, alley rollers and arcade...
- Bar Stool Height Calculator Match stool seat height to counter, bar or table height using the 10 to 12 inch gap rule, plus how many stools fit a bar run and...
- Dartboard Height and Throw Line Calculator Exact regulation dart layout: 68 in bullseye height, 93.25 in steel tip throw, 96 in soft tip, with the diagonal check...
- Game Room Budget Planner Build a real game room budget including the costs that are not on any product listing: slate delivery and levelling, the light...
- Game Room Flooring Calculator Square footage, waste allowance, box counts and cost for game room flooring, plus which materials survive a 900 lb slate table...
- Game Room Lighting Calculator Work out the lumens a game room needs by zone, from ambient ceiling light to the dedicated fixture over the table and the dart...
- Golf Simulator Space Calculator The ceiling height, width and depth a golf simulator bay actually needs, by player height and club, plus what changes if you use...
- Ping Pong Room Size Calculator How much room a table tennis table really needs, from casual family play to a tournament court, plus the conversion top option...
- Poker Table Room Size Calculator Room sizes for round, oval and casino poker tables, plus seats per table, rail space per player and the chair pull-back clearance...
- Pool Table Light Height Calculator Exactly how high to hang a pool table light, what fixture length each table size needs, the brightness target on the cloth and...
- Pool Table Room Size Calculator Work out the exact room a pool table needs, from 6 ft to 10 ft, with any cue length. Live plan drawing, full clearance chart, and...
- Seating and Viewing Distance Calculator Screen size against seating distance for a rec room, plus recliner depth, loveseat widths and why seating goes in last on a game...
- Shuffleboard Room Size Calculator Work out the room a shuffleboard table needs at every length from 9 ft to a regulation 22 ft, with shooting clearance, side...
- What Size Pool Table Fits My Room? Enter the room you measured and find the biggest pool table it takes, in both orientations and at every cue length, with a scaled...
What every game needs, ranked
The single most useful table on the site if you have a room and no decision yet. Every figure includes the clearance the game needs to be played rather than only the footprint of the object, because a game you cannot stand at is not a game.
| Game | Room needed | Sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Dartboard, steel tip | 5'0" x 9'9" | 49 |
| Home arcade cabinet | 3'2" x 7'0" | 22 |
| Pinball machine | 3'9" x 10'7" | 40 |
| Foosball, 56 in | 6'10" x 10'8" | 73 |
| Air hockey, 7 ft | 8'0" x 13'0" | 104 |
| Poker table, 84 in oval | 9'6" x 13'0" | 124 |
| Pool, 7 ft, 58 in cue | 13'6" x 16'9" | 227 |
| Shuffleboard, 12 ft | 5'6" x 16'0" | 88 |
| Table tennis, 9 x 5 ft | 11'0" x 19'0" | 209 |
Two readings of that table are worth stating. First, the gap between foosball and pool is not about table size, it is about whether the player moves: a cue has to draw back a full cue length from four cushions while a foosball player stands still. Second, arcade cabinets and pinball are the most space-efficient games available, because cabinets are designed to stand shoulder to shoulder and need almost no side clearance at all.
How to measure a room properly
- Measure to the nearest permanent obstruction, not to the wall. A radiator, a support column, a stair stringer or a low soffit inside the clearance band takes that shot away every time you play, not occasionally.
- Doorways are different. A cue can extend through an open doorway, so a door that swings away and that nobody stands in does not count against your measurement. This one exception rescues a lot of rooms.
- Measure the ceiling too. Floor space is only half of it. Eight feet is the working minimum for a pool table with a pendant over it, because the bed sits about 2'7" up, the shade hangs 30 to 36 in above the cloth, and you still need to lift a cue butt on a rail shot.
- Measure the route in, separately. Slate arrives in sections of 150 to 250 lb each and roughly 40 in on the long edge. A stair with a tight quarter-turn at the bottom is where installer surcharges and outright refusals come from.
- Write it in inches. Every calculator here works in feet for input and inches internally, and rounding a room to the nearest half foot on paper is how six inches goes missing.
Where the numbers come from
Nothing here is a rule of thumb. The pool clearance figure is the table's outside cabinet dimension plus two full cue lengths, which is the conservative published standard. The dart figures are the World Darts Federation playing standard: 68 in to the bull, 93.25 in to the oche for steel tip, 96 in for soft tip. The shuffleboard figures are the cradle length plus shooting room at each end. Seating heights come from the gap rule, which is 10 to 12 inches between the seat top and the underside of the surface. Viewing distances follow the standard viewing-angle guidance rather than a manufacturer's preference.
Where a figure is a judgement rather than a standard, we say so on the page that uses it. Cabinet dimensions in particular vary by an inch or two between makers for the same nominal table size, so the last step is always to check the specific model you are buying. Full tables are in the reference charts, complete priced rooms are in the buildouts, and if you would rather start from the equipment than from the room, start with the reviews.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate the room size for a pool table?
Take the outside dimensions of the table cabinet, not the playing surface, and add two full cue lengths to each. With a standard 58 in cue that means adding 116 inches to both the width and the length. A 7 ft table with a 46 by 85 in cabinet therefore needs 13 ft 6 in by 16 ft 9 in. The reason it is measured from the cabinet is that your bridge hand and the cue butt collide with the cabinet, not with the cloth, and a ball can freeze against any one of four cushions.
Why do published pool table room size charts disagree?
Because some measure from the outside of the rails and some measure from the edge of the playing surface, and the difference is roughly six to eight inches in each direction. The playing-surface version produces smaller and more encouraging numbers, and it is the version that sells tables. Everything on this site uses the conservative version, which is also what the Billiard Congress of America publishes, because it is the one that leaves you able to play a rail shot without lifting the cue butt over a wall.
What is the regulation dartboard height and throw line distance?
The centre of the bullseye sits 68 inches from the finished floor, which is 5 ft 8 in, and it is the same for steel tip and soft tip. The throw line is 93.25 inches horizontally from the face of the board for steel tip, which is 7 ft 9.25 in, and 96 inches for soft tip and electronic boards. Check the work with the diagonal from the bull to the back of the oche, which should read 9 ft 7.375 in for steel tip and catches an out-of-plumb wall.
Do these calculators work if my room is an odd shape?
They work on the clear rectangle you can actually use, which is the honest way to measure any room. Take the measurement to the nearest permanent obstruction rather than to the wall behind it, since a support column, a stair stringer, a low soffit or a radiator inside the clearance band takes that shot away permanently. A doorway is different: a cue can extend through an open door, so a doorway that nobody stands in does not count against you.
Measuring your own room before anything is delivered? The Game Room Layout Planner is the paid version of these pages: 8 printable worksheets you fill in with your own numbers, plus the full PDF, $29.
How we work: we compare published manufacturer dimensions, the governing playing standards for each game, and reviews from owners who live with the equipment. We do not test games in person, and we say so on every page. Clearance figures here are researched guidance for planning a room, not professional advice: measure your own space, and have a slate table delivered, assembled and levelled by an installer rather than moving it yourself.