Game Room Reference Charts: Every Dimension in One Place
A 7 ft pool table needs a room of 13 ft 6 in by 16 ft 9 in with a 58 in cue and an 8 ft table needs 14 ft by 17 ft 8 in. A dartboard bull sits 68 in from the floor with the throw line 93.25 in away for steel tip. A pool table with a pendant needs 8 ft of ceiling.
11 charts, every figure computed from the same module the calculators use, so nothing here can drift from anything else on the site. These pages exist to be looked up rather than read: the number, where it comes from, and what changes it.
The one chart most people came for
Minimum room for every pool table size against every cue length. Width first, then length, both measured wall to wall or to the nearest permanent obstruction. Measured from the outside of the cabinet rather than from the cloth, which is why these figures run six to eight inches larger than the optimistic charts.
| Table | Playing surface | 58 in cue | 52 in cue | 48 in cue | 42 in cue | 36 in cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft (bar box, compact) | 33" x 66" | 13'0" x 15'9" | 12'0" x 14'9" | 11'4" x 14'1" | 10'4" x 13'1" | 9'4" x 12'1" |
| 7 ft (bar box) | 39" x 78" | 13'6" x 16'9" | 12'6" x 15'9" | 11'10" x 15'1" | 10'10" x 14'1" | 9'10" x 13'1" |
| 8 ft (home standard) | 44" x 88" | 14'0" x 17'8" | 13'0" x 16'8" | 12'4" x 16'0" | 11'4" x 15'0" | 10'4" x 14'0" |
| 8.5 ft (pro 8, oversized) | 46" x 92" | 14'2" x 18'0" | 13'2" x 17'0" | 12'6" x 16'4" | 11'6" x 15'4" | 10'6" x 14'4" |
| 9 ft (tournament) | 50" x 100" | 14'6" x 18'8" | 13'6" x 17'8" | 12'10" x 17'0" | 11'10" x 16'0" | 10'10" x 15'0" |
| 10 ft (snooker or oversize) | 56" x 112" | 15'0" x 19'8" | 14'0" x 18'8" | 13'4" x 18'0" | 12'4" x 17'0" | 11'4" x 16'0" |
Every chart
- Air Hockey and Foosball Dimensions and Clearance Table dimensions and room requirements for air hockey and foosball, including why width rather than length is the constraint on...
- Arcade Cabinet and Pinball Dimensions Chart Footprints, heights, weights and clearance for every arcade cabinet format plus pinball machines, including why side clearance is...
- Bar and Counter Height Chart for a Game Room Seat heights for every surface height, the gap rule that decides the correct stool, stool spacing along a counter, and why...
- Dartboard Regulation Dimensions: Height, Throw Line and Diagonal Every regulation dart measurement in one place: bullseye height, steel and soft tip throw distances, the diagonal check figure...
- Game Room Ceiling Height Requirements by Game Minimum and ideal ceiling heights for every game room activity, from pool with a pendant to a full swing golf simulator, with why...
- Game Room Cost by Game: What Each One Actually Costs What every game room anchor costs at entry, sensible and high specification, plus the accessories, installation and hidden costs...
- Ping Pong Table Dimensions and Clearance Official table tennis table dimensions, the room a real rally needs against casual play, ceiling height, folded storage...
- Poker and Card Table Size Chart Poker table sizes and the room each one needs, seat counts, table height, chair pull-back clearance, and what separates a poker...
- Pool Table Light Height and Fixture Length Chart How high to hang a pool table light and how long the fixture should be for every table size, plus shade count, brightness targets...
- Pool Table Room Size Chart: Every Size, Every Cue The complete pool table clearance chart from 6 ft to 10 ft against every cue length from 36 to 58 inches, measured from the...
- Shuffleboard Table Size Chart: Every Length and Its Clearance Shuffleboard dimensions from 9 to 22 ft with the room each length needs at minimum and comfortable clearance, cradle widths, and...
Dart regulation figures
| Measurement | Inches | Feet and inches |
|---|---|---|
| Floor to centre of bullseye | 68 | 5 ft 8 in |
| Throw line, steel tip | 93.25 | 7 ft 9.25 in |
| Throw line, soft tip | 96 | 8 ft |
| Diagonal, bull to oche, steel tip | 115.5 | 9 ft 7.375 in |
| Board outside diameter | 17.75 | 1 ft 5.75 in |
| Wheelchair bull height | 54 | 4 ft 6 in |
| Clear space each side of centre | 30 | 2 ft 6 in |
| Room behind the oche | 24 | 2 ft |
Full detail, including the wheelchair layout and why the diagonal check matters, is in dartboard regulation dimensions, and the interactive version is the dartboard layout calculator.
Shuffleboard lengths
| Table | Cradle length | Cradle width | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 ft | 9 ft | 30" | Fits a normal room. Short enough that the game plays quite differently from a full table. |
| 12 ft | 12 ft | 30" | The common home size and the shortest length that still feels like real shuffleboard. |
| 14 ft | 14 ft | 31" | A good compromise if the room allows it. |
| 16 ft | 16 ft | 31" | Getting into serious territory. Needs a purpose-built space. |
| 18 ft | 18 ft | 32" | Tournament practice length. |
| 20 ft | 20 ft | 32" | Near regulation. |
| 22 ft (regulation) | 22 ft | 32" | Official tournament length. Needs about 28 ft of room. |
Ceiling heights
| Setup | Minimum | Ideal | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pool table with a hanging light | 8 ft | 8 ft 6 in | The bed sits about 31 in up, the shade hangs 30 to 36 in above that, and you still need to lift a cue butt on a rail shot. |
| Pool table with a flush ceiling fixture | 7 ft 6 in | 8 ft | Losing the pendant buys about half a foot, at the cost of shadow control. |
| Dartboard | 7 ft 6 in | 8 ft | The top of the board sits about 77 in up and a throw arcs above that. |
| Full size arcade cabinet | 8 ft | 8 ft | Upright cabinets run 68 to 77 in, and a riser adds 10 to 14 in. |
| Pinball machine | 7 ft 6 in | 8 ft | The backbox tops out near 76 in and has to fold or clear on the way in. |
| Shuffleboard | 7 ft | 8 ft | Play is horizontal. The only real limit is the light over the table. |
| Arcade basketball | 8 ft 2 in | 9 ft | Most home units stand about 8 ft and the ball has to arc above the rim. |
| Golf simulator, full swing | 9 ft | 10 ft | Nine feet is the floor for most adults with a driver, and 10 ft is where it stops being a compromise. |
| Table tennis | 7 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in | A lob needs headroom, and a low ceiling changes which shots are legal in practice. |
Seat height against surface height
The governing rule is the gap: 10 to 12 inches between the seat top and the underside of the surface. Less than 9 and knees hit the apron; more than 13 and the surface sits at chest height.
| Class | Surface height | Seat height | Stool type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table height | 28" to 30" | 17" to 23" | Chair or low stool |
| Counter height | 34" to 36" | 24" to 27" | Counter stool |
| Bar height | 40" to 42" | 28" to 33" | Bar stool |
| Extra tall / spectator | 44" to 47" | 33" to 36" | Spectator stool |
Where these figures come from, and where they do not
The pool clearance figure is the table's outside cabinet dimension plus two full cue lengths, which is the conservative published standard and the one that leaves you able to play a rail shot without lifting the cue butt over a wall. The dart figures are the World Darts Federation playing standard. The shuffleboard figures are the cradle plus shooting room at each end. Ceiling heights are derived from the equipment plus the motion rather than from any single published rule.
Two honest caveats. Cabinet dimensions vary by an inch or two between makers for the same nominal table size, so the last step before ordering is always to check the specification of the exact model rather than trusting a size chart. And an "8 ft" table can be 44 by 88 or 46 by 92 inches depending on whether it is regulation or oversized, both marketed as eight foot tables, which is the single most common way a room that just worked turns out not to.
To apply any of this to your own room, use the calculators. To see it inside a complete priced room, see the buildouts.
Frequently asked questions
What are the standard pool table sizes?
Six sizes are sold for home use. A 6 ft table has a 33 by 66 in playing surface, a 7 ft is 39 by 78, an 8 ft is 44 by 88, an oversized 8.5 ft is 46 by 92, a 9 ft tournament table is 50 by 100, and a 10 ft is 56 by 112. The playing surface is always in a 1 to 2 ratio. The cabinet is roughly 7 to 8 inches larger than the playing surface in each direction, and the cabinet is what clearance is measured from.
What is the official dartboard height?
The centre of the bullseye is 68 inches from the finished floor, which is 5 ft 8 in, and it is identical for steel tip and soft tip. The throw line sits 93.25 inches horizontally from the face of the board for steel tip and 96 inches for soft tip. The diagonal from the bull to the back of the oche is 9 ft 7.375 in for steel tip, which is the check measurement that catches an out-of-plumb wall or an uneven floor.
How much does a pool table weigh?
A three-piece slate table weighs 700 to 1,000 lb assembled depending on size and slate thickness, and the slate itself accounts for most of that: individual sections run 150 to 250 lb each. An MDF table of the same nominal size weighs 200 to 350 lb. That difference is why one needs a professional installation crew and the other assembles in an afternoon, and it is also why a slate table has to be dismantled to move at all rather than dragged.
What ceiling height does a game room need?
Eight feet with a pendant over a pool table, which comes from the bed sitting about 31 inches up, the shade hanging 30 to 36 inches above the cloth, and the need to lift a cue butt on a rail shot. Swapping to a flush or recessed fixture buys back about six inches. A dartboard wants seven and a half feet, arcade basketball wants over eight because the ball has to arc, and a full swing golf simulator wants nine feet as an absolute floor and ten to stop being a compromise.
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.