Pool Table Light Height and Fixture Length Chart
Hang a pool table light with the bottom of the shade 30 to 36 inches above the cloth, which is 5 ft 1 in to 5 ft 7 in from the floor since the bed sits about 31 inches up. The fixture should be nearly as long as the table: 56 to 60 in for a 7 ft table, 59 to 64 in for an 8 ft, and 68 to 76 in with four shades for a 9 ft.
A light over a pool table is task lighting, and it has two numbers: how high it hangs and how long it is. The height is a single figure that applies to every table. The length depends on the table, and it is the specification buyers miss most often because short fixtures photograph better and cost less.
Bottom of the shade 30 to 36 inches above the cloth, which is 5 ft 1 in to 5 ft 7 in from the floor. It looks low when you first hang it. Live with it for a week before deciding, because any higher and the bulbs enter the eyeline of a player standing at the far rail, which is worse than a slightly dim end.
Fixture length and shade count by table size
| Table | Playing surface | Shades | Fixture length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft (bar box, compact) | 33" x 66" | 2 | 36 to 48 in |
| 7 ft (bar box) | 39" x 78" | 3 | 56 to 60 in |
| 8 ft (home standard) | 44" x 88" | 3 | 59 to 64 in |
| 8.5 ft (pro 8, oversized) | 46" x 92" | 3 | 62 to 68 in |
| 9 ft (tournament) | 50" x 100" | 4 | 68 to 76 in |
| 10 ft (snooker or oversize) | 56" x 112" | 4 | 76 to 84 in |
The rule behind that table is simple: the fixture wants to span most of the playing surface so that both ends are lit from more or less overhead. A 36 inch fixture over an 8 ft table lights the middle beautifully and leaves roughly 30 inches of cloth at each end noticeably darker, which is exactly where the awkward shots are played.
The height, worked out
| Measurement | Figure |
|---|---|
| Floor to the bed of the table | About 31" |
| Shade above the cloth, minimum | 30" |
| Shade above the cloth, maximum | 36" |
| Floor to the bottom of the shade | 5 ft 1 in to 5 ft 7 in |
Two practical notes. Hang toward the lower end of the range over a smaller table, where players stand closer to the light, and toward the upper end over a 9 ft table. And if the room is used for anything else, such as table tennis on a conversion top, a fixture on an adjustable chain or a rise and fall mechanism is worth the small premium, because a pendant at 5 ft 1 in is directly in the path of a rally.
Brightness and colour
| Target | Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Home play, on the cloth | About 350 lux | Comfortable for an evening without being clinical. |
| Tournament standard | About 520 lux | Easy to hit with LED. Evenness matters more than reaching it. |
| Colour temperature over the table | 3500K to 4000K | Warmer shifts cloth colour; cooler reads as a workshop. |
| Ambient room lighting | 25 lm per sq ft | Separate from the table light and on a dimmer. |
When the ceiling will not take a pendant
A pendant wants 8 ft of ceiling. Below that, the answer is recessed or flush fixtures, and the layout matters more than the fixture: run two rows of cans either side of the table rather than one row down the centre line. Light arriving at an angle from both sides cancels the shadow that a single overhead row creates, which is most of what the pendant was doing.
Six 6 in cans covers a small room and twelve a full one. A four-head adjustable fixture is the middle option, since aiming light along the table rather than straight down recovers some coverage at a lower hang. Ceiling figures for every game are in the ceiling height chart.
What to buy
- 7 or 8 ft table, 8 ft ceiling: a 59 in three-shade fixture , which is the correct length rather than the compromise length most fixtures ship at.
- The same on a tighter budget: the mirrea 59 in pendant .
- A lower ceiling with some height to spare: the four-head adjustable .
- Under 8 ft: skip the pendant and run two rows of recessed cans .
- 9 ft table: a four-shade fixture of 68 to 76 inches. A three-shade fixture over a 9 ft table is not enough however bright it is.
Related
Work out your own hanging height with the light height calculator and the room lighting with the lighting calculator. Fixtures are compared in the table light roundup, and the complete lighting plan is in the lighting guide.
Frequently asked questions
How high should a pool table light hang?
With the bottom of the shade 30 to 36 inches above the cloth. Because the bed of a table sits about 31 inches off the floor, that puts the bottom of the shade 5 ft 1 in to 5 ft 7 in from the floor. It looks low when you first hang it and it is correct: any higher and the bulbs enter the eyeline of a player standing at the far rail.
How long should a pool table light be?
Nearly as long as the table. A 7 ft table wants 56 to 60 in of fixture, an 8 ft wants 59 to 64 in, and a 9 ft wants 68 to 76 in with four shades rather than three. A short fixture over a long table leaves both ends noticeably darker, and no amount of extra brightness in the middle corrects it.
How many shades does a pool table light need?
Two for a 6 ft table, three for 7 ft through 8.5 ft, and four for 9 ft and 10 ft. The number follows from the fixture length rather than from brightness: the shades have to be spread across the length of the playing surface so that every part of the cloth is lit from more or less overhead, which is what removes the shadows a single source creates.
How bright should a pool table light be?
About 350 lux on the playing surface for comfortable home play, and roughly 520 lux for the tournament standard. Modern LED sources hit either figure easily, so the practical concern is evenness rather than output: a table lit to tournament brightness in the middle and half that at the ends is worse to play on than one lit evenly at home levels.
What if the ceiling is too low for a pendant?
Use recessed or flush fixtures, which buys back about six inches of headroom. The technique that matters is running two rows of cans either side of the table rather than one row down the centre line, so light arrives at an angle from both sides and the shadows cancel each other. It is not quite as good as a pendant, because the source is further away and more diffuse, and it is far better than one central row.
What colour temperature should a pool table light be?
Between 3500K and 4000K. Warmer than that noticeably shifts the apparent colour of the cloth and the balls, which matters because players are reading ball colour and cloth nap at speed. Cooler than about 4500K reads as clinical and makes a finished room look like a workshop. If a fixture offers selectable colour temperature, 4000K over the table and 3500K for the rest of the room is a combination that works almost anywhere.
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.