Padel Court Size: Official Dimensions and Diagram

A standard padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, about 65.6 by 32.8 feet, enclosed by glass and steel-mesh walls. The net stands 0.88 metres high at the centre and 0.92 metres at the posts, and a service line runs across each half 6.95 metres from the net. Those are the double-court measurements set by the International Padel Federation, and they apply to every sanctioned court worldwide, with a permitted tolerance of just 0.5 percent. A singles court keeps the same length but narrows to 6 metres wide.

If you are laying out a court, planning a build, or just settling an argument at the club, the numbers below are the ones that matter, in both metric and imperial.

What are the official padel court dimensions?

The playing rectangle is fixed. A double court measures 20m x 10m (65.6 ft x 32.8 ft), giving a playing area of 200 square metres, or about 2,150 square feet. The whole space is enclosed, which is what sets padel apart from tennis: the back walls and part of the side walls are in play, so the ball can be taken off the glass.

Here are the core measurements every padel court shares:

• Length: 20 m (65 ft 7 in)
• Width: 10 m for doubles, 6 m for singles
• Net height: 0.88 m at the centre, 0.92 m at the posts
• Service line: 6.95 m from the net on each side
• Wall height: up to 4 m total (glass plus mesh)
• Tolerance: 0.5 percent maximum in any direction

The court is divided by the net into two equal halves. A centre service line runs down each half from the net to the service line, splitting the front zone into left and right service boxes. Beyond the service line sits a 3.05-metre back zone against the rear glass, where most of the wall play happens.

How high is a padel net?

A padel net is 0.88 metres (34.6 inches) high at the centre and rises gently to 0.92 metres (36.2 inches) at the two posts, according to the LTA’s court guidance. It spans the full 10-metre width and, like a tennis net, is pulled lower in the middle by a centre strap.

That centre height is fractionally lower than a tennis net, which sits at 0.914 metres. In practice the difference is small, but padel’s lower, wider net combined with the enclosing walls is what makes the long rallies and off-the-glass retrievals possible.

Padel court vs tennis court: how do they compare?

This is the question most newcomers actually want answered, and the short version is that a padel court is a fraction of the size. A padel court’s enclosed 200 square metres is roughly a third of the total footprint a tennis court needs once you add the run-back and side room defined by the ITF. A useful rule of thumb: two padel courts fit in about the space of one full tennis court.

Measurement	Padel (doubles)	Tennis (doubles)
Court length	20 m (65.6 ft)	23.77 m (78 ft)
Court width	10 m (32.8 ft)	10.97 m (36 ft)
Net height (centre)	0.88 m	0.914 m
Service line from net	6.95 m	6.40 m
Walls in play	Yes (glass + mesh)	No
Typical surface	Sand-dressed artificial turf	Hard, clay, or grass

The playing lines are surprisingly close in width, but the tennis figures above are only the lines. A tennis court also needs generous run-off behind the baselines, so the real plot for one is far larger than the enclosed padel box.

What size are the service boxes and lines?

Each half of the court has two service boxes. The service line sits 6.95 metres from the net, and the centre service line divides the front zone into two boxes, each 5 metres wide (half the court’s width) and 6.95 metres deep. A serve, which must be hit underarm after a bounce, has to land in the service box diagonally opposite.

Behind the service line is the 3.05-metre stretch to the back glass. That back zone is not marked with a box, but it is where the game’s signature shots happen: the ball rebounds off the glass and players return it as it comes back into court.

Single vs double padel court: what’s the difference?

The only real difference is width. A singles court is narrower so two players can cover it, while the standard doubles court is wider for four.

	Double court	Single court
Length	20 m	20 m
Width	10 m	6 m
Players	4 (2 v 2)	2 (1 v 1)
Common use	Clubs, tournaments, most venues	Training, tight sites, private homes

Almost every commercial court you will play on is a double. Singles courts exist, but the game was built around the doubles format, and most clubs will not give up floor space for a court that seats half as many paying players. If you are building at home and space is tight, the 6-metre singles court is the compromise option.

Glass walls and fencing: what are the rules?

The enclosure is a defining feature, and it has its own spec. Under FIP and LTA guidance, the back walls reach a total height of 4 metres: the lower 3 metres is a rebound surface (usually tempered glass, sometimes a solid material) that the ball can be played off, topped by 1 metre of metallic mesh fencing. The side walls typically step down from 3-metre glass at the corners to 2-metre mesh toward the middle.

Only the solid lower section counts as a true rebound surface. Balls that strike the mesh behave unpredictably, which is deliberate: it keeps the walls fair while still containing the play.

How much space do you actually need to build one?

The 20m x 10m figure is the playing area, not the plot. This is where most guides stop, and it is the number that trips up first-time builders. You need extra room for the steel structure and, above all, height overhead.

For an indoor court, the SAPCA code of practice calls for a minimum clear height of 6 metres from the surface to the lowest obstruction, with 8 metres or more recommended for tournament play so high lobs are not blocked by beams or lighting. Outdoor courts avoid the roof issue but still need drainage and run-off, so a realistic minimum plot is around 21m x 11m per court. Building several courts side by side shares foundations and lowers the per-court cost.

If you are weighing a build, the dimensions here are only the starting point; the full cost of building a padel court depends far more on the glass, foundation, and lighting than on the court’s fixed footprint.

Want to get on court rather than build one? Browse our racket sports hub for gear guides and how-tos, or start with choosing a padel racket if you are kitting out for your first session.

Is there a smaller or mini padel court?

Yes. Alongside the standard court, some clubs install shorter mini or kids’ courts for coaching and junior play, typically scaled down in both length and width. These are not competition-legal and vary by manufacturer, so there is no single official mini size. For any sanctioned match, singles or doubles, the 20-metre length is non-negotiable.