Home / Badminton court dimensions

Specification · Updated 2026

Same rectangle
as pickleball, different game

Badminton court dimensions are 13.4 by 6.1 meters for doubles, 44 by 20 feet, and 13.4 by 5.18 meters for singles, 44 by 17 feet. The Badminton World Federation fixes the court; the net stands 1.55 meters at the posts and 1.524 meters at center. The court shares its outer rectangle with pickleball, which is why a badminton hall converts to pickleball so easily and why the clear height rules for the two sports are so different.

Key figures

Doubles court
13.40 × 6.10 m (44 × 20 ft)
Singles court
13.40 × 5.18 m (44 × 17 ft)
Net height
1.55 m at the posts, 1.524 m at center
Short service line
1.98 m from the net
Doubles long service line
0.76 m inside the back boundary
Line width
40 mm
Clear height
9 m minimum recommended; 12 m for international play
Source
BWF Laws of Badminton, Section 1 (Court and court equipment)

Free to cite with attribution and a link. Full set at courtbaseline.com/reference.

Every measurement

What are the official badminton court dimensions?

The BWF writes the Laws in metric. The imperial figures below are conversions, and a court built to 44 by 20 feet is within a centimeter of regulation.

Source: Badminton World Federation, Laws of Badminton, Section 1. Free to cite with a link to this page.
ElementMetricImperial
Doubles court13.40 × 6.10 m44 × 20 ft
Singles court13.40 × 5.18 m44 × 17 ft
Doubles court area81.7 m²880 sq ft
Side alley, each0.46 m1 ft 6 in
Net height, posts1.55 m5 ft 1 in
Net height, center1.524 m5 ft
Short service line from net1.98 m6 ft 6 in
Doubles long service line from back0.76 m2 ft 6 in
Net to back boundary6.70 m22 ft
Line width40 mm1.6 in
Run-off, recommended2 m sides, 2.3 m ends6.5 ft, 7.5 ft
Clear height9 m min, 12 m international30 ft, 39 ft

Fig. 01

Where do the lines sit?

Badminton court plan Plan of a 13.4 by 6.1 meter badminton court. Singles sidelines sit 0.46 meters inside the doubles sidelines. Short service lines run 1.98 meters from the net on each side, a center line divides each service court, and the doubles long service line sits 0.76 meters inside each back boundary. NET 1.55 m posts / 1.524 m center SHORT SVC 1.98 m LONG SVC 0.76 m 13.40 m / 44 ft 6.10 m / 20 ft
Fig. 01 — Doubles uses the full width and the inner long service line; singles uses the inner sidelines and the back boundary. Source: BWF Laws, Section 1.

Why does badminton need so much ceiling?

Because a clear is hit upward and a 9 meter ceiling is the practical minimum for a shuttle to travel the court without touching anything. The BWF asks for 12 meters at international venues. That single number is why badminton halls are tall and why a converted warehouse with 6 meters of clearance will host pickleball and not badminton.

The run-off is modest, about 2 meters at the sides and 2.3 at the ends, so a hall that is long on height and short on floor area suits badminton better than almost any other court sport. The reverse, a low wide hall, suits pickleball and nothing else on this list.

Badminton court construction is almost always indoor and almost always a sprung or synthetic floor over a hall slab. Badminton court cost is therefore mostly building cost; the court itself is tape, posts and a net, and a mat system runs well under the figures for any hard-surface court.

Common questions

Badminton court dimensions, answered

What are badminton court dimensions in feet?
44 feet long by 20 feet wide for doubles and 44 by 17 feet for singles, converted from the BWF's 13.40 by 6.10 and 13.40 by 5.18 meters. The net is 5 feet 1 inch at the posts and 5 feet at center. The outer rectangle is identical to a pickleball court, which is why the two share floor space in many halls.
Is a badminton court the same size as a pickleball court?
The outer rectangle is the same, 44 by 20 feet. The lines inside differ, the net heights differ by almost two feet, and the ceiling requirement is very different: badminton wants at least 9 meters of clear height and pickleball needs far less. Pickleball was first played on a badminton court, which is where the shared footprint comes from.
How high is a badminton net?
1.55 meters, 5 feet 1 inch, at the posts and 1.524 meters, 5 feet, at center. The posts stand on the doubles sidelines regardless of whether singles or doubles is being played. The slight dip at center is specified, not sag.
How much ceiling height does a badminton court need?
At least 9 meters, about 30 feet, with nothing intruding, and 12 meters for international competition. A high clear can travel 8 meters up, so a 6 or 7 meter hall produces constant lets. Height, not floor area, is the constraint that rules most buildings out for badminton.
What does badminton court construction involve?
Badminton court construction is mostly a flooring and lighting job inside an existing hall: a level concrete slab, a sprung wood or point-elastic synthetic floor, 40 mm lines in a contrasting color, and glare-free lighting mounted outside the sightline to the ceiling. Badminton court cost is driven by the floor system and the building, not the court markings, which is why most courts are added to existing gyms rather than built from scratch.

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Reference

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