Specification · Updated 2026
Indoor is 18 by 9.
Beach is 16 by 8.
Volleyball court dimensions are 18 by 9 meters indoors, 59 feet by 29 feet 6 inches, and 16 by 8 meters on sand, 52 ft 6 in by 26 ft 3 in. Both are set by the FIVB and adopted by USA Volleyball. The net stands 2.43 meters for men and 2.24 for women on either surface, and the free zone around the court is where most of the site actually goes.
Key figures
- Indoor court
- 18 × 9 m (59 ft × 29 ft 6 in)
- Beach court
- 16 × 8 m (52 ft 6 in × 26 ft 3 in)
- Net height, men
- 2.43 m (7 ft 11 5/8 in)
- Net height, women
- 2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/8 in)
- Attack line, indoor
- 3 m from the center line
- Free zone, minimum
- 3 m all sides; FIVB international 5 m sides, 6.5 m ends
- Clear height, indoor
- 7 m minimum; 12.5 m for FIVB international
- Source
- FIVB Official Volleyball Rules and Beach Volleyball Rules, Chapter 1
Free to cite with attribution and a link. Full set at courtbaseline.com/reference.
Every measurement
What are the official volleyball court dimensions indoors and on sand?
Two courts, one rulebook family. The beach court is smaller because sand slows players down, and it has no attack line because there is no front-row restriction in the two-player game.
| Element | Indoor | Beach |
|---|---|---|
| Court | 18 × 9 m (59 × 29.5 ft) | 16 × 8 m (52.5 × 26.25 ft) |
| Court area | 162 m² (1,744 sq ft) | 128 m² (1,378 sq ft) |
| Each side | 9 × 9 m | 8 × 8 m |
| Attack line from center | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) | none |
| Net height, men | 2.43 m | 2.43 m |
| Net height, women | 2.24 m | 2.24 m |
| Net length | 9.5 to 10 m | 8.5 m |
| Antenna height above net | 80 cm | 80 cm |
| Line width | 5 cm | 5 cm tape |
| Free zone, minimum | 3 m all sides | 3 m all sides |
| Free zone, FIVB international | 5 m sides, 6.5 m ends | 5 to 6 m all sides |
| Clear height | 7 m min, 12.5 m international | 7 m min |
| Sand depth, minimum | n/a | 40 cm |
Fig. 01
What does the indoor volleyball court layout look like?
How much space does a volleyball court need?
Indoors, plan on 24 by 15 meters, about 79 by 49 feet, using the 3 meter minimum free zone, and more if you intend to host sanctioned events. A beach court needs roughly 22 by 14 meters of sand with the same free zone, and that sand has to be at least 40 centimeters deep across the whole area.
The free zone is where volleyball differs from other court sports. Players routinely leave the court to chase a ball, and a wall, post or bleacher inside 3 meters is a safety problem rather than an inconvenience. Clear height matters for the same reason: 7 meters is the minimum and a serious facility plans higher, because a high ball into a truss is a replay.
Sand courts have a second site question, which is what happens to the sand when it rains. Drainage under 40 centimeters of sand is a real engineering line, and it is the one most often underpriced on a beach volleyball build.
Common questions
Volleyball court dimensions, answered
What are volleyball court dimensions in feet?
How high is a volleyball net?
Why is a beach volleyball court smaller than an indoor court?
How much sand does a beach volleyball court need?
Read next
From the lines to the build
Construction
Building an indoor or sand court
Sand depth, drainage, posts and what a sand court actually costs.
Lighting
Lighting a court properly
Lux levels, pole positions and why glare is a playing problem.
Reference
Every court figure on one page
Dimensions for every sport we cover, with sources named.
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