Pick steel-tip or soft-tip and measure how far your board stands out from the wall. You get how high to hang it, where to put the throw line, from the board and from the wall, and the diagonal to check it.
Your dart board
The bull 5′ 8¹⁄₈″ high, the throw line 7′ 9⁵⁄₁₆″ from the boardmark the line 7′ 10¹³⁄₁₆″ from the wall · check it: 9′ 7³⁄₈″ from the bull to the line at the floor · the World Darts Federation’s 1.73 m and 2.37 m
Quick answer: hang a steel-tip dart board with the centre of the bull 1.73 m (5′ 8⅛″) off the floor and put the throw line 2.37 m (7′ 9⁵⁄₁₆″) from the board’s face, level (the World Darts Federation). Soft-tip (electronic) boards: the bull at 5′ 8″, the line 8′ from the face (the National Dart Association). Measure the line from the board’s face, not the wall: a board standing out 1½″ puts a steel-tip line 7′ 10¹³⁄₁₆″ from the wall.
How to use the dart board calculator
- Pick steel-tip (a bristle board, metal-tipped darts) or soft-tip (an electronic board, plastic-tipped darts).
- Measure how far the board’s face stands out from the wall: the board, plus its backboard or cabinet.
- A mat or platform under the player? Enter its height: the bull is measured from the floor the player stands on.
- You get the bull’s height, the throw line from the board and from the wall, and the diagonal to check the setup with, drawn from the side.
The rules behind the numbers
Steel-tip: the World Darts Federation
“The dartboard shall be fixed in such a manner that the vertical height from the floor, at the same level as the Oche, to a horizontal line through the centre of the ‘Bull’ shall measure 1.73 metres.” “A raised Oche, 38 mm high and 610 mm. long, shall be placed in position at the minimum throwing distance and shall measure from the back of the Oche, 2.37 metres along a horizontal line to a plumb line at the face of the dartboard.” “The diagonal distance from the centre of the Bull to the back of the Oche at floor level shall measure 2.93 metres.” (WDF Playing and Tournament Rules, 6.01–6.03.) The rules are metric; 5′ 8″ and 7′ 9¼″, the numbers most charts print, are the same marks in round inches.
Soft-tip: the National Dart Association
“8 ft. (96″) from Face of Target to Front Edge of Foul Line” and “5 ft. 8in. (68″) from Floor to Center of Bull’s Eye”, “plus or minus one-half inch”. “The measurement is from the ‘Foul Line’ to the ‘Face’ of the dartboard and not from ‘Foul Line’ to the front of the machine cabinet.” Players in a wheelchair may have the torso on the line but not across it.
Dart board height and distance
| Steel-tip (WDF) | Soft-tip (NDA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor to the bull’s centre | 1.73 m (5′ 8¹⁄₈″) | 5′ 8″ (±½″) |
| Board’s face to the throw line | 2.37 m (7′ 9⁵⁄₁₆″) | 8′ |
| Bull to the line at the floor | 2.93 m (9′ 7³⁄₈″) | 9′ 9⁵⁄₈″ |
| Wall to the line, board 1½″ deep | 7′ 10¹³⁄₁₆″ | 8′ 1¹⁄₂″ |
Three worked examples
A bristle board on a 1½″ backboard. The bull 5′ 8¹⁄₈″ up; the line 7′ 9⁵⁄₁₆″ from the board’s face, so mark it 7′ 10¹³⁄₁₆″ from the wall. Check: 9′ 7³⁄₈″ from the bull to the line at the floor.
An electronic board in a cabinet 4″ deep. The bull 5′ 8″ up; the line 8′ from the board’s face, 8′ 4″ from the wall.
A steel-tip board over a 1″ throw mat. The bull goes up with the mat: 5′ 9¹⁄₈″ off the concrete floor, 5′ 8¹⁄₈″ off the mat.
Common dart board mistakes
- Measuring the line from the wall. Both rules measure from the board’s face; a cabinet or backboard moves the line out by its depth.
- Hanging by the top of the board. The height is to the centre of the bull.
- Using steel-tip distances for an electronic board. Soft-tip plays from 8′, 2¹¹⁄₁₆″ farther.
- Forgetting a mat. The bull is measured from the floor the player stands on.
- Skipping the check. Measure the diagonal from the bull to the line: if it is off, the board is too high or the line too close.
Planning a game room? See whether a table fits with the pool table room size calculator, measure the floor with the room square footage calculator, and draw it to scale in the free 2D planner.
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Dart board questions
What is the dart board height?
The centre of the bull 1.73 m (5′ 8⅛″) above the floor for steel-tip (the WDF), and 5′ 8″ for soft-tip (the NDA).
What is the dart board distance?
2.37 m (7′ 9⁵⁄₁₆″) from the board’s face to the back of the throw line for steel-tip, and 8′ to the line’s front edge for soft-tip, both measured level.
What are the dart board measurements?
Steel-tip: the bull 1.73 m up, the line 2.37 m out, 2.93 m on the diagonal from the bull to the line at the floor. Soft-tip: 5′ 8″ up and 8′ out.
How high is a dart board?
Measured to the centre of the bull, not the top: 5′ 8⅛″ for steel-tip, 5′ 8″ for soft-tip.
Do you measure the throw line from the wall or the board?
From the board’s face. With the board 1½″ off the wall, a steel-tip line is 7′ 10¹³⁄₁₆″ from the wall.