What Are The Dimensions Of A Badminton Court?

Last updated on May 14th, 2022 at 01:33 pm

Badminton is an exciting racket sport, whether you’re a new badminton player looking to have fun at home or you’re considering serious play.

If you’re thinking about setting up a badminton court, however, it’s a good idea to get a feel for the badminton court size, what the dimensions are, and how the court is laid out.

Here is everything you need to know about the dimensions of a badminton court. 

Badminton court dimensions

Overall, the length of a standard badminton doubles court is 44 feet or 13.41 meters, and the width is 20 feet or 6.1 meters.

The full length of the court is 44 feet.

The length of a badminton court is called the sideline, while the width of the badminton court edges are called the baselines.

If you’re playing singles badminton, the standard court dimensions will be slightly smaller.

Although the length of the sidelines is the same, each baseline or back boundary line is shortened by 1.5 feet or .46 meters, giving the baseline a length of 17 feet instead.

This smaller space offers more control for singles players.

Long Service (Doubles) and Short Service Lines

Badminton courts are broken up into different areas that make it easy to follow the rules of the game and determine scoring, and each of these areas also has its own size or dimensions.

Some of the most important areas that are marked out on the court are the doubles service lines and the short service lines. Also called the rear service line. This is where players serve from to start each round.

The doubles service line or long service line is for doubles play and located 2.5 feet or .76 meters inside the baseline at each end of the court.

The short service line is the marking closest to either side of the net and is 6.5 feet or 1.98 meters from the net itself.

Because both the doubles and short service lines run the width of the court, they retain the same length as the baseline of the court, depending on whether you’re playing doubles or singles badminton.

The doubles service line will always be 20 feet or 6.1 meters long, while the short service line will be either 20 feet or, for singles play, 17 feet long.

Service Court Dimensions

Center lines are also marked out on the court to help differentiate between the left and right service court areas, and each service court also has its own dimensions.

Each service area takes up the space between the doubles service line, the short service line, and the center line or middle of the court.

The service courts are each 8.5 feet or 2.59 meters wide and 13 feet or 3.96 meters long.

You can tell which is the left and which is the right service court by standing and facing the badminton net on either side of the court.

The right service court will be to your right hand, and the left will be to your left hand.

If you’re standing in the right service court and looking across the net, the right service court on the opposite side of the net will be diagonal across from you.

Net Size

The net on a badminton court runs the entire length of the baseline, so it is 20 feet long.

Standard badminton nets are attached to net posts and should be 5 feet and 1 inch tall on both sides of the net.

Because of the weight of the fabric, the net will dip slightly in the middle, but the top of the net should stand 5 feet tall at the center point. The height of the poles are also 5 feet an 1 inch tall. You will need a high serve to clear the net.

Clearance

In order to give players enough room to maneuver without bumping into anything, it’s best to offer a bit of clearance around the court as well.

Most standard badminton courts have 2 feet or .61 meters of clearance around both the baselines and sidelines.

This ensures that any fencing, walls, or landscaping won’t impede the game.

Area of a badminton court

As mentioned, badminton court measurements are 44 feet long and 20 feet wide. This equals an area of 880 square feet.

Badminton court minimum height

According to the badminton world federation website, the minimum height for a badminton court is 39 feet or 12 meters.

Surface of the court

Although different court surfaces can be used to play badminton, wooden surfaces with synthetic mats are normally used. The lines on the court are made with a high quality non marking white tape.

You can learn more about the laws of badminton, player rankings, major tournaments, and much more at the badminton world federation website.