Padel court diagram
A padel court is a rectangle 20 metres long by 10 metres wide, enclosed on all four sides by a mix of glass and metal mesh. The dimensions below are the International Padel Federation (FIP) specification, which is what the LTA uses in Great Britain and what every commercial court in the UK is built to.
Padel court, plan view (to scale)
Side elevation: wall and fence heights
20 × 10 m
Playing area
65.6 × 32.8 ft, 200 m²
4 m
Back wall height
3 m glass + 1 m mesh
0.88 m
Net height at centre
0.92 m at the posts
6 m
Minimum ceiling
8 m recommended
Playing area and lines
The 20 by 10 metre rectangle is the playing surface, measured to the inside of the walls. It is split in half by the net, giving each pair a 10 by 10 metre box to defend. Within each half there are only three lines:
- Service line: runs parallel to the net, 6.95 metres from it (and so 3.05 metres from the back wall). A serve must land between the net and this line.
- Centre service line: runs from the net to the service line, splitting the service area into two boxes, and extends 20 cm beyond the service line.
- Court lines: the perimeter itself, marked where the surface meets the walls. Lines are 5 cm wide and, on most UK courts, white against a blue or green turf.
There is no baseline in the tennis sense and no tramlines. Once the serve is in, the whole 10 by 10 metre box is in play, and so are the walls behind and beside it.
| Measurement | Metres | Feet |
|---|---|---|
| Court length | 20 m | 65 ft 7 in |
| Court width | 10 m | 32 ft 10 in |
| Each half (net to back wall) | 10 m | 32 ft 10 in |
| Net to service line | 6.95 m | 22 ft 10 in |
| Service line to back wall | 3.05 m | 10 ft 0 in |
| Service box (each) | 6.95 × 5 m | 22 ft 10 in × 16 ft 5 in |
| Centre line overrun past service line | 0.20 m | 8 in |
| Line width | 0.05 m | 2 in |
| Tolerance on court dimensions | ± 0.05 m | ± 2 in |
Walls, glass and mesh
The walls are what make padel padel. Every court has the same layout: solid back walls, a short section of glass on each side, and mesh fencing for the rest of the sides.
Back walls
Each back wall is 10 metres wide and 4 metres high: 3 metres of toughened glass (10 or 12 mm) with a metre of metal mesh on top. The ball plays off the glass and stays in play; if it hits the mesh section on its way back it is out of play. Older or budget courts sometimes use rendered concrete blockwork instead of glass, which is legal but far less common in the UK now.
Side walls
From each back corner the side wall is glass for 4 metres, and it steps: 3 metres high for the first 2 metres, then 2 metres high for the next 2 metres. The remaining 6 metres to the net is mesh fencing, 3 metres high on the standard design and 4 metres on some newer "panoramic" courts. A panoramic court also replaces the back wall's supporting posts with structural glass so spectators get an unbroken view, but the playing dimensions are identical.
Openings
Players enter through openings in the side fencing at the net, one on each side. Most UK courts leave these open rather than fitting doors. Where the openings are unobstructed, a ball that leaves the court through them is still in play and a player can chase it outside, which is where the spectacular "out of court" shots in professional padel come from.
Net
The net stretches the full 10 metre width, held by posts set at the edge of the court so their outer faces sit level with the side openings. It is 0.88 metres high at the centre and may rise to a maximum of 0.92 metres at the posts, with a 5 cm white tape along the top. That is a touch lower than a tennis net (0.914 m at the centre) but the difference is barely visible on court.
Ceiling height and run-off
Indoor courts need at least 6 metres of unobstructed height over the entire playing area, and the FIP recommends 8 metres. Lighting rigs, beams and heating units all count as obstructions. This is the single biggest constraint on converting existing buildings: a typical warehouse with a 5 or 6 metre eaves height only works if the roof structure clears the court, which is why so many UK indoor centres are purpose-built canopies or tensile structures rather than conversions.
There is no run-off requirement in the tennis sense because the walls contain the ball, but where openings are left doorless the rules ask for 2 metres of clear space beyond them (up to 4 metres at professional venues) so players can safely chase a ball out of the court.
Lighting for evening play sits outside the mesh on 6 metre columns, four per court, giving a minimum of 400 to 500 lux for club play.
Singles courts
A singles court is 20 metres long and 6 metres wide, with the same 4 metre back walls, stepped side glass and 0.88 metre net. It uses two thirds of the width of a doubles court and, more to the point, two thirds of the land, which is why a handful of UK clubs have added one alongside their doubles courts. Singles padel is not played at professional level, but a singles court is useful for coaching, for a quick game when only two of you can make it, and for booking when the doubles courts are full.
You can filter for singles courts on any city page of this site, for example padel courts in London or Manchester.
Compared with tennis, squash and pickleball
A padel court is roughly a third of the size of a tennis court and a little bigger than three squash courts side by side.
| Court | Length | Width | Area | Enclosed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Padel (doubles) | 20 m | 10 m | 200 m² | Yes, glass and mesh |
| Padel (singles) | 20 m | 6 m | 120 m² | Yes |
| Tennis (doubles) | 23.77 m | 10.97 m | 261 m² (plus run-off) | No |
| Squash | 9.75 m | 6.4 m | 62 m² | Yes, four walls |
| Pickleball | 13.41 m | 6.10 m | 82 m² | No |
| Badminton (doubles) | 13.4 m | 6.1 m | 82 m² | No |
The tennis comparison understates the land difference: a tennis court needs 6 metres of run-off behind each baseline and 3.5 metres at the sides, so its real footprint is about 670 square metres. Two padel courts fit comfortably in the space of one tennis court, which is exactly what many UK tennis clubs have done. See the full padel vs pickleball comparison for how the two fastest-growing racket sports differ beyond the court.
Frequently asked questions
How big is a padel court? +
A standard doubles padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide (65.6 ft by 32.8 ft), a playing area of 200 square metres. Including the frame and the space needed around it, allow roughly 21 by 11 metres.
How high are the walls on a padel court? +
The back walls are 4 metres high in total: 3 metres of glass topped by 1 metre of metal mesh. The side walls step down from 3 metres to 2 metres of glass over the first 4 metres from each back corner, then continue as 3 metre mesh fencing (4 metres on some courts) to the net.
How high is a padel net? +
A padel net is 10 metres long, 0.88 metres high at the centre and no more than 0.92 metres at the posts.
What is the minimum ceiling height for an indoor padel court? +
The International Padel Federation requires a minimum of 6 metres of clear height across the whole court, with no obstructions such as beams or lights below that. Professional events are typically played under 8 metres or more, and many UK operators specify 8 metres so lobs are never restricted.
How big is a singles padel court? +
A singles padel court is 20 metres long and 6 metres wide, with the same wall structure and net height as a doubles court.
How much space do you need to build a padel court? +
Roughly 21 by 11 metres of level ground for the court itself, plus access around it. Indoors you also need at least 6 metres of clear height, which rules out most standard industrial units without modification.