How far and high is a dartboard?

May 25, 202311 min read

For standard standing steel-tip darts, a dartboard should be 1.73m high to the centre of the bullseye, and the throw line should be 2.37m from the front face of the board. In imperial terms, that is 5 ft 8 in high and 7 ft 9.25 in out from the board face. The diagonal check from bull centre to the front edge of the oche should be about 2.93m, or 9 ft 7.5 in.

Last reviewed: 23 August 2026. These measurements are for standard standing steel-tip darts. Soft-tip darts, wheelchair darts and local league formats can use different setup rules, so check the rules for the match or venue you are playing in.

Steel-tip dartboard setup diagram showing 1.73m bullseye height and 2.37m throw line distance — Set the bull height first, mark the board face on the floor, then measure the oche from that mark.

The standard dartboard height and distance

The two numbers to remember are 1.73m and 2.37m. The bullseye centre sits 1.73m from the floor. The front edge of the throw line sits 2.37m from the front playing face of the board.

That last phrase is important. The measurement does not start at the wall, cabinet or surround. It starts at the dartboard face. If you measure from the wall, the line will usually be too close because the board itself has depth.

Quick reference table

Measurement	Metric	Imperial	Reference point
Bullseye height	1.73m	5 ft 8 in	Floor to centre of bull
Throw line distance	2.37m	7 ft 9.25 in	Board face to front edge of line
Diagonal check	2.93m	9 ft 7.5 in	Bull centre to front edge of line

If you only have one tape measure and one helper, use the height and floor distance first, then use the diagonal check as the final audit.

Write the three numbers down near the practice area so anyone resetting the room uses the same standard.

How to set the height correctly

Measure from the finished floor to the centre of the bullseye. Do not measure to the top of the dartboard, the number 20, the wire, the mounting bracket or the centre screw. The bull is the reference point.

If you are fitting a bracket, check where the board will hang before drilling. The bracket position is not always the bull centre. A common mistake is marking the wall at 1.73m and putting the bracket there, which leaves the bull too low or too high once the board is mounted.

Once the board is mounted, rotate it so the 20 segment is at the top. If you use a bristle board, rotate the board regularly during normal use to spread wear, then return the number ring so 20 sits at the top again.

Measure from the board face, not the wall

After the board is mounted, hold a straight edge vertically against the front face of the board and mark the floor directly below it. That mark represents the front playing surface. Measure 2.37m from that floor mark to the front edge of your throw line.

If you use tape, the edge nearest the board is the boundary. If you use a raised oche, the front edge of the raised strip is the boundary. If you use a mat, check that the printed steel-tip line is positioned at 2.37m from the board face.

Why the diagonal check matters

The diagonal check from bull centre to the front edge of the oche should be about 2.93m. It is useful because it catches combined errors. A board that is slightly too high and a line that is slightly too short may not be obvious until you check the diagonal.

The diagonal is not a substitute for careful setup. It is a verification step. If the diagonal is wrong, recheck the board height and board-face starting point before moving the line by guesswork.

Wall, cabinet and stand setups

A bare wall setup is the simplest, but the same measurement principle still applies: board face to throw line. A cabinet adds depth behind the board, but it does not change the starting point. Open the cabinet and measure from the board face in its playing position.

A stand can be ideal when you cannot drill into a wall, but it needs to be stable. If the stand leans after you tighten the board, both the height and distance can change. Recheck the bull height, the board-face line and the diagonal after moving the stand.

For home setups, browse dartboards, dartboard surrounds, dartboard stands and darts accessories if you need a stable board, wall protection, a stand or a clearer throw line.

Soft-tip and non-standard formats

Soft-tip darts often use a longer throw distance, commonly 2.44m or 8 ft, but that depends on the machine, board and league rules. Do not assume a steel-tip line is correct for an electronic board.

Wheelchair darts can also use adjusted board-height rules. If you are setting up for wheelchair play or a mixed venue, follow the relevant competition rules rather than improvising. A measured setup is only fair if it matches the format being played.

Room layout and safety

Before drilling, check the room. Avoid doorways, windows, televisions, glass and any route where someone might walk across the throw. Darts can bounce out, and missed darts can travel wider than new players expect.

Leave clear space behind the thrower and enough room around the board for retrieval. Add wall protection if the board is in a finished room. Use lighting that keeps the whole board visible without strong shadows over treble 20, the doubles or the bull.

Board face examples that catch people out

Most measuring errors come from treating the wall as the start point. A bristle board has thickness. A bracket can hold the board forward. A cabinet can create an even deeper gap. None of those change the rule; they simply move the board face farther away from the wall.

For example, if the board face sits 40mm forward from the wall and you measure 2.37m from the wall, your real throwing distance is only about 2.33m. That may sound small, but it changes the picture your eyes and arm learn during practice.

The clean solution is physical rather than mathematical. Put a straight edge against the board face, drop the mark to the floor, then measure from that mark. You do not need to calculate board depth if you mark the actual playing face.

Common setup mistakes

Measuring height to the wrong point: use the centre of the bull, not the top of the board.
Measuring distance from the wall: use the board face, especially with cabinets and stands.
Using the wrong edge of the mat: the front edge nearest the board is the line.
Skipping the diagonal check: it is the quickest way to catch a combined height and distance error.
Mixing formats: steel-tip, soft-tip and adapted play can use different setup rules.
Letting the mat drift: a mat that moves a few centimetres changes practice feedback.

How precise do you need to be?

For casual family games, a few millimetres will not ruin the evening. For practice that is meant to transfer into league or pub play, get the setup as close as you reasonably can. Consistency matters because darts is built on repeated sight lines and release angles.

If your home board is wrong for months, you train your throw against the wrong picture. Correct measurements make your practice more honest. Once the setup is right, work on the throw itself with guides such as how to practise dart accuracy and how to improve your darts.

How this affects beginner practice

Beginners often assume their misses are purely technical. Sometimes they are, but a poor setup can make every technical decision harder to judge. If the board is high, the player may start lifting the elbow. If the line is short, the throw can feel comfortable at home but weak at a proper venue.

That is why setup should be treated as the first practice habit. Measure once, mark clearly and keep the conditions steady. Then you can tell whether a change in grouping came from your throw, your aim, your darts or the practice task itself.

Experienced players care for the same reason. They want practice to transfer. A reliable board height and oche distance mean scoring drills, checkout drills and pressure legs all teach the right sight picture.

Mini audit before your first practice session

Run this check after setup and before judging your scoring. The bull centre is 1.73m high. The throw line is 2.37m from the board face. The front edge of the line is clear. The diagonal reads about 2.93m. The board is stable. The floor is clear. The light is even.

Then throw a short baseline session: 30 darts at big 20, 30 at big 19, 30 at doubles and 30 at the bull area. Do not change equipment during the test. You are checking whether the setup feels stable and repeatable.

When to recheck your dartboard setup

Recheck after moving house, changing boards, adding a cabinet, buying a new mat, switching to a stand or changing the floor surface. Also recheck if several players mention that the board feels unusually short, long, high or low.

In a shared room, a mat or stand can move without anyone noticing. A small hidden floor mark under the mat can help you reset the line quickly without turning every practice session into a measuring job.

Visual guide: how to apply this at the board

A practical decision map for applying the how far and high is a dartboard answer at a real board.

Use this matrix to turn the how far and high is a dartboard question into the right practice, scoring or setup decision.

Sources used

Why height and distance must be checked together

A dartboard can be the right height and still feel wrong if the oche is measured incorrectly. Check the bull height first, then measure the throw line from the face of the board. Treat the two measurements as one setup system rather than two separate jobs.

Bottom line

A standard steel-tip dartboard is 1.73m high to the bullseye centre and 2.37m from the board face to the front edge of the throw line. Use the 2.93m diagonal check to confirm the setup, and measure from the board face rather than the wall.