Padel court dimensions: size, walls, net and lines

A padel court is much smaller than a tennis court, and its walls are part of the playing area, so the measurements matter more than most people expect. All figures here come from the International Padel Federation's Rules of Padel, which set the standard used for courts built in the UK (FIP Rules of Padel).

Court size and lines

Measurement	Official figure
Playing area (inside the walls)	20 m long × 10 m wide (0.5% tolerance)
Service line	6.95 m from the net, on each side
Distance from service line to back wall	3.05 m
Centre service line	Runs from the net to the service line and extends at least 20 cm beyond it
Line width	5 cm
Minimum ceiling height	6 m over the whole court; 8 m suggested for new facilities

The service line is the only line across each half, and there are no tramlines or baseline: the walls mark the edge of the court. The service boxes are the two rectangles between the net, the service line and the centre line, each 6.95 m deep by 5 m wide.

Net height

• 0.88 m at the centre, rising to 0.92 m at the ends, with a tolerance of 5 mm.
• Net posts can be no more than 1.05 m tall.

That's slightly lower than a tennis net, which is 0.914 m at the centre. It doesn't sound much, but combined with the shorter court it's one reason padel rallies run at a lower, flatter height than tennis.

Walls, glass and mesh

The enclosure is what makes the court a padel court. FIP allows two side-wall layouts:

• Back walls: 4 m high in total, made up of 3 m of solid wall (usually toughened glass) topped with 1 m of metal mesh.
• Side walls, stepped design: at each end, a 2 m length of wall 3 m high, then a 2 m length 2 m high. Metal mesh completes the enclosure to 3 m along the middle 6 m of the court and 4 m at the ends.
• Side walls, "panoramic" or crystal design: a single 4 m length of wall 3 m high at each end with no step, with mesh to 4 m at the outer 2 m.

The side openings in the middle of the court are where players can leave the court, and where out-of-court play is possible if there is enough space outside. FIP specifies a clear zone of at least 3 m wide by 4 m long, and at least 3 m high, outside each opening for that.

Total footprint and space needed

Because the walls sit on the edge of the 20 × 10 m playing area, the court itself takes up a little over that once the frame is included. Clubs and builders then allow space around each court for access, lighting columns and spectators. For an indoor court, the 6 m minimum clear height is the figure that rules out many existing buildings: a high lob to the back glass needs that room, and low beams or lights are a common problem in converted warehouses. Outdoor courts need a level, well-drained base, and most UK courts have an artificial grass surface dressed with sand.

If you're planning a court, the figures above are the starting point, not the whole brief. Lighting, drainage, the foundation for the glass panels and planning permission (outdoor courts near houses often attract noise objections) all add cost and time, and a specialist builder will work to the FIP specification. Club members mostly notice the details that affect play: glass that's clean and evenly fixed gives a true rebound, while loose panels or patched mesh make the ball behave unpredictably.

Padel vs tennis court size

	Padel	Tennis (doubles)
Length	20 m	23.77 m
Width	10 m	10.97 m
Net height (centre)	0.88 m	0.914 m
Enclosed by walls	Yes, in play	No

Padel courts are smaller than a tennis court but not by as much as people think, and once you allow run-off around a tennis court, two or three padel courts can be built in roughly the space of one tennis court, which is why so many tennis clubs have converted courts. For a fuller comparison see padel vs tennis.

Want to see one in person? Find padel courts near you, or browse UK padel venues by region.