PADEL COURT DIMENSIONS, MATERIALS & MORE

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PADEL COURTS

Padel is a doubles only racket sport that is a mix between tennis and squash. Currently experiencing a boom in popularity due to its fast-paced nature, the game is played using a scoring system that is very similar to tennis but on a court that is significantly different to a tennis court!

In this guide we will cover everything you need to know about padel courts including the size of padel courts, the height of padel court enclosures, the materials used to make padel courts, and the cost to build a padel court.

The regulation size of a padel court is set out by the International Padel Federation (FIP) who say that a padel court should be ‘a rectangle 10 meters wide by 20 meters long’.

The 10m x 20m measurements refer to the internal playing area of the court within the surrounding enclosure. There is a 0.5% tolerance for padel courts so any court that falls within these sizes can be used for competitive use.

Courts that don’t meet the FIP padel court dimensions mentioned above can still be used for casual play, but it’s recommended to play on official size courts where possible to get used to playing on a regulation size padel court.

Padel courts are divided in half by a net, and on either side of the court 6.95m from the net is a service line that runs across the court.

The central service line then splits the service line on either side of the net into two boxes, running 20cm beyond the service line on each side of the court.

As in tennis, players serve diagonally, and the ball must land within the service box diagonally opposite them for a serve to be valid. Where padel serves differ from tennis is that serves are underarm, and the ball must hit the floor before you serve.

Padel court lines must be 5cm in width and should be a single colour that contrasts with the colour of the playing surface (lines are typically white or sometimes black).

When it comes to padel nets there are a number of FIP regulations. The first is that the net must extend the full 10m width of the court with no spaces. The height of padel nets should be 0.88m in the centre and 0.92m at the posts on either side of the court.

Nets should be suspended from post to post with a metal cable that has a maximum diameter of 1cm. This cable should keep the net taut and in place during play.

Other FIP regulations state that nets should have a white band that measures between 5cm and 6.3cm, and the net should be made of synthetic fibre with a mesh that is small enough to ensure the ball can’t pass through it.

Padel courts are completely enclosed by transparent or solid walls that are typically made from glass panels with metallic mesh fence, although other materials such as fiberglass, concrete or rendered blocks can be used.

Padel court walls play a key role in the game of padel, and they differentiate padel courts significantly from tennis courts.

As they surround the court, the walls are 10m long and 20m wide. To meet FIP requirements there are two possible options when it comes to the height of padel court walls.

Option 1 which is the most common type of padel court in the UK uses stepped walls at each end of the court. The first 2m wide step at each end of the court is 3m high from the floor and the second 2m wide step is 2m high.  These steps are typically made from glass panels but can be fiberglass, concrete, rendered bricks/blocks or other materials. Each step then has 1m of metallic mesh fence added to take the total height of the first step to 4m and the height of the second step to 3m. Where the two different parts of the wall meet it should be flush to avoid any irregular bounces. The remaining 12m length of the court (6m either side of the net) is made up of 3m high metallic mesh fence, with doors often located by the net on one or both sides of the court.

Option 2 has the same stepped walls, but the metallic mesh fence is 2m high on the second step meaning both steps are 4m high. The 12m length of court in the middle uses 4m high metallic mesh fence, meaning the court enclosure is 4m high all the way round the court. As with option 1 the materials are the same and the two parts of the wall must be flush with neither material protruding to cause irregular bounces.

A key consideration for any racket sport is the roof height needed to play. When it comes to padel the minimum height needed for a padel court is 6m according to the FIP. For any new facilities, the FIP recommend a clearance height of 8m to ensure play isn’t interrupted by the ball hitting ceilings, fixtures and fittings such as court lights, or any other objects. Whilst there are minimum height requirements there is no maximum court height.

Padel is normally played on either synthetic grass, porous cement/concrete, or carpet. All options are perfectly fine to play on, and some padel courts place sand on the court to provide better grip. The most important thing with padel court flooring is that it provides a consistent bounce, whilst outdoor courts also need to drain to avoid any water accumulating.

Padel courts are most commonly blue, but green and terracotta are also popular court colours. Black floor surfaces are allowed by the FIP for indoor courts but not outdoor courts. The full court surface should be the same colour and as we’ve already mentioned the court lines must contrast with the surface.

Building a padel court can be quite an exciting venture but it’s also likely to be an expensive one, so it’s important to consult guides and experts in the field if you’re planning to build a padel court.

If you are planning to build a padel court, you will need to consider everything we’ve mentioned above and get the required planning permission prior to getting started.  Costs to build a padel court can vary significantly and will depend on a number of factors, but as a rough guide you can expect to pay somewhere between £15,600 to £39,000 for a regulation size court.

There is obviously a big difference between those two figures, and its possible costs could be lower or higher than those amounts depending on things like who completes the work, the materials used, the specification of the court, and the location the court is being built in.

Having read our guide, you should now have a clear understanding of padel courts. While padel is not as mainstream as tennis, it is a rapidly growing sport, with courts available in many racket centres throughout the UK. If you are interested in racket & paddle sports, be sure to check out our pickleball court guide.

When it comes to buying padel equipment we have a wide selection of padel gear for players and facilities. This includes padel nets and posts, which can be purchased with various additional extras to suit your requirements. Our nets and posts are made of durable materials which are long lasting and weatherproof, meaning they can be used for outdoor padel courts as well as indoor courts.

Looking for the perfect racket? We offer a variety of padel rackets, from beginner-friendly rounded rackets to advanced diamond-shaped models. Plus, we've got you covered with padel balls for every level: pressureless training balls for casual play or pressurised pro balls for competitive matches.