Dec 16

Dec 16 Ping Pong Table Dimensions: A Guide to Table Tennis equipment & Game Requirements

Alexandra Petrova

Training

A Guide to Ping Pong Table dimensions and other requirements for Table Tennis games and equipment

Ping Pong is a great, easy sport to pick up as you don’t need much gear to get started. A good Ping Pong table and set will do the trick!

Ping Pong/Table Tennis - Play outside or inside but make sure your kit is legit

However, before you go shopping for a Ping Pong table, you should know a couple of things.

Let’s go over everything there is to know about Ping Pong tables, including the dimensions and requirements you’ll need.

The Official Ping Pong Table Size

Although there is no one standard size defined by the ITTFF (International Table Tennis Federation), there are widely accepted official sizes required for tournaments or official games.

Basic dimensions for the Ping Pong table

Inches: 108″ length x 60″ width x 30″ height

Metres: 2.74m length x 1.525m width x 0.76m height

Weight:

Heavier tables are more common for professional settings, as a high-quality full-size table typically weighs 300lbs (136kg).

However, tables for homes are typically much lighter, weighing anywhere between 50-150lbs. (22.6-68kg).

This is because they are more likely to be moved around, compared to tables in professional establishments.

Dimensions for the net

Inches: 6” height stretching 15.25cm beyond the width of the table on each side.

Metres: 15.25cm height stretching 15.25cm beyond the width of the table on each side.

Net requirements:

You need to suspend the net by a cord attached at each end of an upright post (15.25cm / 6” high).

The outside limits of the post should be 15.25cm outside the sideline.

Additionally, you need to make sure that the bottom of the net and throughout its whole length, the net is as close as possible to the playing surface.

The ends of the net also need to be attached to the supporting posts from top to bottom.

As for the features of the net, the colour of the net can be dark green, dark black or dark blue with a white stripe at the top edge.

The stripe also shouldn’t be wider than 15mm thick.

These dimensions are confirmed by the official ITTF Handbook, where you can find all the rules and requirements for official games.

Also, according to the ITTF Handbook, an official Table Tennis table needs to meet the following requirements:

“The playing surface shall not include the vertical sides of the tabletop.
The playing surface may be of any material and shall yield a uniform bounce of about 23cm when a standard ball is dropped onto it from a height of 30cm.
The playing surface shall be uniformly dark-colored matt, but with a white side line, 2cm wide, along each 2.74m edge and a white end line, 2cm wide, along each 1.525m edge.
The playing surface shall be divided into 2 equal courts by a vertical net running parallel with the end lines and shall be continuous over the whole area of each court.
For doubles, each court shall be divided into 2 equal half-courts by a white center line, 3mm wide, running parallel with the side lines; the center line shall be regarded as part of each right half-court.”

Dimensions of Other Ping Pong Equipment

Besides the Ping Pong table, for your game you’ll also need:

Ball: spherical, with 40mm (1.57”), weighing 2.7g, made of plastic material in white or orange colour, matt

Rackets (Bats):

These can be any size, shape and weight as long as the blade is flat and rigid.

Moreover, at least 85% of the blade by thickness is made of natural wood.

The side of the blade that is used for striking the ball should be covered with rubber (pimpled or sandwich) with a total thickness, including adhesive, of no more than 2.0mm/4.0mm.

When it comes to colour, the covering material should be matt and black on one side, and bright colours clearly distinguishable from black or the colour of the ball on the other side.

Is Your Space Enough? The Space Required for a Table Tennis Game

At home

Generally speaking, for a comfortable game of Ping Pong in the home, your space will need to be:

Inches: 264″ x 132’

Metres: 6.7 x 3.4 m

Remember! A rookie mistake that many make when buying a Ping Pong table is not considering the height of their ceiling.

Needless to say, the higher the ceiling, the better. Nonetheless, if you need specific numbers, you will need a ceiling of at least 2.75 metres (or 108.3 inches) high.

Professional Settings

To create a professional playing area, you will need a bigger room. Specifically, the ITTF defines the competition-standard playing area as needing to be:

“Rectangular and no less than 14m long, 7m wide, and 5m high.”

In inches, that would be 551.2 inches long, 275.6 inches wide and 196.85 inches high.

Besides meeting the room requirements, the professional establishments where Table Tennis is played competitively also need to set an adequate temperature, lighting and make sure there are no barriers.

Even the wall colours matter!

However, if you’re not playing professionally, these details may not matter as much.

You just need to make sure that there aren’t any breakable objects nearby, like expensive decorations, TV, glasses or objects that could easily be broken if your ball misses the target in the heat of the game!

Different Versions of Ping Pong Tables and Their Sizes

What if you don’t have a huge space? You still deserve to enjoy a fun game!

In this case, you can always choose smaller Ping Pong tables that require less space. Here are a few good examples.

¾ Size Ping Pong Table

A quarter of the size smaller can make a huge difference!

Although the dimensions of this version of the Ping Pong table can vary depending on the manufacturer, typically they are the same height as official tables. Their other dimensions are:

Inches: 81″ x 45″ x 30″
Metres: 2.057m x 1.143m x 0.76 m

With this table, you’ll lose a significant amount of playing surface area, compared to a regular full-size table.

Specifically, going from the dimensions mentioned above, the ¾ Size Ping Pong table has a playing area of 2.35 sq. m, compared to a full-sized 4.18 sq. m.

This is roughly almost 45% less playing surface area.

Mini Ping Pong Table

If ¾ size is still too big for you, we have the smaller option with the mini-size Ping Pong table.

Mini Ping Pong tables are easy to accommodate and move anywhere, indoors or outdoors, as they weigh less, and they are much smaller.

They are great for children or if you’re only just starting out with Table Tennis, or if you simply have a smaller apartment or outdoor area.

The size of a mini Ping Pong table can also vary depending on the manufacturer. Their height is still the same as the official or ¾ Ping Pong table, but the other dimensions typically are: