Badminton Court Dimensions (Size, Height and Measurements)

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A regulation-size badminton court explained, including diagrams with correct dimensions, measurements, size, lines, and net height.

There is much more to a badminton court than just a net and a few markings. A regulation-size badminton court consists of several elements, with specific dimensions for both the court and the net.

A badminton court can be built at home, either indoors if you have the space or outdoors in the backyard on a flat surface. While getting all the dimensions right is not required, it’s still good to use them as a guide.

In this article, I will explain what an official badminton court looks like, including diagrams with the correct dimensions and measurements.

Quick guide:
Badminton court length:	13.40 meters (44 feet)
Badminton court width (doubles):	6.10 meters (20 feet)
Badminton court width (singles):	5.18 meters (17 feet)
Badminton net height:	1.55 meters (5 feet 1 inch) at the ends; 1.52 meters (5 feet) in the middle

In this guide, I am using the guidelines as set out by the International Olympic Committee.

Of course, the official court dimensions don’t need to be honored for casual backyard play. You can play on a smaller or bigger court, or even play without an official court and just use a net.

Diagram

Here is a diagram of one half of a regulation badminton court:

As you can tell, the court looks quite complicated, and there is a lot going on.

In the diagram, the five marked lines represent the following:

1. Singles long service line (and back boundary).
2. Doubles long service line.
3. Short service line.
4. The net.
5. Center line.

It’s important to point out that all lines in a badminton court have a width of 0.04 meters (1.6 inches) which is factored into the court size measurements.

Dimensions

Let’s go through the exact regulation badminton court dimensions in a bit more detail:

• Court length: 13.40 meters (44 feet).
• Court width (doubles): 6.10 meters (20 feet).
• Court width (singles): 5.18 meters (17 feet).
• 4 x service areas: 3.88 meters (12.72 feet) x 2.53 meters (8.3 feet).
• Lines width: 0.04 meters (1.6 inches).
• Net height: 1.55 meters (5 feet 1 inch) at the ends; 1.52 meters (5 feet) in middle.

Court Length

The length of a badminton court is 13.4 meters (44 feet), which works out as follows:

1. Line: 0.04 m
2. Area between boundary line and long service line for doubles: 0.72 m
3. Line: 0.04 m
4. Length of service area: 3.88 m
5. Line: 0.04 m
6. Area between short service line and net: 1.98 m

Total = 0.04 + 0.72 + 0.04 + 3.88 + 0.04 + 1.98 = 6.7 x 2 = 13.4 meters.

Court Width

The width of a badminton court for doubles is 6.1 meters (20 feet), which works out as follows:

1. Line: 0.04 m
2. Area between side lines for doubles and singles: 0.42 m
3. Line: 0.04 m
4. Width of service area: 2.53 m
5. Line: 0.04 m
6. Width of service area: 2.53 m
7. Line: 0.04 m
8. Area between side lines for doubles and singles: 0.42 m
9. Line: 0.04 m

Total = 0.04 + 0.42 + 0.04 + 2.53 + 0.04 + 2.53 + 0.04 + 0.42 + 0.04 = 6.1 meters.

If you’re keen to start playing badminton outside in the backyard, you have a few options.

Portable Badminton Set

By far the easiest way to get started is by simply buying a portable outdoor badminton set (net, poles, rackets), setting it up in the backyard, and you can start playing right away.

This way, you don’t have to worry about building complex badminton courts with lines and markings.

Here is an example of a portable badminton set:

If you do go down this route, make sure that you select a flat patch of grass to avoid any potential injuries.

Also make sure you’re not playing too close to neighbors’ properties to avoid shuttlecocks ending up in other people’s yards.

Permanent Badminton Court

If you want to take badminton a bit more seriously, you can certainly build an actual court in your backyard, either a grass version or a hard court version.

On grass, the best way to create the lines is with spray paint, taut string line, stakes, and measuring tape.

Once you’ve cleared the area and mowed the grass, use four stakes and a taut string line to create the boundaries of the court. Then spray the boundary lines onto the grass.

Once the boundary lines are set, create the remaining lines as per the above-described badminton court dimensions.