A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide — 66 by 33 feet — enclosed by walls 4 metres high at the back. Every court you play on has those dimensions, because the International Padel Federation allows a tolerance of only 0.5%.
The full measurements
| Measurement | Metric | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 20 m | 65 ft 7 in |
| Width | 10 m | 32 ft 10 in |
| Playing area | 200 m² | 2,153 sq ft |
| Net height, centre | 88 cm | 2 ft 11 in |
| Net height, posts | 92 cm | 3 ft 0 in |
| Service line, from net | 6.95 m | 22 ft 10 in |
| Service box | 6.95 × 5 m | 22 ft 10 in × 16 ft 5 in |
| Back wall, solid section | 3 m | 9 ft 10 in |
| Back wall, mesh above | 1 m | 3 ft 3 in |
| Back wall, total | 4 m | 13 ft 1 in |
| Side wall, solid section from the back | 3 m high, 4 m long, plus a 2 m stepped section | 9 ft 10 in high |
| Minimum height clearance | 6 m (indoor: 8 m recommended) | 19 ft 8 in |
| Official tolerance | ±0.5% | ±0.5% |
The 0.5% tolerance is what makes padel dimensionally consistent in a way tennis is not. On a 20 m court that is ten centimetres in either direction — small enough that the ball behaves identically wherever you play.
What each measurement means when you are playing
| Measurement | What it does to the game |
|---|---|
| 10 m wide | Two players cover a five-metre lane each. That is why the diagonal gap between a net player and a back player is fatal. |
| 88 cm net | Three centimetres lower than tennis. Low enough that a ball at your feet at the net is genuinely difficult to lift. |
| 3 m of glass | The height that decides whether a lob is playable. A lob that clears three metres and lands deep is unreturnable off the glass. |
| 1 m of mesh above | Balls that hit it die. It is in play during a rally but the rebound is dead, which is why deep lobs work. |
| 6.95 m service line | Deeper than a tennis service line relative to the court, which is part of why an underarm serve is still returnable. |
| 6 m clearance | Sets the ceiling on a lob indoors. British indoor venues with only six metres change how the game is played. |
The singles court
A singles padel court keeps the same 20 m length and the same wall structure, and narrows the width from 10 m to 6 m. Playing area drops from 200 m² to 120 m².
They are rare. Most clubs build doubles courts because doubles is what people play and because a doubles court can host a singles match at a pinch, while the reverse is not true. What actually happens on a doubles court with two players, and how to make it work, is in singles padel.
How much space you need to build one
The playing area is 20 × 10 m. The plot is larger, because the structure needs foundations, access and run-off around the outside.
| Requirement | Size |
|---|---|
| Playing area | 20 × 10 m |
| Minimum plot with clearance | 25 × 15 m |
| Height, outdoor | 6 m minimum |
| Height, indoor | 8 m recommended |
That 25 × 15 m figure is why padel has spread through tennis clubs so quickly: a single doubles tennis court plus its run-off is comfortably larger than one padel court, and most clubs fit two padel courts in the footprint of one tennis court. What that costs to build is in how much a padel court costs.
Padel court versus other courts
| Court | Dimensions | Playing area |
|---|---|---|
| Padel | 20 × 10 m | 200 m² |
| Padel, singles | 20 × 6 m | 120 m² |
| Tennis, doubles | 23.77 × 10.97 m | 261 m² |
| Pickleball | 13.41 × 6.09 m | 82 m² |
| Squash | 9.75 × 6.4 m | 62 m² |
Padel sits between tennis and squash in size and borrows from both: the scoring and the net from tennis, the walls from squash. The comparisons in full are in padel vs tennis and padel vs pickleball.
Surface and materials
- Playing surface: artificial turf dressed with silica sand, in most installations. Concrete and synthetic resin exist but are rare on new builds. The sand is what makes court shoes with a herringbone sole necessary.
- Walls: 10 or 12 mm tempered glass on the back and the solid part of the sides, on a galvanised steel frame. Older courts use rendered concrete, which rebounds slightly faster and less predictably.
- Mesh: galvanised or plastic-coated steel, 5 cm openings maximum under FIP specification.
- Lighting: a minimum of 300 lux for club play; 500 lux and above for competition.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a padel court?
20 metres long by 10 metres wide — 200 m², or about 2,153 square feet — enclosed by walls four metres high at the back. The International Padel Federation allows a tolerance of 0.5%.
How big is a padel court in feet?
Roughly 66 by 33 feet. Precisely, 65 ft 7 in by 32 ft 10 in.
How high is a padel net?
88 cm at the centre and 92 cm at the posts — about three centimetres lower than a tennis net.
Is a padel court smaller than a tennis court?
Yes. 200 m² of playing area against 261 m² for a doubles tennis court, and a padel court needs no run-off because it is enclosed. Two padel courts usually fit in the footprint of one tennis court.
How much space do you need to build a padel court?
A minimum plot of about 25 × 15 m, with 6 m of height outdoors and 8 m recommended indoors.
What are padel court walls made of?
Tempered glass, usually 10 or 12 mm, on a galvanised steel frame, with steel mesh above and along part of the sides. Older courts use rendered concrete instead of glass.
Sources. Court specification, tolerance, net heights and lighting minima: Rules of Padel, International Padel Federation (FIP), consulted 30/08/2026 · Comparative court dimensions: ITF Rules of Tennis and USA Pickleball rulebook, consulted 30/08/2026. Imperial conversions are ours, rounded to the nearest inch.