Standard Size For Table Tennis Room (Size does Matter)

When playing table tennis at home or anywhere the amount of space required matters a lot, either you can have fun or you’ll end up feeling annoyed.

Probably, it matters a lot more than you think. The other way around is that you have your own custom-made luxury table tennis table at home.

Back in the days, there was lot of space available for ping poing. But now as population grows, in the era of 500 sqft condos, it is hard to get space for table tennis. However, there are standard sizes approved by ITTF, but you dont’ need to follow that if you are playing just in your home.

For that you also need to see whether you have enough space for placing the table and playing comfortably and you also should have enough knowledge about the standard dimensions of a table tennis table that will be most suitable for your room.

As the amount of space available for playing after placing the table tennis table in your room also matter and so do many other factors influence the table tennis room size?

Reasonably, the less quantity of obstacles you have in room (furniture and stuff) the more space in the room you have, thus the better ground for playing around with ease as often, players usually will take lateral movements along with that they also move further away from the table as they become comfortable to the game.

So you should allocate some properly planned space around the gaming set-up in order to have room for this movement. This is the part where the table tennis room size is very important.

To make it much simpler for you guys we are going to discuss basic guidelines that will help you in clearly understanding the standard room size for table tennis. Along with that we will also be discussing some other factors that matters in a room where this game is played.

There are multiple size requirements based on the level of the tournament that has to be played in table tennis. The following sizes mentioned are least requirements, which shows that the space can surely be larger but never should be smaller than the ones mentioned below:

1. For International events at least the room size availability should be 46 feet by 23 feet
2. For National tournaments at least the room size availability should be 40 feet by 20 feet
3. National league at least the room size availability should be 33 feet by 16 feet and 6 inches
4. For tournaments and local matches at least the room size availability should be 30 feet by 16 feet and 6 inches
5. For recreational playing events or other Training facilities at least the room size availability should be 28 feet by 13 feet

Now let’s discuss some of the factors in detail for better understanding.

As per the size of table tennis you really should know about the basic size dimension of a full-size ping pong table which is almost about 9 feet long by 5 feet in width. However, based on your and the other player’s skill levels in ping pong, much more room space can be essential.

Considering spacious room is important

Although it is doable to play with less than 5 feet of clearance at each end of the table and 3 feet on each side, this quantity of space offers room to move freely for a clear game. However, If players are more experienced or aggressive, they may want to stand beyond and behind the tennis table, thus requiring more playing area.

Also, if a full sized table measures about 9′ long by 5′ wide, your room needs to be at least of this mentioned size. Also if you’re just playing by yourself with one side of the table folded up, then the length of the table is only around 5′.

Other than that, if you have an outdoor space that is reasonably leveled up, you should probably consider placing an outdoor ping pong table. This will provide you more playing area and makes up for a great recreational outdoor activity when weather allows.

One more way to make availability of some extra space is to purchase a ping pong table that can be easily folded up for storage i.e. a portable ping pong table. Using a table tennis robot can also help you reduce size requirements. You need almost half of the space if you are using a robot.

 If you are running out of space, you can turn your bedroom into table tennis room. This is crazy idea but it works!

The length on the other hand is rather an aspect you can be supplied with depending on what type of players you are or plan to be. definitely for children and beginners it is particularly improbable that they will play far away from the table tennis table at the byline, when you are first starting out you are very much inclined to play up close to the table tennis table as it is much easier to handle and control your game play and build up as a player for that reason 22-30 ft might not be absolutely needed.

However, if you are going to play a lot of doubles, add another 3.3 feet at each end line and 1.64 feet on each sideline, just to give you room to get more or less for your gaming partner.

Or else, you’ll most likely have to play tennis doubles, where each player can defend only his own side and strike the ball out of turn.

Room Size for Beginner’s level in table tennis

Well, if you fall in the category of beginners, only about 5 or 6 feet on all four sides of the table should be enough but more would be ideal by most players.

For a full size table that is 9 feet long and 5 feet wide, you need at least a clear space of 19 feet long and 11 feet wide which is however essential for hassle free playing area and without feeling too restricted.

Room Size for Intermediate’s level in table tennis

If you fall within the category of new to medium intermediate table tennis players, much more lateral movements and other movements away from the table is experienced during game play. So, at least 8 feet of at the back the table and 5 feet to both sides is at least suggested.

Room Size for Advance level in table tennis

If you are an advanced level player i.e. an expert player you would definitely be requiring some excessive playing space once you get caught up in passionate game play with an advanced opponent on the other side of the table.

Therefore, At least 12 feet behind the table and 6 to 7 feet on each side is most likely good enough.

Recommended Olympic Standards for room size

Another recommended room size for Olympic ping pong is no less than at least 46 feet long and 23 feet broad, with profusion of ceiling space.

Room Size for robot training in table tennis

Another scenario is robot training in table tennis that is if you are using a robot to train, then things might be pretty much different. You’ll end up needing less room at the robot end, as you just require just adequate to hold the robot up next to the wall.

This will allow you a more room space on your side of the table, which is absolutely fine. From there, it once again it is dependent on your standard, not to mention playing style.

Additionally in aspect of width, you can get away with a relatively smaller playing area if you are keen to go to the difficulty of moving the robot and table to offer you more playing space on the forehand or backhand. Of course, this won’t facilitate if you are doing a training that utilizes both sides of the table.

There you need to give yourself 1.3 feet to 2.6 feet of added playing space if you want to actually work on your crossover footwork, but you could get away with only about 8.2 feet provided you don’t do any lateral practice.

 Want to buy a robot ? Read our Best Ping Pong Robot Article.

Other Aspects to Consider

There are a few other aspects to consider while preparing for the adequate room size for table considerations you might want to take into account if you want to meet the terms of ITTF standards.

These won’t only assist in preparing you or your aspiring professional table tennis players put into practice your skills and styles, but will also make it simple to become familiar to the standards used for real time tournaments and other table tennis events.

Lighting impacts a lot – Ping pong should always be played in a well-lit room with standardized white lighting to capitalize on the visibility of the players and spectators. There are also parameters set by the ITTF to direct the room organizers as to set the intensity of lighting, depending on the level of the tournament being played. Note that these standards are at least requirement according to the ceiling height of the room.

Room Ceiling Height matters  – The above parameters for lighting should set by matching with the standard for ceiling height. So at leisure level, the ceiling should be at a height of at least 3 meters. For many other professional World Championships and Olympic Events, the height of the ceiling should be at least 5 meters in height. So keep in mind that if your ceiling height is quite low, it actually reduces the opportunity to play lobs effectively, unless you let the ball bounce off the ceiling.

Check for Room Flooring – As a universal rule, playing ping pong cemented floor or carpeted floor is not recommended. According to the ITTF, the ideal room flooring for an official game of ping pong should always be made from wood and should be semi-sprung floors; though as per latest updates to the ITTF regulations have signified that Taraflex flooring can also be alternatively used. 

In terms of floor color, there should have an understandable contrast with the table tennis playing surface so as to perk up the visibility of the ball during play. It’s also necessary that the floor of the room should be perfectly leveled up, thus allowing players to move around with ease thus by avoiding  the risk of tripping, slipping, or falling on the floor .

Maintaining ideal Room Temperature – The suggested room temperature for an official table tennis game is approximately around 15 – 20 degrees Celsius. The main reason for the cold temperature is to lessen the players’ sweats thus allowing enhancing their grips on the paddles. Also the Humidity should also be maintained at approximately around 40-50% so as not to have an effect on the effective performance of the racket’s rubber and the table’s plane.

Check for Room Wall Colors – Some indoor games need to be played with audience at just around the eye level of the playing area. So their view of the ball might be more flat. That said, it’s also suggested that walls of the table tennis court or room should be painted a dark color in order to amplify the contrast between the ball and its surroundings. Additionally, it should be kept in mind that up to 8 feet of the wall’s height, the room organizers should use a dark color on the wall. But any part of the wall above 8 feet should be painted a lighter color so as not to reduce the intensity of the light or affect the lightning of the room.

Arrangement of Multiple Tables in the room – Some training courts and matches venue for indoor games like table tennis have spaces for more than just a single table. In this scenario, tables should always be placed parallel to each other. Also a single table should be given the least requirement of playing space around it, which is recommended at 28 feet by 13 feet depending on the recreational standards.

Additionally in some scenarios, you might also want to fix in the dividers/separators’ between tables in order to separate the boundaries within the table setup. These obstacles should always make specific highlights for the playing areas available and must be at least 2 and a half feet in height.

Concluding Thoughts

On the basis of the above well-researched article, we highly recommend at least 5′ behind each end of the table and 3′ to each side. Also, If you don’t mind leaning on room furniture or hitting the wall, you may be able to get away with smaller playing spaces for table tennis.

Other than that, consider adjusting your room’s ceiling height as Low ceilings and hanging décor light fixtures may get in the way of flying balls during the intense game. We just hope this article helps you out in understanding the room size for playing table tennis effectively.