Badminton Court Size & Dimensions Guide (Feet + Metres)

Updated August 2026 · Dimensions per the BWF Laws of Badminton, in feet and metres

A standard badminton court measures 44 × 20 ft (13.4 × 6.1 m) for doubles and 44 × 17 ft (13.4 × 5.18 m) for singles. To build one, plan a footprint of 57 × 33 ft (tournament), 52 × 28 ft (club default) or 49 × 26 ft (minimum) — never closer than 2 ft to any obstacle.

• Court: 44 × 20 ft (13.4 × 6.1 m) doubles · 44 × 17 ft (13.4 × 5.18 m) singles
• Net height: 1.524 m (5 ft) at centre · 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) at the posts
• Line width: 40 mm, white or yellow
• Clear ceiling height: 7 m recreational minimum · 9 m national · 12 m BWF international
• Core marked area: 880 sqft (81.7 m²)

Every dimension here follows the court geometry defined in the BWF Laws of Badminton, in both feet and metres. But most guides stop at the marked lines — and the marked lines are not what you build. This guide adds the construction layer: the buildable footprints, run-off clearances, ceiling heights and multi-court hall envelopes we use to plan real courts across India.

Badminton court dimensions — master table (feet + metres)

All measurements are taken from the outer edges of the lines: the 40 mm lines are part of the court, so a doubles court is exactly 44 × 20 ft including its boundary lines.

Element	Feet	Metres
Doubles court (length × width)	44 × 20 ft	13.4 × 6.1 m
Singles court (length × width)	44 × 17 ft	13.4 × 5.18 m
Court area — doubles	880 sqft	81.7 m²
Court area — singles	748 sqft	69.4 m²
Net height at centre	5 ft	1.524 m
Net height at posts	5 ft 1 in	1.55 m
Short service line (from net)	6 ft 6 in	1.98 m
Doubles long service line (inside back boundary)	2 ft 6 in	0.76 m
Line width	1.6 in	40 mm
Full-court diagonal (marking check)	48 ft 4 in	14.723 m

Two details catch out first-time builders. First, the net posts stand on the doubles side lines — even for singles play. Second, the net is measured to the top of the tape and must sit at 1.524 m over the centre under correct tension.

What is the size of a badminton court in feet?

A badminton court is 44 feet long and 20 feet wide for doubles — 880 square feet of marked area. Singles play uses the full 44 ft length but a narrower 17 ft width. Each side of the net is a 22 × 20 ft half-court, divided into service courts by the centre line.

Feet-first numbers matter in India, where plots, terraces and school grounds are measured in feet. The quick reference: 44 ft long, 20 ft wide, 22 ft to the net from either baseline, service starting 6.5 ft from the net. Singles trims 1.5 ft off each side and nothing off the length.

Buildable footprints — what you actually need to construct

The 44 × 20 ft court is the marked area, not the built area. Players lunge past the baselines and dive past the side lines on every rally, so a court built to exactly 880 sqft is unplayable and unsafe. We plan every badminton project against a three-step footprint ladder:

Footprint tier	Feet	Metres	Area	Run-off you get
Tournament	57 × 33 ft	17.4 × 10.1 m	1,881 sqft	≈6.5 ft (2 m) on every side
Club default	52 × 28 ft	15.8 × 8.5 m	1,456 sqft	4 ft (1.2 m) on every side
Compressed minimum	49 × 26 ft	14.9 × 7.9 m	1,274 sqft	2.5 ft behind baselines · 3 ft on sides
Marked court (reference)	44 × 20 ft	13.4 × 6.1 m	880 sqft	— (lines only, not buildable)

The hard rule beneath the ladder: no court line closer than 2 ft to any wall, pillar, fence or obstacle. Tournament layouts give roughly 2 m clear on every side. The club default is the tier we recommend for schools, societies and academies when land allows. The compressed minimum is exactly that — a minimum for sites where every foot is contested; it holds the 2 ft rule, but experienced players will feel the tighter baselines.

Run-off deserves this attention because it is the one dimension you cannot fix later. An undersized surface can be re-marked and a low ceiling sometimes re-trussed, but a court poured 3 ft from a compound wall keeps that wall forever. Fix the footprint first — the surface choice (wooden vs synthetic vs acrylic) can wait until the envelope is right.

Badminton court diagram — labelled, dual-unit, downloadable

A marker crew on site needs geometry, not just a table. These diagrams label every line in feet and metres, and the dimensions PDF bundles them into one printable sheet.

Three marking-day checks worth printing: lines are 40 mm wide (a common shortcut is 50 mm road-marking tape, which distorts the service courts); every dimension is measured to the outer edge of the line; and both full-court diagonals must tape out at 14.723 m (48 ft 4 in) — if they disagree, the court is not square, whatever the sides measure. Net and post specs get their deep-dive in the net size & court lighting guide.

What is the minimum ceiling height for badminton?

Plan 7 m (23 ft) of clear height as the recreational minimum. Academies should target 7.6–9 m, national-level venues 9 m, and BWF international events specify 12 m. "Clear" means no beam, truss, fan, duct or light fixture intrudes over the court at any point.

Level of play	Clear height	In feet
BWF international events	12 m	39 ft
National-level competition	9 m	30 ft
Academy / serious training	7.6–9 m	25–30 ft
Recreational / school	7 m	23 ft

Height is the silent deal-breaker indoors: a competent defensive lob travels well above 7 m, so a 6 m shed does not give a "slightly limited" court — it removes an entire class of shots. We take on halls below 6.7 m (22 ft) only with the client's written acknowledgement that lofted play is compromised. Fixtures belong over the buffer lanes between courts, never over the court itself; the lighting guide covers lux and placement, and our indoor construction service delivers the structure that gives the height.

Multi-court halls — how much building do you need?

Academies and schools rarely build one court, and hall sizing is where paper plans fail: two courts squeezed into a hall sized for their marked areas alone leaves no umpire lane, no walkway, and adjacent rallies crossing mid-air. We plan halls with dedicated spacing between courts — 1 m minimum, 1.5 m preferred, 2 m for competition venues.

Courts	Hall envelope (m)	Hall envelope (ft)	Floor area
2 courts	26 × 20 m	85 × 66 ft	520 m² (≈5,600 sqft)
3 courts	36 × 18 m	118 × 59 ft	648 m² (≈7,000 sqft)
4 courts	48 × 20 m	157 × 66 ft	960 m² (≈10,300 sqft)

These envelopes include perimeter circulation, not just court-plus-spacing arithmetic — which is why the 3-court hall is not simply 1.5× the 2-court hall. Structure type (PEB shed, tensile roof, RCC hall) sets how economically you reach these spans and heights; that is covered under our indoor badminton court construction service, and hall budgeting sits in the construction cost guide.

Can two badminton courts fit on one basketball court?

Yes. A basketball court's 28 × 15 m playing area takes two full-size 13.4 × 6.1 m badminton courts laid crosswise, with legal clearances. The badminton lines go down as 40 mm yellow overlay lines, so they read clearly against the white basketball markings.

The geometry works because a badminton court's 13.4 m length fits across the basketball court's 15 m width, leaving about 0.8 m behind each baseline — above the 2 ft minimum and fine for school and recreational play. The two courts sit along the 28 m length with lateral spacing between them. This 2-on-1 overlay is how schools and societies get a second sport from one paved area, and it pairs naturally with an outdoor acrylic surface whose colour zones separate the two games. The honest caveat: overlaid courts mean line clutter, so serious academies should plan dedicated courts.

Which footprint should you build? Verdicts by buyer

School

Verdict: club default, 52 × 28 ft per court — outdoors as a 2-on-1 overlay if space is shared. Schools serve mixed ages and PE classes, where the 4 ft run-off absorbs beginner overruns safely. If badminton must share with basketball, the overlay above is the proven pattern; if a hall is planned, size it from the multi-court table, not court-by-court.

Housing society

Verdict: compressed 49 × 26 ft is acceptable; take 52 × 28 ft if the plot allows. Society courts fight for space with parking and landscaping. The compressed footprint keeps the 2 ft rule intact on a 1,274 sqft pad. Resist the temptation to shave below 49 × 26 — a court that breaks the clearance rule becomes the court nobody uses.

Academy

Verdict: tournament 57 × 33 ft per court, 1.5 m between courts, 7.6–9 m clear height. Academies train players who cover the full court at speed; tournament run-off is a training requirement, not a luxury. Build the hall envelope from the multi-court table and hold the height ladder — an academy hall under 7.6 m undermines its own coaching product.

Villa / private home

Verdict: compressed 49 × 26 ft outdoors; indoors only if you genuinely have 7 m of clear height. A backyard court at 49 × 26 ft delivers real badminton on a modest pad. Indoors, be ruthless about the height rule — most residential ceilings cannot host lofted play, and a written-acknowledgement court should be a deliberate choice, not a surprise.

Badminton court size — FAQ

What is the size of a badminton court in feet?

A badminton court is 44 ft long and 20 ft wide for doubles — 880 sqft of marked playing area. Singles use the same 44 ft length with a 17 ft width. To make the court playable, ChampCourts plans a buildable footprint around it: 52 × 28 ft as the club default, 57 × 33 ft for tournament conditions.

What is the size of a badminton court for singles vs doubles?

Both formats share the 44 ft (13.4 m) length. Doubles courts are 20 ft (6.1 m) wide; singles courts are 17 ft (5.18 m) wide. On a standard marked court the outer side lines bound doubles and the inner side lines bound singles, so a single court serves both formats without any re-marking.

What is the height of a badminton net at the centre and at the posts?

The net stands 1.524 m (5 ft) at the centre and 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) at the posts, measured from the court surface to the top of the net tape. The posts stand on the doubles side lines for both singles and doubles play, and the net dips slightly to centre under correct tension.

What is the minimum ceiling height for indoor badminton?

Plan 7 m (23 ft) of unobstructed clear height as the recreational minimum, 7.6–9 m for academies, 9 m for national-level play and 12 m for BWF international events. No beam, fan or light may intrude over the court. ChampCourts builds below 6.7 m only with the client's written acknowledgement that lofted play is compromised.

How much space do you need around a badminton court?

Keep every court line at least 2 ft from the nearest wall, pillar or fence — that is the hard minimum. The comfortable club standard is a 52 × 28 ft footprint, about 4 ft of run-off all round, and tournament layouts use 57 × 33 ft for roughly 2 m clear on every side. Between adjacent courts, allow 1 m minimum and 1.5 m preferred.

Can two badminton courts fit on one basketball court?

Yes. A basketball court's 28 × 15 m playing area accommodates two full 13.4 × 6.1 m badminton courts laid crosswise, with about 0.8 m behind each baseline and generous spacing between courts. The badminton lines are applied as 40 mm yellow overlay lines so they stay legible against the white basketball markings — the standard school and society multi-sport layout.

How wide are badminton court lines?

Badminton lines are 40 mm (1.6 in) wide, white or yellow, and always contrasting with the surface. The lines are part of the court: the 44 × 20 ft dimensions are measured to the outer edges of the lines. A common contractor error is 50 mm marking, which visibly distorts the service courts — worth checking before you sign off on marking work.

Download: Badminton Court Dimensions PDF

Every table and diagram on this page in one printable, dual-unit sheet — marked-court geometry, the footprint ladder, height ladder and hall envelopes. Made for site engineers, architects and anyone briefing a contractor.

Download the Badminton Court Dimensions PDF (free)

Plan the rest of the build

Dimensions settle the envelope; three decisions remain — budget, surface and structure:

• Badminton court construction cost guide — every cost question from this page, answered with component-level numbers
• Badminton court flooring comparison — wooden vs synthetic vs acrylic, by playing level and setting
• Outdoor acrylic badminton court · Indoor vinyl (BWF-grade) badminton court — our two hero builds
• Badminton court mat (PVC) · Wooden badminton court — surface-specific product pages
• Indoor badminton court construction — halls, sheds and the heights this page specifies
• Net size & court lighting guide — the equipment layer on top of these dimensions
• Badminton court construction in Hyderabad — building in our home city

Ready to check your site against these numbers? Send us the plot dimensions (in feet is fine) and whether the court is indoor or outdoor, and we'll confirm which footprint tier fits. ChampCourts Private Limited builds badminton courts pan-India from our Hyderabad HQ.

Send an enquiry · WhatsApp us · Call 92587 75187 · enquiry@champcourts.com