A padel court is 20 m long and 10 m wide, measured from the inside of the walls: 200 m² of play area. The net is 0.88 m high in the center and 0.92 m at the ends.
These are the measurements from the Rules of Padel of the International Padel Federation (FIP), in force since January 1, 2026. A 0.5% tolerance is permitted. The Spanish Padel Federation (FEP) publishes them as its official rules of play.
Compared to a tennis court, a padel court is 3.77 m shorter and the net is 3.4 cm lower in the center. However, its service line is further from the net: 6.95 m, compared to 6.40 m.
How high is the padel net?
The padel net is 0.88 m high in the center and rises to a maximum of 0.92 m at the ends, according to the International Padel Federation rules. It allows for a 5 mm tolerance and is 10 m long, stretching from side to side of the court.
It hangs from a metal cable with a maximum diameter of 1 cm. The cable is attached to two posts with a maximum height of 1.05 m, or to the structure itself. The outer face of each post aligns with the lateral limit of the court.
At the top, it has a white band measuring 5.0 to 6.3 cm, containing the cable inside. An advertising strip can be added, and as of 2026, the total assembly can be up to 11.0 cm wide.
The net must fill the space between the posts and the ground without any gaps, but it should not be pulled taut.
If you measure it at your club, do so in the center: it must measure 0.88 m there.
Where is the service line and how wide are the lines?
The service lines are 6.95 m from the net, one in each half of the court, according to the International Padel Federation rules. Between the net and each service line, the central service line marks out two equal boxes measuring approximately 6.95 × 5 m. Behind this, there is about 3 m of space to the back wall.
All lines are 5 cm wide and are preferably white or black, in contrast to the floor.
As of 2026, the central line extends at least 20 cm behind the service line. This line separates the two service boxes (Rule 6.1).
When serving, you may not step on this extension or the service line until you have hit the ball (Rule 6.3): the 20 cm painted lines indicate where it runs.
How high are the walls and glass panels?
The back walls are 4 m high: 3 m of wall with 1 m of metallic mesh on top, according to the International Padel Federation rules. On the sides, the wall occupies the 4 m closest to each back wall and can be configured in two ways, measured from the inside:
- With a step. Against the back wall, there is 2 m of 3 m-high wall, just like the back. Then, another 2 m of wall that drops to 2 m in height: this height change is the step. The mesh rises to 4 m for the 2 m section against the back wall and to 3 m in the center of the side.
- Without a step. The 4 m of wall measures 3 m in height from end to end, without dropping. The mesh reaches 4 m in the 2 m section against the back wall.
As of 2026, the variant with sides reaching 4 m in height no longer exists, according to the summary of changes from the Spanish Padel Federation.
The walls can be made of glass, brick, or other hard, smooth material that provides a regular bounce. Glass must be tempered; opaque walls must be a single color different from the floor. The mesh has openings between 5 and 7.08 cm diagonally.
Where there is wall, the bounce is regular. On the mesh, the rules themselves define the bounce as irregular.
Nacho, from our team: The step is seen on older courts; it has been removed in more modern ones, and it is absent on the official courts seen in the Premier Padel circuit. Without a step, there is more wall to play with, and shots that previously hit the mesh, with its irregular bounce, now result in a normal bounce.
What is a padel court floor made of?
A padel court floor can be made of concrete, synthetic material, or artificial grass, provided that the ball bounces regularly. This is set by the International Padel Federation rules.
As of 2026, it must be a single color, different from the walls: preferably green, blue, or brownish-earth. And it must be flat: less than 3 mm of unevenness measured with a 3 m straightedge, and a maximum of 1% slope if it does not have drainage. Sand is not mentioned in the rules.
Before buying shoes, check what your court floor is made of: the type of sole required for each is explained in our padel shoes section.
How does a padel court differ from a tennis court?
A padel court is shorter than a tennis court and has a lower net, but its service line is further from the net. These are the figures from the 2026 rules of the International Padel Federation (FIP) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF):
| Measurement | Padel (FIP) | Tennis (ITF) |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 20 m | 23.77 m |
| Width | 10 m | 8.23 m for singles; 10.97 m for doubles |
| Playing surface | 200 m² | approx. 196 m² for singles; 261 m² for doubles |
| Net in center | 0.88 m | 0.914 m |
| Net at ends | 0.92 m maximum | 1.07 m at posts |
| Net to service line | 6.95 m | 6.40 m |
| Line width | 5 cm | 2.5 to 5 cm; base lines up to 10 cm |
| Free space outside | 3 m wide, for playing outside only | 5.48 m behind each baseline and 3.05 m at sides, recommended for clubs |
| Clearance height | 6 m; 8 m suggested for new construction | 9.0 m over the net, recommended for indoor courts |
The service box is also larger in padel: about 6.95 × 5 m, compared to 6.40 × 4.11 m in tennis. You can find the tennis measurements one by one in how big is a tennis court.
If you are coming from tennis, you will be playing on a court that is 3.77 m shorter, but with a longer and wider service box.
How big are the court doors?
With one door per side, the opening measures from 1.05 × 2.00 m up to 2.20 × 2.20 m. With two, each opening measures from 0.72 × 2.00 m up to 1.10 × 2.20 m. These are width by height measurements from the International Padel Federation rules. The 2026 update expanded the width, according to the Spanish Padel Federation's summary of changes.
The doors are located on one or both sides, symmetrical with respect to their center, and the opening may not have a door. If it does, the handle must be on the outside.
Just because a door is wide does not mean you can exit through it: that depends on the space available outside.
How much free space is needed around the court?
To play outside the court, you need an unobstructed space at least 3 m wide, 4 m long on each side, and 3 m high. This is required by the International Padel Federation rules, along with two doors on each side, and it recommends a 4 m width. Before 2026, the width was 2 m.
If there are light poles within that space, playing outside is not allowed. Without external play, the rules do not set a required free space around the court: the court is enclosed.
Nacho, from our team: In most clubs in Spain right now, exiting the court is not allowed by the rules. Typically, a club will have one central court that meets the regulation distance or has enough space to exit on both sides. When you can exit and what happens to the point is explained in the rules of padel.
Before going out to chase a ball, check the space outside the doors: without those 3 m of free space, the rules do not permit playing outside.
What ceiling height does an indoor court need?
A padel court requires at least 6 m of free height over its entire surface, with nothing encroaching on that space, not even spotlights. This is set by the International Padel Federation rules, which suggest 8 m for new construction.
Spotlights must also be at least 6 m high, measured from the ground to their bottom edge. In new construction, 8 m is suggested if they are located over the court.
On an indoor court, those 6 m are measured to the lowest point above, whether it is the ceiling or a light fixture.
How much light does a padel court need?
For recreational matches, the Spanish standard requires at least 200 lux outdoors and 300 lux indoors. This is the 2021 NIDE padel standard from the Higher Sports Council (CSD), which sets the minimum according to usage:
| Court use | Outdoors | Indoors |
|---|---|---|
| Local competition, training, school sports, and recreational | 200 lux | 300 lux |
| Regional competition and high-level training | 300 lux | 500 lux |
| National and international competition | 500 lux | 750 lux |
The International Padel Federation rules do not give this figure: they refer to their Court Homologation Annex. They do require uniform lighting, spotlights at a minimum of 6 m, and 1,000 lux of vertical light for television.
For playing with your friends, the reference is the first row: 200 lux outside and 300 inside.
Is there an individual or children's padel court?
Not in the rules: the 2026 International Padel Federation rules do not define an individual court or a children's court. It describes only one court, the 20 × 10 m court, with a pair in each half.
If you see measurements for an individual or children's court, do not take them as regulation: they do not come from those rules.
What changed for the court in the 2026 rules?
With the 2026 rules, the padel court gains space for playing outside, wider doors, and a net band of up to 11 cm, and loses a side variant. These are the changes according to the summary from the Spanish Padel Federation (FEP). The last column is its section in the International Padel Federation rules:
| What changes | New status in 2026 | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Free zone for outside play | Goes from 2 to 3 m wide; 4 m recommended | Safety zone and exterior play |
| Doors | Wider: up to 2.20 × 2.20 m with one per side and 1.10 × 2.20 m with two | Access |
| Top band of the net | Up to 11.0 cm total, including the advertising strip | Net, point 5 |
| Sides | The variant with sides reaching 4 m disappears; the wall with a step and wall without a step remain | Sides |
| Central service line | Extends at least 20 cm behind the service line | Dimensions |
| Floor color | Single color for the entire court | Floor, point 2 |
| Wall color | No preferred color, as long as it does not disturb play | Sides |
None of these affect the length, width, net height, or service line distance.
Sport and Trend · Figures taken from the Rules of Padel of the International Padel Federation (revision for implementation as of January 1, 2026), in the Spanish text published by the Spanish Padel Federation and the English text from the FIP; from the 2026 summary of changes from the FEP; from the 2021 NIDE padel standard from the Higher Sports Council, for lighting only, and from the 2026 Rules of Tennis from the International Tennis Federation. All have been verified one by one in the original PDFs on October 14, 2026.