Dartboard height and throwing distance

A standard dartboard is hung so that the centre of the bullseye is 5 feet 8 inches from the floor, and players throw from 7 feet 9 1/4 inches away. These are the measurements used in league and tournament play.

The measurements

Measurement	Imperial	Metric
Floor to centre of bullseye	5 ft 8 in	1.73 m
Face of board to front of oche	7 ft 9 1/4 in	2.37 m
Bullseye to oche, measured diagonally	9 ft 7 3/8 in	2.93 m
Board diameter	17 3/4 in	451 mm

The throwing distance is measured along the floor from a point directly below the face of the board, not from the wall. A board and its bracket stand a little way off the wall, and that gap is the most common source of error.

How to set up a board

Fix the bracket so the centre of the bull will be 1.73 m above the floor.
Hang the board with the 20 segment at the top, in the centre.
Hold a plumb line or a spirit level against the face of the board and mark the floor directly below it.
Measure 2.37 m from that mark and place the front edge of the oche there.
Check the diagonal. From the centre of the bull to the front of the oche should be 2.93 m.

If the diagonal is right, the height and the distance are both right.

The oche

The oche is the line a player stands behind. In a venue it is usually a raised strip. You may lean over it as far as you like, but your feet must stay behind its front edge.

The order of the numbers

Clockwise from the top, the board reads:

20, 1, 18, 4, 13, 6, 10, 15, 2, 17, 3, 19, 7, 16, 8, 11, 14, 9, 12, 5.

High numbers sit next to low ones on purpose. A dart that drifts off treble 20 lands in 1 or 5, which punishes inaccuracy.

Space and lighting

Leave clear space either side of the throwing line, and avoid setting up where a door opens across it. Light the board from the front or from above both sides so the darts do not cast shadows across the segments.