SET UP YOUR BOARD
The official measurements, how to get them right in five minutes, and the mistakes that put most home boards in the wrong place.
Quick answer
Hang the board so the centre of the bull is 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) above the floor. The oche is 2.37 m (7 ft 9¼ in) from the face of the board, measured along the floor. To check both at once, measure from the bull centre to the oche at floor level: it should be 2.93 m (9 ft 7⅜ in).
1.73 m
5 ft 8 in
Floor to the centre of the bull
2.37 m
7 ft 9¼ in
Board face to the oche, along the floor
2.93 m
9 ft 7⅜ in
Bull centre to the oche at floor level
You need a tape measure, a pencil and something straight to hang from the board: a plumb line, a spirit level or a long ruler.
1
Measure 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) up from the floor and mark where the centre of the bull goes. Measure from the surface you will stand on: if you throw from a mat, measure from the top of the mat.
2
Fix the bracket so the bull sits exactly on your mark, with the 20 straight up at the top.
3
Hang a plumb line from the face of the board, or hold a spirit level against it, and mark the floor directly below. This is your starting point, not the wall.
4
Measure 2.37 m (7 ft 9¼ in) along the floor from that mark and put down the oche. The distance runs to the edge your toes touch.
5
Measure from the bull centre to that edge of the oche at floor level. It should be 2.93 m (9 ft 7⅜ in). If it isn't, the height or the distance is off: fix it before you play.
The board, its bracket and any surround or cabinet stick out from the wall, so an oche measured from the wall ends up too far back.
The 1.73 m is to the centre of the bull, not the top or the bottom of the board.
A thick throwing mat lifts you up. Measure the height from the surface you stand on.
Electronic soft-tip boards use a longer oche: 2.44 m (8 ft). Use the distance that matches your board.
The bull height is the same for steel-tip and soft-tip. Only the oche moves.
| Setup | Bull height | Oche | Diagonal check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel-tip (WDF and PDC) | 1.73 m · 5 ft 8 in | 2.37 m · 7 ft 9¼ in | 2.93 m · 9 ft 7⅜ in |
| Soft-tip (electronic boards) | 1.73 m · 5 ft 8 in | 2.44 m · 8 ft | 2.99 m · 9 ft 9⅝ in |
| Wheelchair players (WDF) | 1.37 m · 4 ft 6 in | 2.37 m · 7 ft 9¼ in | 2.74 m · 8 ft 11¾ in |
Steel-tip and wheelchair measurements are from the World Darts Federation playing rules. Diagonals for the other setups are worked out from the height and the oche distance.
The centre of the bull should be 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) above the floor you stand on. That is the regulation height for steel-tip and soft-tip darts.
2.37 m (7 ft 9¼ in) for steel-tip darts, measured along the floor from the face of the board to the edge of the oche your toes touch. Soft-tip boards use 2.44 m (8 ft).
From the face of the board. Hang a plumb line or hold a level against the board face and measure from the point directly below it on the floor.
It checks the height and distance in one go. From the bull centre to the oche at floor level should be 2.93 m (9 ft 7⅜ in). If it is, both are right.
Under the WDF rules the bull centre is 1.37 m (4 ft 6 in) above the floor, with the same 2.37 m throwing distance.
In WDF events it is a raised oche, 38 mm high and 610 mm long. At home a strip of tape or the line on a throwing mat works, as long as it is at the right distance.
TallyPally scores X01, cricket and more, with checkout hints on every visit. 100% free: no ads, no paid tier.