What are the dimensions of a padel court?

A regulation padel court is 20 meters long and 10 meters wide (65.6 ft x 32.8 ft), enclosed by walls. The court is split into two equal halves by a net, and the back and side walls combine glass and metallic mesh up to 4 meters high at the corners. That 10m x 20m playing area is the same for recreational and professional courts.

How much space do I need to build a padel court?

The playing area is 10m x 20m, but you need clearance around and above it. Plan for roughly a 40 x 70 foot footprint (about 12m x 21m) to allow for the wall structure, perimeter access, and equipment. Indoor courts also need about 6 to 8 meters (20 to 26 feet) of free height above the surface for high lobs.

How high is a padel net?

A padel net is 0.88 meters (2.89 ft) high at the center and 0.92 meters (3.02 ft) at the posts where it meets the side walls. The net runs the full 10-meter width of the court and divides it into two equal service halves.

How tall are padel court walls?

The back walls are built from 3 meters of glass topped by 1 meter of metallic mesh, for a total height of 4 meters at the corners. The side walls step down from the corners: a glass section (typically 3 meters at the back reducing to 2 meters) with mesh above. Wall height and the ball rebounding off the glass are what make padel play differently from tennis or pickleball.

What is the difference between a singles and doubles padel court?

The standard padel court is a doubles court, 10 meters wide. A singles padel court is narrower at 6 meters wide but the same 20 meters long. Almost every court built for clubs, homes, and facilities is the 10m doubles size, since padel is played primarily as a doubles game.

Padel Court Dimensions and Layout Guide: Size, Walls, and Space Requirements

July 7, 2026

If you’re planning to build a padel court in Connecticut or anywhere in the Northeast, the layout is the first thing to get right. A padel court is not just a flat rectangle like a pickleball or tennis court — it’s an enclosed, engineered structure where the walls are part of the game. This guide covers exact padel court dimensions, wall heights, net and service-line placement, and how much space you actually need on your property.

When you’re ready to plan a real build on your site, we handle padel court construction in Connecticut and the Northeast end to end, from foundation engineering through the glass-and-mesh enclosure.

Padel Court Dimensions at a Glance

Measurement	Metric	Imperial
Court length	20 m	65.6 ft
Court width (doubles)	10 m	32.8 ft
Court width (singles)	6 m	19.7 ft
Net height at center	0.88 m	2.89 ft
Net height at posts	0.92 m	3.02 ft
Back wall (glass)	3 m	9.8 ft
Back wall total (glass + mesh)	4 m	13.1 ft
Service line from back wall	3 m	9.8 ft
Free height above court (indoor)	6–8 m	20–26 ft

These are the regulation figures used by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and followed on the professional tour. Recreational, club, and residential courts use the same 10m x 20m playing area — the dimensions do not shrink for backyard builds.

The Playing Area: 10 Meters by 20 Meters

The heart of a padel court is a rectangle 20 meters long and 10 meters wide (65.6 ft x 32.8 ft). A net divides it into two equal halves of 10m x 10m. Every doubles padel court in the world uses this footprint, which is roughly a quarter the size of a tennis court and part of why padel packs more courts into less land.

The full rectangle is enclosed. Unlike tennis or pickleball, where a ball out of the lines is dead, in padel the ball can rebound off the back and side walls and stay in play. That single rule is why the enclosure has to be engineered precisely — the walls are part of the court, not a fence around it.

Wall Heights: Glass and Mesh

The enclosure is where padel court construction gets specialized. The walls combine tempered glass and galvanized metallic mesh in a stepped configuration:

Back walls: 3 meters of tempered glass, topped by 1 meter of metallic mesh, for a total height of 4 meters at the corners. The glass is what lets players read and return balls that rebound off the back.
Side walls: step down from the 4-meter corners. The first section (nearest the back wall) is typically a 2-meter glass panel with 1 meter of mesh above it; further sections continue in mesh. This stepped shape is the classic padel silhouette.
Glass thickness: 10–12mm tempered safety glass, engineered to withstand repeated ball impacts and occasional player contact.

The mesh is usually galvanized or powder-coated steel to survive Connecticut winters and coastal Florida salt air. The exact panel layout varies slightly by manufacturer, but the heights above are the regulation standard.

Net, Service Lines, and Court Markings

Inside the 10m x 20m rectangle, the markings are simple compared to a tennis court:

Net: runs the full 10-meter width, 0.88m high at the center and 0.92m at the posts.
Service lines: a line parallel to the net, 3 meters from each back wall, marks the back of the service boxes.
Center service line: runs from the net to each service line, splitting each side into a left and right service box.
No other lines: there are no singles sidelines or baselines painted inside a doubles court — the walls define the boundary.

Lines are typically painted white on the artificial turf surface. There are no other interior markings, which keeps a padel court visually clean and quick to lay out during construction.

Access and Court Openings

Players enter through openings in the center of each side wall. Regulation allows one or two access openings, each about 2 meters wide, positioned symmetrically. Many club and residential courts use a single gated entry per side. These openings are part of the layout you plan up front, because they affect the steel frame and the surrounding walkway.

How Much Space Do You Actually Need?

The 10m x 20m figure is the playing area — you need more room than that on the ground:

Footprint: plan for roughly 12m x 21m (about 40 ft x 70 ft) to fit the wall structure, perimeter clearance, and maintenance access. A homeowner asking whether a padel court fits in the backyard should measure for that footprint, not just the 10x20 playing rectangle.
Height (indoor or covered courts): allow 6 to 8 meters (20–26 ft) of free height above the surface. Padel involves high lobs off the back glass, and a low ceiling ruins play. Outdoor courts don’t need a roof, but overhead obstructions like tree limbs and power lines matter.
Setbacks and zoning: in Connecticut towns, the 4-meter enclosure height means padel courts are usually treated as structures, so property-line setbacks and permits apply. We handle that as part of the build.

If you’re weighing whether your lot works, our guide to padel court cost in Connecticut pairs these space requirements with real 2026 pricing.

Singles vs. Doubles Padel Courts

Almost every padel court built is a doubles court at 10m wide, because padel is overwhelmingly a doubles game. A singles court exists — same 20-meter length but only 6 meters wide — and it’s occasionally chosen where space is tight. For clubs, facilities, and residential builds, we recommend the standard 10m doubles court unless a specific site constraint forces the narrower layout, since the doubles size is what players expect and what preserves resale and rental value.

How Padel Dimensions Compare to Other Courts

Padel’s enclosed, wall-based layout is what sets it apart. If you’re comparing sports before you build, these guides break down the differences:

A pickleball court is 20 ft x 44 ft of flat acrylic; a padel court is a 10m x 20m steel-and-glass structure. They look similar on a spec sheet but build like completely different projects — which is why padel needs a contractor with direct padel experience.

Build a Regulation Padel Court in Connecticut

Getting the dimensions right on paper is the easy part. Translating a 10m x 20m regulation layout into an engineered court that survives Northeast weather — with frost-depth foundations, correctly anchored steel, and properly sealed glass — is where the build succeeds or fails. Precision Sports CT is one of the few builders in the region with direct padel court construction experience.

We serve Greenwich, Stamford, Westport, New Haven, and communities across Connecticut, plus Miami, Naples, and Boca Raton in Florida.

Ready to see if a padel court fits your site? Call +1 (203) 415-4532 or request a free quote.