Darts Regulations

Want to learn more about darts? On this page you’ll find the regulations and measurements that you need to know. The graphic above also shows the most important data.

What You Need to Play Darts:

1. A dartboard. It could be bristle (traditional), electronic, or magnetic.
2. Set of 3 darts. It is ideal to have a set of 3 darts for each person or team playing. The darts can be soft-tipped, steel-tipped, or magnetic.
3. A safe place to play. Make sure no one will be walking or standing too close the throwing area.

Please note, although we’ve listed magnetic darts and dartboards as options, there not recommended except for fun, usually with kids. For any type of competitive play, use either a bristle or electronic dartboard.

Also, ideally you should have a tape measure to get the board at the correct height and to mark off the toe line.

Dartboard Regulations

The standard regulation dartboard is sometimes called a “clock” dartboard because of its resemblance to a clock, or a “London” dartboard. It has a bulls eye in the center, with an inner and outer bull. Outside of the bullseye it has 20 numbered segments that look like pie or pizza slices. Each numbered segment is of equal size. The numbered segments also have a thin outer ring that is the double area (this area is worth 2x the points). Towards the middle of each numbered segment is the narrow triple area (this area is worth 3x the points). The dartboard measures 18 inches in diameter. The 20 section should be at the top, and the board should be flush against the wall.

See our reviews and recommendations of the best dartboards, best darts, best dart flights, and best dartboard surrounds.

Dartboard Height

The dartboard should be hung so that the center of the bullseye is 5 feet 8 inches off the ground.

Throwing Distance

Regulations of the throwing line, toe line, or oche (all names for the same thing) vary depending on whether you are playing with steel-tip of soft-tip darts. It should be 7 feet 9.25 inches to the front of the dartboard if you are playing with steel-tip darts. If you’re using soft-tips darts, it should be 8 feet from the front of the dartboard. You can mark the line with tape or chalk, although tournaments often use a small block of wood. The toe line should have two feet of clearance on either side of the board.

Darts Rules

There are many different games and variations that you can play. I won’t cover them all here because rules of the most popular games are covered in my comprehensive article, Darts 101. In that article you’ll find how to play, rules of the different games, and proper throwing technique.