Planning · Updated 5 October 2026

The playing area of a padel court is standardised, which makes early space planning easier. The figures below come from the International Padel Federation (FIP) Rules of Padel, applicable from 1 January 2026. Always check the current rules and your local requirements before you finalise a design.

Playing area

A padel court is a rectangle 10 metres wide and 20 metres long (interior measurements). The net is 10 metres long, 0.88 metres high at the centre and 0.92 metres at the ends.

Walls and enclosure

The back walls have a total height of 4 metres: the first 3 metres is wall and the last metre is metallic fence. The side walls can be built in a stepped design or with a wall area at each end zone, completed with metal mesh up to the enclosure height defined in the rules.

Free height

For indoor courts, the FIP rules state a minimum free height of 6 metres throughout the court and recommend 8 metres for new facilities. This is a key factor when judging whether an existing building can be converted.

Safety area

The rules describe a safety area outside the court of no less than 3 metres in width, with 4 metres recommended. Local rules and your layout – including access, emergency exits and circulation – may require more space.

Estimating your footprint

Start from the 10 × 20 metre court, add the safety area and space between neighbouring courts, and then add the areas for reception, changing rooms, a lounge, storage and technical rooms. Courts are often arranged in blocks – for example two or more courts side by side. Our configurator shows a simple plan view of layouts from 1 to 16 courts.

A precise footprint depends on the exact court model, local rules and your site, so take it as a starting point and have a designer confirm it.

A quick space-planning example

One court is 10 m × 20 m = 200 m² of playing area. Two courts side by side need at least 20 m of width of playing area, and four courts in a 2 × 2 block need 40 m × 40 m of playing area, before you add safety areas and spaces between courts. This is arithmetic from the court size, not a design: the real layout must be drawn by a designer using the exact court model, FIP requirements, local rules and your site.

What else needs space

• Circulation. Entrances to each court, walkways between courts and room for players waiting.
• Reception and lounge. A social area is often where bookings and memberships are sold.
• Changing rooms and toilets. Sized to the number of players at peak times and to local rules.
• Storage and technical rooms. Equipment, cleaning materials, electrical and ventilation equipment.
• Outside. Parking, bicycle parking, access for installation and for emergency vehicles.

Indoor: think in three dimensions

For an existing building, the limiting factor is often height. The FIP rules state a minimum free height of 6 metres throughout the court and recommend 8 metres for new facilities. Remember that beams, sprinkler pipes, lighting and heating can reduce usable height. Measure the lowest point above the whole court and its surroundings, not just the highest part of the hall.

Outdoor: think about the base and surroundings

Outdoor courts need a stable, level base with drainage, and enough room for the enclosure and safety area. Also consider where noise travels and where neighbours are – see permits.

Next step

Use the layout views in our configurator for a first impression of 1 to 16 courts, and read how many courts you should build. If you have a site in mind, send us the dimensions and we will help you judge what is realistic.

Frequently asked questions