How much room a pool table needs.

The formula

Triangle Billiards and Sawyer Twain give the same basic rule: room length equals the table's playing surface length plus two cue lengths, and room width equals the playing surface width plus two cue lengths.

Two things change the answer. The first is the playing surface, which is smaller than the table's nominal size and varies by maker (see pool tables). The second is backswing. Dr. Dave Alciatore adds about 6 in per side on top of a 58 in cue, and that kind of allowance is where most of the disagreement between sources comes from.

A worked example

Trick Shot Tim works through an 8 ft table with a 44 x 88 in playing surface and 58 in cues: 44 + 58 + 58 = 160 in wide, and 88 + 58 + 58 = 204 in long, or 13'4" x 17'. As a quick rule he allows about 5 ft of clearance on every side. He also reminds you to account for pillars, mantels and shelves, which take space a floor plan may not show.

The WPA figure

For tournament venues, the WPA specification asks for at least 6 ft from the outside edge of the rail to any obstacle. That is measured from the rail, not the cushion nose, so it is a different basis from the formula above.

Room sizes by source

All figures are width x length (the short wall first).

7 ft tables

Olhausen's catalog also has a chart that appears to give a 7 ft table about 11'3" x 14'6" with 48 in cues and about 12'11" x 16'2" with 58 in cues, but the text in the PDF is garbled, so we could not confirm those numbers.

8 ft tables

Brunswick's page contradicts itself on this size: its chart says 13' x 17' with a 58 in cue, while its text says 13'6" x 17'.

Oversize 8 ft and 8.5 ft tables

9 ft tables

Larger tables

• 10 ft oversize pool (56 x 112 in): Dr. Dave gives 16' x 20' with a 58 in cue plus backswing.
• 12 ft snooker: Dr. Dave gives 16'6" x 22'5". Liberty Games, using a 145 cm (57 in) cue, gives 468 x 646 cm for a 178 x 356 cm playfield. Masters of Games lists 488 x 666 cm of playing space for a full-size table.
• Smaller snooker tables (Liberty Games, 57 in cue): a 9 ft table with a 127 x 254 cm playfield needs 417 x 544 cm, and a 10 ft table with a 147 x 294 cm playfield needs 437 x 584 cm.
• Carom: Trick Shot Tim says a carom table needs roughly 15 x 20 ft.

Why the sources disagree

Take a 9 ft table with 58 in cues. Brunswick says 14' x 18', Triangle 14'6" x 18'4", Dr. Dave 14'10" x 19', and Diamond 15'6" x 19'. The spread comes mostly from how much backswing room each one adds on top of the bare formula. Doing the plain formula ourselves for a 50 x 100 in surface and two 58 in cues gives 166 x 216 in, or 13'10" x 18', which is close to Brunswick's figure; Dr. Dave's include his 6 in per side. Diamond's are labeled minimums for one of its own tables and do not state the cue length.

Short cues for tight rooms

Dr. Dave and Brunswick both mention 52 in and 48 in short cues for rooms that cannot fit a full stroke everywhere, which is why the tables above have those columns. PoolDawg sizes those same lengths for shorter players: 48 in under 4'8" and 52 in from 4'8" to 5'. See cues for length guidance.

Measuring your room

1. Measure the clear floor from wall to wall in both directions, then subtract anything that sticks out at cue height, such as pillars, mantels, shelves or a bar.
2. Find the playing surface of the exact table you are considering, not just its nominal size.
3. Add two cue lengths to each playing surface dimension, and decide whether to add a backswing allowance like Dr. Dave's.
4. Compare with the published tables above, or enter your numbers in the room size calculator.