How Should a Dartboard Look?

Appearance

The classic mark of a dartboard is its pie shape division known as a clock board with 20 parts in alternating colors with the iconic bulls-eye in the center. A standard dartboard is numbered from 1 to 20 in random order around the circle. Each number marks one segment. Within each segment are two thin strips. One on the outside and one in the center.

Measurements

The size of a standard dartboard is 18 inches in diameter.

Height on the wall and distance

A good dartboard and good darts are not the only important parts of the game of darts. The measurements are crucial to how the game is played. A dartboard bust is placed 5 feet 8 inches from the floor measuring from the center of the bulls-eye. The distance from the front of the dartboard to the front of the oche should be 7 feet 9 ¼ inches. After the dartboard is set up the measurement from the center of the bulls-eye to the oche should be 9 feet 7 ½ inches.

Where Are Regulation Dartboards Used?

Regulation dartboards are used all over the world, especially in the United States. Regulation dartboards are also the only type of boards allowed to be used in official tournaments.

Non-regulation dartboards

Along with the standardized dartboards, are a few different boards used for playing darts. These boards were regional favorite boards alternative to the traditional clock regulation dartboards.

• The Yorkshire board – The Yorkshire board is named after a place in England where this board is commonly used. The Yorkshire board looks similar to a standard board but is missing the treble areas of the segments as well as the outer bulls-eye. This type of dartboard follows the same measurement rules as the standard board. When you use the Yorkshire board you play darts in the same manner that you would a regulation board.
• The Fives board – The Fives dartboard also known as an East End board, 9*is a board that is only divided into 12 segments versus the normal 20. Another difference in this type of board is that instead of the 1-20 numbering, the Fives board has only 5, 10, 15, and 20 segments. The measurements when playing with a Fives board will take the player an additional foot backward from the board. Because there is no way to score a value of ‘1’, on a Fives board the game becomes a 505 game instead of 501.

How a dartboard looks and measures are very important. Any change in the board or the measurements too and from the board and player greatly change the overall difficulty of the game as well as the way the game is played. Whether it is a regulation dartboard or one of the regional non-traditional dartboards being used it is important to understand what is expected in the appearance and measurements of the dartboard when playing.