Have you recently bought a dartboard but it’s still sitting in the packaging in the garage? Or perhaps, you’ve ordered one and are waiting for it to arrive. It’s an exciting time, especially if you’ve never played darts before or are anxiously anticipating fine tuning your existing throwing skills. There’s one thing you’ll need to get right from the offset though and that is your dartboard setup.  

If you don’t have the correct dartboard height and distance, not only will you not technically be playing to the rules, but you might find yourself struggling to get the results you want. So, let’s look at all the key points you need to address in order to get your dartboard setup just right. 

Correct dartboard height 

A dartboard should be hung on a wall or mounted so that the centre of the board is 5 feet and 8 inches from the floor. This distance is the same whether you are playing with soft tip or steel tip darts. 

When hanging your board it’s important to make sure that it is flush to the wall and not sticking out at an angle as a picture would.  

You may choose to have a darts cabinet, to enable you to close the doors on the dartboard and use the inside panels to keep score. If you’re using a darts cabinet you’ll need to mount this to the wall first at the correct height to enable you to fix the dartboard inside. 

Don’t forget to ensure that the number 20 is at the top of the dartboard when you hang it. 

Correct dartboard distance 

When marking out the throwing line or oche, this should be: 

• 2.37 metres from the board if playing with steel tip darts 
• 2.44 metres from the board if playing with soft tip darts 

You can mark the oche on the floor with masking tape, but just make sure there is enough room behind it for the throwing area. 

Where’s the best place to hang your dartboard? 

Now that you know the correct dartboard height and distance, it’s time to think about where to place your dartboard. Perhaps you are installing one in your home or garden building or maybe you run an activity centre and want to incorporate darts into the available activities. Wherever you want to hang your board, here are a few useful tips for the perfect dartboard setup: 

• Don’t place your dartboard near a window or anything that is breakable. Bounce outs can travel up to 8 feet off the board so you’ll need to make sure they can’t do any damage. 

• Don’t place your board near a door or in a high traffic area, as you might find yourself constantly interrupted by people coming and going. 

• Make sure you have a good amount of clearance on either side of the dartboard, plus above and below it. You can use a dartboard cabinet or surround to protect the wall area around the board. 

It also goes without saying that darts should never be left unattended anywhere that small children may be able to reach them, so make sure to choose your darts room wisely and keep the darts themselves safely tucked away in a case and well out of reach. 

Double Top Darts are an online and wholesale retailer of darts supplies, stocking a wide range of dartboards from all the top brands. They also offer tips and advice on playing darts on their website.