Padel court markings look simple, but the playable area is defined together with the walls, fence, service lines, and net. The official court is a 10 meter by 20 meter rectangle, divided into two equal halves by the net, with service boxes marked on each side.
A regulation padel court is a rectangle 10 meters wide and 20 meters long, using interior measurements. That means the dimensions are taken inside the walls, glass, fence, or court structure rather than from the outside of the frame.
The net divides the court into two equal 10 m by 10 m halves. The layout is symmetrical, so both pairs play with the same service-box and wall geometry after each change of ends.
On each side of the net, a service line runs parallel to the net at a distance of 6.95 meters. The area between that service line and the net is divided in half by the central service line, creating the two diagonal service boxes used for serving.
The central service line extends at least 20 cm beyond the service line. In practical play, this makes the service boxes easier to read and helps distinguish a legal diagonal serve from a serve that lands in the wrong half.
Padel court lines are 5 cm wide and should contrast clearly with the playing surface. A ball that lands on a court line is treated as landing in that area, unless another rule makes the shot a fault.
For serves, the line rule matters because the serve must land in the correct diagonal service box. A serve touching the correct service-box line can be good, but it can still become a fault if it later hits the metal fence before the second bounce.
The padel net is 10 meters long. It is 0.88 meters high at the center and rises to 0.92 meters at the ends, with only a small tolerance allowed.
The net is not just a divider. It also matters for lets, net touches, and legal returns. A serve that clips the net can be replayed only if the rest of the service sequence remains legal.
A padel court is fully enclosed. The back ends are 10 meters wide and the side enclosures run the 20 meter length. The ends are normally 4 meters high, with the lower part acting as a playable wall and the upper part often made from metal fencing.
The side enclosure can use different approved layouts, but the key playing idea is the same: glass or wall surfaces allow regular rebounds, while metal fence rebounds are less predictable and are treated differently in several rules.
The court needs at least 6 meters of clear height throughout, with no lights or other objects obstructing that space. New facilities are generally encouraged to provide more clearance.
Access openings are placed on one or both lateral sides and must be symmetrical with the center. Whether a court allows out-of-court play depends on its access layout and safety area, not just on whether a ball leaves the enclosure.
Padel can be played on approved surfaces such as synthetic material, artificial grass, or cement-like surfaces, provided the surface gives a regular bounce and meets competition requirements.
The floor color should contrast with the court lines and wall surfaces. That is not just cosmetic; players and officials need to see line contact clearly, especially on close serves and low rebounds near the glass.
In ordinary play, court markings are applied through the normal in-or-out and service-fault rules. A close ball is judged by where it first contacts the court, and a line belongs to the marked area.
In organized competition, court approval and event rules handle the fixed measurements before play begins. During a match, officials usually enforce the consequences of the layout: wrong service box, ball out, fence fault on serve, net touch, obstruction, or whether out-of-court play is allowed.