Official Size of a Tournament Pool Table

Pool, or billiards, developed from a lawn game similar to croquet in France. When the game moved indoors, it was moved to a table with a green felt top, to mimic grass. Billiards was originally played with a mace, a long wooden stick that resembled a croquet mallet used to shove the balls. The cue was implemented in the late 1600s to adapt to the difficulty of striking balls lying against the wall with a mace.

  1. World Pool Billiard Association

    • The World Pool Billiard Association exists to offer a standard set of rules and regulations for tournament billiard playing. Its website offers the standard rules for playing a variety of pool games, such as Nine Ball, Black Ball and Eight Ball, as well as rules for wheelchair competition.

    WPA Tournament Table and Equipment Specifications

    • Official World Pool Association (WPA) tournament rules specify that the table bed height shall be between 29 1/4 inches (74.295 cm) and 31 inches (78.74 cm). This specification applies to equipment used at all WPA World Championships, the WPA World Tour and any other WPA-sanctioned events.

    Other WPA Table Specifications

    • The WPA specifies that the playing surface of a regulation table must be rectangular, and symmetrical. Tables must be either eight- or nine-feet long, depending on the tournament. The fabric of the table top must be non-directional, nap-free billiard fabric with no less than 85 percent combed, worsted wool and no more than 15 percent nylon, and may only be yellow-green, blue-green, or electric blue for competitions.