Dart Board Specs

The game of darts you play in your home may seem laid back and casual, but the sport is often taken quite seriously in taverns, bars and recreational facilities -- so much so that rules exist for equipment standards, style of play, scoring and tournament organization under the auspices of the World Darts Federation. In game play, a point is not official unless the dart stays on the dartboard until the point is recorded and the dart retrieved by the thrower. Rules and specifications are also in place for the dartboards.

  1. Bristle Boards

    • Dartboards must be bristle boards, which are made of stiff fibers, in this case African sisal. Bristle boards are self-healing in that the fibers close up after a dart has been removed, so no holes appear in the board. Steel-tip darts must be used with bristle boards.

    Physical Properties

    • Boards should measure 18 inches in diameter. The face of the dart boards must be painted in a one-to-20 clock pattern, with 20 in the 12 o'clock position. Dart board colors are red, green, black and off white or yellow.

    Measurements

    • Dart boards are hung so the distance from the center of the bull, or bull's-eye, measures 5 feet, 8 inches from the floor. This was determined by calculating what "eye level" was for a person standing 6 feet tall. The distance from the oche -- also known as the throwing line -- to the dart board is 7 feet 9.25 inches.

    Points

    • A value amount is given to each section and is imprinted on the front of the dart board. Points are awarded as single, double or triple each value. Typically, a dart landing in the inner narrow band scores three times the segment number, while darts in the outer band score double the imprinted number. The outer center ring scores 25 points, while the inner center ring is equal to 50 points.