How to Set Up a Dart Board | Measure Twice, Play Once

Hanging a dartboard isn’t a “close enough” job. The WDF tournament rules define exact distances, and if the board sits an inch low or the oche sits an inch short, your throw — and your practice — will never feel right. The full setup takes about twenty minutes and one measuring tape. Here’s the sequence that gets it right the first time.

The Official Dartboard Measurements You Need

Standard steel-tip play uses three fixed measurements, all taken from the WDF Playing and Tournament Rules. Memorize the bullseye height and the throwing distance; the diagonal is your verification check.

• Bullseye height: 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) from the floor to the center of the bullseye.
• Throwing distance (oche): 2.37 m (7 ft 9 1/4 in) measured horizontally from the face of the board.
• Diagonal check: 2.93 m (9 ft 7 3/8 in) from the bullseye to the back edge of the oche.

The diagonal is a clever self-check. Pull the tape from the bullseye to where the oche will sit; if it reads 2.93 m, both the height and the distance are correct. These numbers apply to international steel-tip play, which is the standard for home setups in the US as well. Soft-tip electronic boards use a different throwing distance, so check your board’s manual if that’s what you hung.

Mounting the Board and Setting the 20 at the Top

The board goes up before the throwing line gets measured, because the line’s distance is measured from the board’s face. Start by marking 1.73 m up from the floor on your wall — that point is where the bullseye will center, not the top edge of the board.

Fix the mounting bracket at that mark. The type of wall fixing matters: on plasterboard, use wall plugs or anchors rated for the bracket’s weight; on masonry, standard wall plugs do the job. A dartboard rattles on impact, so a solid mount keeps the wobble down and protects the wall. If you want extra protection, a surround or spacers between the board and the wall will absorb stray darts.

Hang the board and rotate it until the 20 segment sits at the top, at 12 o’clock. Then check it with a spirit level, because a board that’s tilted by even a few degrees changes how the darts land in the trebles. The 20 at the top is the standard for tournament play, and it’s the orientation every practice routine assumes.

Marking the Oche at the Right Distance

The throwing line — the oche — gets measured from the face of the board, not from the wall behind it. Run your tape from the board’s front surface straight out to 2.37 m and mark that spot on the floor.

You can use tape, a thin strip of wood, or a proper raised oche. Tournament rules allow a raised oche, and the WDF specifies it at 38 mm high and 610 mm long. The raised edge gives your front foot a firm stop, which is why serious players prefer it to a strip of tape on carpet. Whatever you use, the back edge of the oche is where the measurement applies — your foot may not cross it.

For steel-tip play, the horizontal distance from the board face is the number that matters. The diagonal check confirms both this distance and the bullseye height in one pull of the tape, so use it before you declare the setup done.

Common Setup Mistakes to Avoid

Most setup errors come down to measuring from the wrong reference point. The top of the board is not the bullseye; the wall is not the board’s face. Measure the height from the floor to the bullseye center only, and the distance from the board face to the oche only.

An uneven hang is the other frequent mistake. A board that isn’t level makes the treble beds sit at odd angles, and the 20 at the top is essential for consistent scoring practice. Check both with a level after you hang the board, and again after a few weeks of play, since screws can loosen with the vibration of regular dart impacts.

Once the setup is verified, the only thing left is the equipment. If you’re looking for darts that fly straight and hold up to regular play, our roundup of the best darts for dartboard covers the top sets for practice and league play alike.