There are a few major questions you may have ahead of installing an outdoor basketball court on any kind of property, and some of these will naturally revolve around size. How big is an outdoor basketball court? There are both general standards and particular nuances to be aware of when considering your size needs.
At Courts Unlimited, we’re proud to offer a wide range of both residential and commercial basketball courts for clients around Utah. In this two-part blog series, we’ll go over everything you need to know about sizing for your outdoor basketball court – what are the standard court sizes typically used? Which additional factors might you consider, and which final sizing is ideal for your needs? Let’s dive in.
Standard Basketball Court Dimensions
While we’ll go over several factors that may change the calculus for you somewhat here in a moment, let’s begin by going over the standard dimensions of a standard outdoor basketball court. These are the most widely accepted and commonly used measurements for such a court:
- Length: 94 feet (28.65 meters).
- Width: 50 feet (15.24 meters) from baseline to baseline, or 74 feet (22.56 meters) including the key or “paint” areas under both baskets.
- Basket Height : Regular basket height at an outdoor court is 10 feet above ground level.
These numbers are known as FIBA standards, which stand for International Basketball Federation – they’re followed by all international competitions and many domestic ones as well. Note these will differ slightly from other organizations like the NBA, but not by much.
Naturally, things will differ for a half-court basketball court, which is of course exactly what it sounds like – a court with the same layout but half the size. Such courts are often used for home play or other recreational uses. The length and width will be cut in half, so 47 feet (14.33 meters) by 50 feet (15.24 meters) here.
Buffer Border
Now, in the vast majority of cases, you’ll be looking for a slightly larger court than the standard sizes listed above, and largely because of player safety. You’ll want a “buffer border” around your court to help keep players and equipment safe – this is an area that’s often made with concrete or another hard surface, and it surrounds the entire perimeter of the court itself.
A buffer border should typically be at least 10 feet (3.05 meters) wide on all sides. This ensures that players who go out of bounds still have a bit of room to slow down before hitting any hard surfaces, reducing the risk of injury. Additionally, it helps protect the court itself from damage due to contact with surrounding objects like fences or walls.
In part two of our series, we’ll look at some additional factors to consider when choosing the ultimate size of your outdoor basketball court. For more on this or any of our tennis courts, pickleball courts or basketball court surfacing services, speak to our team at Courts Unlimited today.