Pool table room size calculator
Type your room and your table, then drag the table around the plan. The page measures the gap from the cushion to each wall and tells you which side a full cue will not clear.
Waiting
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Enter your room and table size to see whether a cue will clear the walls.
- Room for a full cue—
- Cue you would need—
- Playing surface—
- Cabinet on the floor—
| Side | Cushion to wall | Longest cue |
|---|
Drag the table to move it, or turn it 90°. The dashed band is the cue swing, measured out from the cushion. Objects can be focused with the Tab key: arrow keys move the focused object, and the [ and ] keys turn it.
Wall to wall, left to right on the plan. Type 16' 3" if you like.
Wall to wall, top to bottom on the plan. Measure to anything fixed, like a chimney breast.
Cushion to cushion, not the outside of the wood. Makers vary by an inch or two, so measure yours if you have it.
Almost always half the long figure. Measure between the cushion noses.
Cushion out to the outside edge of the wood. Usually 5 to 8 in. It changes the table you see drawn, not the room you need.
A standard two-piece cue is 58 in. Shorter ones are sold at 52, 48, 42 and 36 in.
What this assumes
- Room size comes from the cloth, not the cabinet. The space a cue needs is measured out from the cushion. The wooden box already eats the first few inches of it. That is why the dashed band on the plan is narrower than the cue you typed.
- The preset sizes are typical, not a standard you can rely on. 7 ft tables in particular are sold anywhere from 74 × 37 to 78 × 39 inches. Type your own figures over the preset.
- One cue length on each side is a trade convention. Table makers' room charts are built on it. Some add a few inches for the backswing, so a room that only just passes here will feel tight in the corners.
- Nothing else in the room is counted unless you draw it. A radiator, a low beam, a column or a door that opens inwards will all take space this plan does not know about.
- Light fittings are not checked. The plan is a view from above and has no height in it.
How this calculation works
- Playing surface
- Add rails for the cabinet
- Add a cue each side
- Compare with each wall
room needed = playing surface + 2 × cue length, both ways
A cue is played from behind the ball. When the ball sits on the cushion, the butt of the cue ends up a full cue length outside the table. That is the whole rule: take the playing surface and add a cue at each end and each side.
The trap is which rectangle you start from. A table called "8 foot" has an 88 × 44 inch playing surface. The wooden cabinet around it is about a foot bigger each way. Start from the cabinet and you will think you need a room a foot longer than you do. Start from the playing surface and forget the cabinet, and the table you buy will not sit where you drew it.
The three verdicts mean different things. Fits means the cue you typed clears all four walls. Tight means one or more walls are short, and the page names the longest cue that still works there. Doesn't fit means the table is through a wall, or a side has less than 36 inches, which is shorter than any cue sold.
| Table | Playing surface | 58 in cue | 52 in cue | 48 in cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 ft | 78 × 39 in | 16' 2" × 12' 11" | 15' 2" × 11' 11" | 14' 6" × 11' 3" |
| 8 ft | 88 × 44 in | 17' × 13' 4" | 16' × 12' 4" | 15' 4" × 11' 8" |
| 8½ ft | 92 × 46 in | 17' 4" × 13' 6" | 16' 4" × 12' 6" | 15' 8" × 11' 10" |
| 9 ft | 100 × 50 in | 18' × 13' 10" | 17' × 12' 10" | 16' 4" × 12' 2" |
Cue lengths you can buy
| Cue | What it is for |
|---|---|
| 58 in | The standard two-piece cue. Assume this unless you know otherwise. |
| 52 in | Saves 6 in a side. The usual answer to one wall being close. |
| 48 in | Saves 10 in a side. Also sold for teenagers. |
| 42 in | A children's cue. Hard work for an adult. |
| 36 in | The shortest length commonly sold, for small children. |
What a shorter cue actually costs you
A short cue is a real fix, and it is what most people in a tight basement end up using. It is not free. A 48 inch cue has less weight behind the tip, so you get less power on a break and less spin on the cue ball. It is also harder to line up, because your bridge hand and your back hand are closer together.
There is a second cost that charts never mention. You have to keep the short cue on the wall and swap to it mid-game, every time a ball lands near that side. On one wall that is a small annoyance. On three walls it stops feeling like pool.
So treat the shorter cue as a fix for one tight side. If the calculator says you need 48 inch cues all the way round, the honest answer is a smaller table.
Drop a table size before you drop a cue size
Going from an 8 ft table to a 7 ft table gives you back 10 inches of length and 5 inches of width. Going from a 58 inch cue to a 52 inch cue gives you back 12 inches in both directions. The cue saves more space, but the smaller table keeps the game normal.
Try both on the plan above. Switch to 7 ft with a 58 inch cue. Then switch back to 8 ft with a 52 inch cue and see which your room likes better.
Measure the obstacles, not just the walls
A wall is the easy case. What catches people out is everything that sticks into the room below cue height: a chimney breast, a boiler, a stair stringer, a support post. A cue swung along the cushion will find all of them.
Measure to the nearest hard thing on each side, not to the plaster behind it. If a post stands 8 inches out from the wall, type the room width as if the wall were where the post is.
Common questions
What size room do you need for a pool table?
Take the playing surface and add one cue length at each end and each side. An 8 ft table has an 88 × 44 inch playing surface, so with a standard 58 inch cue it wants a room about 17 ft × 13 ft 4 in. A 7 ft table wants about 16 ft 2 in × 12 ft 11 in. A 9 ft table wants about 18 ft × 13 ft 10 in.
What is the difference between the playing surface and the cabinet?
The playing surface is the cloth inside the cushions, and it is what the 7 ft, 8 ft and 9 ft labels describe. The cabinet is the wooden box around it, usually about 5 to 8 inches wider on each side. The cabinet is the part that sits on your floor, but room size is worked out from the playing surface, because a cue is swung from the cushion.
Can you play on a pool table in a room that is too small?
Yes, with a shorter cue on the tight side. Cues are sold at 52, 48, 42 and 36 inches as well as the standard 58. A shorter cue is harder to aim and gives you less power, and you have to swap cues in the middle of a game. It is a fix for one tight wall rather than for a room that is short on every side.
The 9 ft playing surface of 100 × 50 inches is the size written into the equipment specifications used for tournament play. The room rule on this page is a trade convention instead. Table makers all publish charts built on playing surface plus two cue lengths. No governing body sets a room size. For the reasoning, and for what to do when only one wall is short, read how much room a pool table really needs. If the table has to get into the room first, try will furniture fit through a door.
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