What space do I need to set up a pool table?

With a pool table you can turn any room into a relaxing space where both you and your friends can get together. But it is also important to check which pool table fits in the planned / available space.

The space needed to set up a pool table depends on the dimensions of the pool table itself in combination with the length of the cue.

You always need to take the dimensions of the playing surface into account and add the length of the cue to that, plus the clearance needed to pull the cue back.

As a standard, you can use this formula to calculate the space you need:

Required length = Playing surface length + 2 x Cue length (standard 145 cm, but it can be shorter) + 2 x 10 cm clearance. (You count the cue and the clearance twice because they have to be added for both sides.)

Required width = Playing surface width + 2 x Cue length (standard 145 cm, but it can be shorter) + 2 x 10 cm clearance. (You count the cue and the clearance twice because they have to be added for both sides.)

To give you an example, one of our best-selling pool tables with a slate playing surface is the Buffalo Eliminator II 7ft pool table. It has a playing surface of L 197 cm x W 98.4 cm. To calculate the space you need, you use the following sum:

Required length = Playing surface length (197 cm) + 2 x Cue length (2 x 145 cm) + 2 x Clearance (2 x 10 cm) = 507 cm.

Required width = Playing surface width (98.4 cm) + 2 x Cue length (2 x 145 cm) + 2 x Clearance (2 x 10 cm) = 408.40 cm.

Below you will also find a standard table with some typical room sizes needed, depending on the length of the cue. You could, for example, opt to use a shorter cue of 122 cm so that you can still fit a 7ft pool table in the room.