Basically, every internationally popular sport has its own way to play and individual rules. And every piece of equipment has specific dimensions and shapes that are mandated by their organization like FIFA has its rules for the field, ball, and others in football as well as cricket and tennis.
Having said that, since ping pong is internationally popular and as known as Olympic game, it has also some rules like table size, ball size, and weight, and playing rules that are mandated by (ITTF) likewise, there is also a certain dimension for the size of a ping pong table.
Today, we will discuss how a standard ping pong table should be sized for international ping pong events, Olympic, and other local tournaments.
Before we get into that let’s see…
Why you Should Know the Standard Ping Pong Table Size?
Several sized tables in the market are made for several purposes. This is the first reason why you should know the standard ping pong table size. Some tables are made for kids some are for recreational purposes. Because kids cannot play on the standard-sized table. And who play for recreational purposes, they don’t care about the size of a table.
But when it comes to you, and you want to see yourself as an international ping pong player in Olympic or international events, you have to choose a table regarding the standard size. If you don’t think about the standard size before buying a table. It will be a threat to your future ping pong career. To build yourself as a standard player on a standard-sized table, you should know what is the standard size of a ping pong table.
Standard Ping Pong Table Size
The ping pong table has mandated size (height, width, length) by the (ITTF). It’s called standard size. So the standard size is
- According to (ITTF) the height of a ping pong table is 2.5 feet.
- The width of the ping pong table is 5.0 feet.
- The length of the ping pong table is 9.0 feet.
Some other Stuff Needs to be Concerned
A standard table size doesn’t mean the size of height, width, and length. Besides these, you have to be concerned about the table shape, table marking, table color, net, and much more. Let’s talk about how they should be.
Table Shape
According to ITTF, a ping pong table should be 9 by 5 feet with a rectangular shape. And 2.5 feet above the ground.
The table thickness should be at least 19mm to 25mm. if the thickness is less than 19mm it will not create bounce. 13 cm height bounce of a ball is considered as a decent bounce.
Table Marking
As we all see, the ping pong table has 3 marking lines. The sideling marking, the endline marking, and the midline marking. All these marking lines should be white and 2cm thick.
Table Net
The table net stands in the middle of the table. Like a divider. The net divides two halves of the table.
The net should be 25.25 in height from the table surface and the bottom of the net should be closed with the surface.
The Table Color
In 1990 there was an experiment for the table color to make better visual effects for the television audiences. After the experiment, blue and green tables are authorized by ITTF. However, in 2016 they amend the rules that the table can be colored, but it has to be uniformly dark and matt color.
Note: there are white and orange color table still have not been seen.
Table Weight
There is no stereotype rule for ping pong table weight. Basically, most of the standard table is around 250-300 pounds. Some tables are heavier. It depends on what kind of material it is made of.
FAQ about ping pong table
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Do the Ping Pong and Table Tennis Tables Come in a Different Size?
Although table tennis and ping pong have different laying rules. But they both are played on the same table. So, there is no different table size between table tennis and ping pong.
- Are Table Tennis Tables Smaller in Olympics?
In every table tennis event like Olympic, table tennis championship, or local tournament the ITTF rules are strictly followed. So, there are no different rules for table tennis tables in Olympics.
Final Verdict
It doesn’t matter which purpose you are playing for. I think every player should play on a standard ping pong-sized table. This will make you a standard player.