Dartboard height and throw line distance

Every league board in Queens is hung to the same measurements, so practice at home only carries over if your board matches. There are two numbers that matter and one check that confirms you got both right.

The measurements

These are the steel tip distances. Soft tip boards, the electronic kind with plastic-tipped darts, use a longer throw of 8 feet. All the leagues on this site are steel tip.

Hanging the board

• Measure to the bull, not the top. The 5 ft 8 in is to the very centre of the board.
• The 20 goes at the top, dead centre, and it is one of the dark segments.
• Hang it flat. The board should sit flush against the wall or backboard and not rock when a dart hits it. A board that tilts forward at the top plays shorter than it measures.

Marking the throw line

The line is measured along the floor from the face of the board, not from the wall. A bristle board is about an inch and a half thick, and a cabinet or backboard adds more, so measuring from the wall puts the line too close.

The simple way: hold a plumb line, or a weight on a string, against the face of the board and mark the floor where it hangs. Measure 7 ft 9¼ in straight out from that mark.

Then use the diagonal as a check. Run a tape from the centre of the bull to the line. It should read 9 ft 7⅜ in. If both the height and the diagonal are right, the distance is right too, and this catches a floor that isn’t level.

The line is called the oche (say “ockey”). In a bar it is usually a strip of tape, a metal strip or a raised wooden bar. Your feet have to stay behind its front edge. You can lean as far over as you like, and you can stand anywhere along it, including off to one side.

Space and light

• Room to stand. Leave a couple of feet behind the line so the thrower isn’t backed against a table, and keep the lane to the board clear.
• Room around the board. Darts miss. Keep doors, windows and seats out of the area either side, and put something behind the board that takes a stray dart better than plaster does.
• Light the face. A light above or around the board that leaves no shadows from the darts already in it. One lamp off to the side makes the far triples hard to see.
• Mind the floor. Steel points break on tile and concrete, and they mark wood. A mat helps, and most dart mats have the distance printed on them.

The board itself

League boards are bristle boards, made of packed sisal fibre that closes up when a dart is pulled out. A standard one is about 18 inches across. A few things keep it playing well:

• Turn it. The 20 takes most of the darts. The number ring comes off, so you can rotate the board a couple of segments every week or two and put the ring back with the 20 at the top. Keep a dark segment at the top when you do.
• Keep it dry. Never wet a bristle board. It swells and then falls apart.
• Twist as you pull. Turning a dart slightly as you take it out is kinder to the fibres.
• Thin wires are worth it. Boards with thin, staple-free wires give fewer bounce-outs.

Darts

Steel tip darts for league play usually weigh between 20 and 26 grams. There is no right weight. Lighter darts need a firmer throw and fly flatter; heavier ones carry more and drop less. Most shops will let you try a few. If you are starting out, something around 22 to 24 grams with a medium-length shaft and standard flights is a safe place to begin, and you can change one thing at a time from there.

Once it’s up

A board at home is the quickest way to move your numbers. Learn the games with how to play 01 and how to play cricket, and use the checkout chart for finishing practice.