Basketball Court Dimensions

Basketball courts come in a range of different sizes, however some features remain the same, such as the size and height of the basket and the distance from the basket to the free throw line.

This guide was written to assist those that are planning the creation of a basketball court in Australia, with court line markings based on either FIBA, NCAA or NBA regulation size court dimensions. In Australia, the National Basketball League (NBL) uses FIBA regulations and rules, including total court size and court line markings such as the free throw and three point lines. Thus we recommend sticking to FIBA court dimensions for Australian Basketball courts.

 

Basketball court dimensions in metres!

If you're looking for court sizes & line markings in metres, you're in luck...

Whether you're intending to build a small "custom sized backyard half court" or a "FIBA regulation 3X3 half court" all the way to an "NBA sized full court", you've come to the right place to get all the metric dimensions you’ll need for your chosen line markings.

 

Basketball Court Sections

It'll help to know the various areas of a court before proceeding - refer to this picture...

 

Click image to enlarge

So how big is a basketball court?

The International basketball Federation (FIBA) rules, dictate that

A full size FIBA regulation size basketball court measures exactly 28 by 15 meters.

In the National basketball Association (NBA), the court is 28.7 by 15.2 metres.

In Australia, backyard half-courts generally start in size from about 7metres in height to fit the "free-throw line" (or 9m to fit the "three-point line") and 4 or 5 metres in width and upwards. Other popular sizes include; 9m x 5m, 10m x 7m and the FIBA 3x3 regulation sized 15m x 11m half court.

 

Basketball Court Lines

All lines should be 5cm in width and should be painted in a single colour throughout (usually white).

 

Hoop

In amateur basketball, court sizes can vary widely. One thing that remains identical on all basketball courts are the baskets (also known as hoops) are always 3.05 m (10ft) above the floor (except in some youth competitions).

 

Three Point Arc

The FIBA regulation three point arc is 6.75 m away from the basket. Any shot made outside of the three point arc is worth three points instead of the normal two. The distance from the hoop to the three point arc varies for under different regulations:

Arc Radius from Hoop Minimum Distance from Sidelines
FIBA 6.75 m 0.90 m
NBA 7.24 m 0.91 m

Basketball courts have a three-point arc at both baskets. The three point line is not part of the three-point field goal area.

 

 

Free Throw Line

The free-throw line is 4.6m from the backboard. This is an important measurement for backyard basketball court construction, although the key width (3.6m) is often shrunken to fit the space without effecting gameplay , the key height (specifically the distance of free throw line to the backboard) should be maintained at 4.6 metres in order to effectively practice regulation free throw shooting at home.

 

No-Charge Semi-Circle (Restricted Area)

The no-charge semi-circle lines consist of a semi-cicle with a radius of 1.25m measured from the point on the floor directly under the exact centre of the basket to the inner edge of the semi-circle. The semi-circle is joined to two parallel lines perpendicular to the endlines, 0.375m in length and ending 1.20m from the inner edge of the endline.

Basketball Court Measurement Table

Area NBA FIBA / NBL WNBA NCAA
Imperial Metric Imperial Metric Imperial Metric
Court length 94 ft 28.65 m 91.86 ft 28 m Same as NBA
Court width 50 ft 15.24 m 49.21 ft 15 m Same as NBA
Rim height 10 ft 3.05 m Same as NBA
No Charge Zone arc 4 ft 1.22 m 4.10 ft 1.25 m Same as NBA
Center circle diameter 12 ft 3.66 m 11.81 ft 3.6 m Same as NBA
3-point line distance from the basket 23.75 ft
22 ft in corner*
7.24 m
6.70 m in corner*
22.15 ft
21.65 ft in corner†
6.75 m
6.60 m in corner†
Same as FIBA 20.75 ft 6.32 m
Key (shaded lane or restricted area) width 16 ft 4.88 m 16.08 ft 4.9 m Same as NBA 12 ft 3.66 m
Free-throw line distance from point on the floor directly below the backboard 15 ft 4.57 m 15.09 ft 4.6 m Same as NBA

* The NBA three-point line is 0.91 m from the sideline in a zone starting at the baseline and ending when it crosses the 7.24 m arc. The 6.70 m distance exists only at the points on the three-point line that are directly to the left and right of the basket centre.

† The FIBA three-point line is 0.90 m from the sideline in a zone starting at the baseline and ending when it crosses the 6.75 m arc. The 6.60 m distance exists only at the points on the three-point line that are directly to the left and right of the basket centre.

The NBA, the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations dictate that the free-throw line is 4.57 m horizontally from the plane of the front of the backboard.

 

Regulation FIBA vs NBA

In Australia, the most popular choice of backyard court line marking sizing is to adhere to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules and regulations. FIBA regulation size courts are reasonably close to the NBA regulation size, in both total court size and specific court lines. Although the most significant difference between the two is the three point line, which is 49cm further away from the hoop at the arc, than FIBA regulation.

 

What is the length of a Basketball Court?

A FIBA-regulation size basketball court has a length of 28 metres. An NBA-regulation size basketball court has a length of 28.7 metres.

 

What is the width of a Basketball Court?

A FIBA-regulation sized basketball court has a width of 15 metres. An NBA-regulation basketball court has a length of 15.2 metres.

 

What is the height of a Basketball Hoop?

A Basketball Hoop is exactly 3.05m (10 feet) above the ground. FIBA & NBA regulation backboards are 183 cm wide by 110 cm tall.

 

What is the diameter of a Basketball Hoop?

All basketball rims are 46 cm in diameter.

 

What is the size of the rectangle painted on a Basketball Backboard?

The inner rectangle graphic on the backboard is 61 cm wide by 46 cm tall.

 

Below is a detailed drawing that includes FIBA, NBA & NCAA line marking dimensions, allowing you to visually compare the differences and check individual measurements as you require...

Basketball Court Line Marking Dimensions
(Click image to enlarge) - Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_court

 

Thanks for reading, we hope it was helpful. Submit your feedback or further questions via the chatbot. Here at MSF Sports we spend most of our time custom designing, supplying & installing multi sports courts...

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Why use MSF PRO™ sports surface for your court?

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MSF Basketball & MSF Sports Australia

MSF Sports is proudly 100% Australian-owned & operated. We've been offering elite-level sports court systems for over 110 years, having built many 100's of sports courts throughout this great land we call home.

 

St Michael's Grammer School Court by MSF Sports

 

MSF PRO™

The most advanced commercial-grade interlocking multi sports flooring for residential, commercial and schools.

MSF PRO Basketball Court TileOutplays older court technologies, increased life-span, performance, usability and safety.

Rubber cushions offer joint strain/injury minimisation and a lowered ball bounce sound to keep those neighbours happy!

An MSF PRO sports court virtually eliminates ongoing maintenance, all whilst maintaining elite level gameplay for years to come. 


Why use MSF PRO™ sports surface for your court?

  • MSF Sports has a 110 year track record in modular court technology
  • Consistent ball bounce - MSF PRO is designed to replicate indoor wooden floor
  • 50 x rubber cushions per tile minimise joint strain
  • Unique anti-slip finish offers increased grip
  • Save time and cost travelling to stadiums
  • Ball bounce sound reduction
  • Water drainage system 
  • Durable & UV-resistant
  • Minimise your property's ongoing maintenance
  • Add susbtantial value and uniqueness to your property
  • 10 year limited warranty + 20 year life expectancy

Available now to Residential customers Australia-wide



MSF Basketball & MSF Sports Australia

MSF Sports is proudly 100% Australian-owned & operated. We've been offering elite-level sports court systems for over 110 years, having built many 100's of sports courts throughout this great land we call home.

 

St Michael's Grammer School Court by MSF Sports

 

Call us on 1800 COURTS if you have questions about backyard sports court dimensions or construction.

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