Section 3: Playing Area
3.1 Court Dimensions (WSF Rules of Squash, Rule 1 – Court Specifications)
A singles squash court is a rectangular enclosed space with the following official dimensions:
- Length (front wall to back wall): 9.750 m (32 feet 0 inches)
- Width (side wall to side wall): 6.400 m (21 feet 0 inches)
- Diagonal (floor): 11.665 m (38 feet 3 inches)
3.2 Front Wall Markings
- Out Line (top boundary): 4.570 m (15 feet 0 inches) above the floor — a horizontal line across the full width of the front wall. Any ball striking the out line or above is out.
- Service Line: 1.830 m (6 feet 0 inches) above the floor — a horizontal line across the front wall. Service must strike the front wall above this line.
- Tin (lower boundary board): The bottom 0.480 m (19 inches) of the front wall is marked by the tin (or board). Any ball striking the tin or below is out. The tin produces a distinctive sound when struck to assist the Marker.
3.3 Side Wall Markings
The out line continues from the front wall top (4.570 m) along each side wall, sloping downward to the back wall at a height of 2.130 m (7 feet 0 inches). This sloping line on each side wall marks the upper boundary. Any ball striking the side wall on or above the out line is out.
3.4 Back Wall
The back wall minimum height is 2.130 m (7 feet 0 inches). The out line on the back wall is at 2.130 m. Any ball striking above 2.130 m on the back wall (or above the out line) is out.
3.5 Floor Markings
- Short Line: A line drawn across the full width of the floor, parallel to the front and back walls, at 5.490 m (18 feet 0 inches) from the front wall (equivalently, 4.260 m / 14 feet from the back wall). The short line divides the court into the front court (service courts) and the back court.
- Half-Court Line: A line drawn from the middle of the short line to the middle of the back wall, dividing the back court into left and right service boxes.
- Service Boxes: Two boxes, each 1.600 m (5 feet 3 inches) square, formed by the short line, the half-court line, and each side wall respectively. The server must stand with at least one foot in the service box when serving.
3.6 Court Construction
Court walls are typically constructed of plaster, plywood, or glass panels. The floor is typically made of sprung hardwood (e.g., maple). All lines on the court shall be 50 mm (2 inches) wide. Lines are part of the boundary they define — a ball contacting a line is considered to have struck the boundary itself (i.e., it is out or down).