If you’re considering a ping pong table for your house, you first need to ensure you have enough room to accommodate one. This includes taking into consideration the extra space required to allow for free movement during play. Here’s what you need to know.
A standard ping pong table measures 9′ (2.74 m) long, 5′ (1.525 m) wide and 2.5′ (76 cm) high. A folded table is 22″ W x 60.25″ L x 65.75″ H (56 cm x 153 cm x 167 cm). A ping pong table requires a room measuring at least 28″ x 13″ (8.5 m x 4m) for reasonable play and a ceiling height of 10′ (3 m).
The ping pong net is to be 6′ (1.83 m) long and 6″ (15.25 cm) tall above the playing surface. This is more for completeness and is less important than the overall measurements of the table since that’s the determining factor as to whether or not it will fit in your home.
Ping Pong Table Sizes For Home And Tournament Play
You can find both regular-sized and mini ping pong tables for home use depending on the manufacturer. As mentioned above, a 9′ (2.74 m) long, 5′ (1.525 m) wide and 2.5′ (76 cm) high table for home use is standard and easy to find.
A mini ping pong table may be in the range of 6′ long x 3′ wide x 2.5′ high (1.8 m x 0.9 m x 0.76 m). It’s a consideration if you have less space to work with.
The tournament approved ping pong table size must be 9′ (2.74 m) long, 5′ (1.525 m) wide and 29″ – 30″ (75 cm – 77 cm) from the ground.
Ping Pong Playing Area Sizes
You need a room measuring at least 28″ x 13″ (8.5 m x 4m) for reasonable play and to properly accommodate a regular-sized ping pong table of dimensions 9′ (2.74 m) long, 5′ (1.525 m) wide and 2.5′ (76 cm) high.
International events such as the Olympics and World Championships require an even larger area given the aggressive style of play that the pros engage in. An area measuring 46′ x 23′ (14 m x 7 m) is required for these high-end events.
Other events like national tournaments require a smaller playing area of 40′ x 20′ (12 m x 6 m) and a national league may use a playing area measuring 33′ x 16′ 6″ (10 m x 5 m). Your local ping pong league might use a playing area similar to the one required for your home table.
Ping Pong Table Lighting And Ceiling Height
As far as ceiling size, the pros generally have 16′ 6″ (5 m) clearance above the top of the table to the light source.
In your home, you can look for a minimum ceiling height of 10′ (3 m) above the floor to properly account for the light source and required height for ease of ping pong play.
What Is A Ping Pong Table Made From?
An indoor ping pong table for your rec room or basement is typically made from plywood that comes from fir, pine or spruce trees. The table may also be made from particleboard or fiberboard. Because a ping pong table doesn’t need to be particularly strong like a pool table, the use of solid woods are generally avoided since it adds to the cost unnecessarily. The table is commonly painted dark green or blue with white lines.
The use of engineered wood is very common for ping pong tables. A quality table may have a 5/8″ (16 mm) thick tabletop and an even more solid option can be 1.2″ (30 mm) in thickness for more vigorous game play. The table is typically coated with UV-protection and has multiple layers of alkyd paint to protect the surface.
An outdoor ping pong table that must deal with elements like sun and rain may be made from concrete, metal, fiberglass or plastic. This would typically be used in a hotel or other establishment that offers the game for customers to play outdoors.
How Much Does A Ping Pong Table Weigh?
A quality indoor ping pong table may weigh 70 lbs – 100 lbs (32 kg – 45 kg) whereas professional style tables can range from 250 lbs – 300 lbs (113 kg – 136 kg) to support more vigorous play.
You can find concrete ping pong tables ranging from 430 lbs – 2600 lbs (195 kg – 1180 kg) and up. The heaviest tables come with solid steel legs that add to the total weight of the unit. These tables can be for both indoor or outdoor use so be sure to check with the manufacturer to confirm.
Let’s take a closer look at the game of ping pong and what other considerations you need to think about before buying a table for your basement or rec room.
Ping Pong vs Table Tennis
One of the interesting things you will find is that when you search for ping pong online, it will regularly point you to a page describing table tennis. Which begs the question…
Is ping pong and table tennis the same thing?
And if not, what are the differences you need to know about?
You might think that ping pong and table tennis are the same thing and up until 2011, you’d have been correct. In 2011, differences between the two games became more defined and are now treated separately due to the addition of a major ping pong tournament specifically.
Ping Pong
Ping pong is the game that we play for fun in our rec room, backyard, on holiday at a hotel and elsewhere. Ping pong is a trademarked name that refers to the game of table tennis per se but is actually the fun version we do as a hobby or when we see a ping pong table waiting to be used. Ping pong is something we play as an activity and not necessarily competitively.
In 2011, the World Championship of Ping Pong (WCPP) was held for the first time, formalizing the differences between ping pong and table tennis. Rules for the first WCPP stated that each ping pong game went to 21 points and the championship game was a best of 3 series. Every match was to be won by a 2 point margin. The tournament now utilizes 15 point games in a best of three format.
Ping pong is the name widely used in the United States to describe the game in question.
Table Tennis
Table tennis is the sport that people play competitively and train for. The World Table Tennis Championships have been held since 1926 and have been held every 2 years since 1957. It is administered by the International Table Tennis Federation. In the Olympic Games, World Team Table Tennis Championships, Commonwealth Games, Paralympic Games and other major tournaments, the events are all known as table tennis, not ping pong.
A tournament table tennis game is won by the first player to score 11 points unless both players have 10 points in which case the first player to gain a lead of 2 points wins the game. The match can consist of the best of any number of odd games ie. best of 3, best of 5, best of 7, etc.
Ping Pong vs Table Tennis Specifications
While the games seem similar, official rules and specifications differ somewhat. Equipment may also be referred to differently in various parts of the world. The ITTF uses the term “racket” to describe what is referred to as “bat” in the UK while it’s called a “paddle” in the US and Canada.
| Specification | Ping Pong | Table Tennis |
| Points to win | 15 | 11 |
| Match length | Best of three | Best of any odd number of games. |
| Flexible rules | Yes | No |
| Racket | A wooden racket with a flat, rigid blade. The racket has a rough sandpaper covering. | Any size, shape or weight but the blade must be flat, rigid and made predominantly of wood. The racket has a spongy pimpled rubber surface. |
| Style of play | Slower play, longer rallies and less use of spin due to sandpaper racket design. | Faster play, more use of spin, and shorter rallies given rubber racket design. |
| Ball | 0.095 oz (2.7 g) with a diameter of 1.57″ (40 mm). | 0.095 oz (2.7 g) with a diameter of 1.57″ (40 mm). The ball must be matte and either white or orange. |
| Table | 9′ (2.74 m) long, 5′ (1.525 m) wide and 2.5′ (76 cm) high. The table will be 29″ – 30″ (75-77 cm) from the ground. Tables are uniformly matte dark blue or green. | 9′ (2.74 m) long, 5′ (1.525 m) wide and 2.5′ (76 cm) high. The table will be 30″ (76 cm) from the ground. Tables are uniformly matte dark blue or green. Dark blue has been used recently for World Championships. |
| World Championships held | Yes | Yes |
| Olympic sport | No | Yes |
Summary
While ping pong and table tennis are words that are used synonymously by most people, the two games are actually different with slightly different rules and equipment specifications certainly since the advent of the 2011 World Championship of Ping Pong.
Having said that, for the average person looking to add a ping pong or table tennis table in their rec room or basement, you can search for both terms online for the best selection and options.