How Big Should a Room Be to Use a Seven Foot Pool Table?

Don't underestimate how much space you need for your pool table.

Bigger Is Better

Chris Abaya, who runs the website Easy Pool Tutor, recommends that you add the length of a cue, plus 6 inches, as the perimeter around your pool table. Using the most common cue length of 57 inches, for a 7-foot table you need total space of at least 16 feet 10 inches by 13 feet 8 inches. This allows enough room for your whole cue, plus extra room for your stroke.

Smaller Can Work

If you have your heart set on a pool table but you can't knock out a few walls, just get smaller cues. Abaya says that if you use 48-inch cues, your room only needs to be 15 feet 4 inches by 12 feet 2 inches. You could also set up the table so that only one side has limited clearance, and use a "shorty" cue, as short as 36 inches, on just that side when necessary.

Bottom Line

A larger room is optimal. Some players find shorty cues to be awkward, and depending on how small the room is, even a 36-inch pool stick might bump the wall when you're trying to shoot. You also need to allow room for your pool cue rack and other accessories--not to mention fellow players.