Discovering the exact ping pong table dimensions is becoming increasingly popular as the game of table tennis or ping pong as it is officially known, grows to be more and more widespread all over the world. Part of this rise in popularity can be attributed to the fact that you can watch table tennis on television a lot more than in years gone past. This means that more people are becoming interested in the sport and interest levels are rising to levels that were only typically seen in Asian countries like China, where table tennis is a professional sport and is taken very seriously indeed.

If you are thinking about purchasing a table to take home and put under your patio or in your garage, then you may be wondering on the exact ping pong table dimensions. While regulation ping pong table dimensions are more relaxed and perhaps appropriate for the casual home user, there are certain standards set down by the International Table Tennis Federation for all professional and Olympic tables which are going to be used in competition.

As far as standard ping pong table dimensions are concerned, the ITTF stipulates that the table should have the following characteristics:

Rectangular in shape
Length of 2.74 meters (9 feet): 5mm tolerance of the prescribed measurement
Width of 1.525 meters (5 feet): 3mm tolerance of the prescribed measurement
Height off the ground of 76 centimeters (30 inches): 3mm tolerance of the prescribed measurement

The extent of ping pong table dimensions doesn’t end there however. The table tennis net also has its own set of specific criteria. It needs to be exactly 15.25cm high and the amount in which the net extends past the edge of the playing surface needs to be equal on both sides. The white line that runs around the perimeter of the ping pong table needs to extend 2cm from the edge of the table inwards and each half of the table that belongs to each opponent needs to be 3mm in width.

Of course, all of these outdoor ping pong table dimensions might seem very stringent at first glance, but it is important to understand that at Olympic or professional level, there needs to be a level playing field and many players hone their skills on standardized dimensions.

If you are just a casual user as opposed to a professional then you may want to buy a fold up table. Folding cheap ping pong tables dimensions are usually 1.5m high by 1.5m wide and around 60cm in breadth. Many of these units also come with wheels for easy storage and can be kept just about anywhere thanks to their tall yet slim design.