How to Hang a Dartboard at Home | Oche

Hanging a dartboard properly is a 20-minute job, but the difference between doing it right and “near enough” is whether your board plays like a match board. The two figures that matter are the 1.73 m bull height and the 2.37 m oche — get those exact and everything else is just doing it tidily.

What you’ll need

A tape measure, a spirit level, a pencil, a drill with the right fixings for your wall, and ideally a dartboard surround or backboard to protect the wall.

Step by step

1. Pick the right wall. Choose a solid wall with at least 2.4 m of clear floor in front and good lighting. Avoid plasterboard-only walls — fix into a stud or use heavy-duty wall plugs.
2. Mark the centre height. Measure 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) up from the floor and mark where the centre of the bull will sit. Use the spirit level so the mark is true.
3. Fit the bracket. Most boards hang on a centre bracket — screw it to the wall so that, once the board is on it, the bull lands on your 1.73 m mark.
4. Hang and level the board. Mount it, rotate so the 20 segment is straight up, and check with the level. Tighten so it sits flat and rattle-free.
5. Measure the oche. From the point on the floor directly below the board face, measure 2.37 m (7 ft 9¼ in) horizontally for steel-tip (2.44 m for soft-tip) and mark the throwing line.
6. Confirm with the diagonal. Measure from the centre of the bull to the back of the oche — 2.93 m (9 ft 7½ in) confirms both height and distance are correct.
7. Protect the wall. Fit a surround or backboard to catch stray darts.

Our full hanging guide has the same steps with extra detail on brackets and wall types. The measurements all come from the WDF specifications.

Killing the rattle

A board that rattles on impact throws darts out and is maddening to play on. Make sure the centre bracket is screwed tightly into a solid fixing and the board sits flush. A small foam or cork pad behind the board removes any remaining rattle and protects the wall behind it.

Steel-tip or soft-tip?

If you’re setting up an electronic (soft-tip) board, the only change is the oche — move it back to 2.44 m. The 1.73 m height is identical. Our steel-tip vs soft-tip guide explains which format suits a home setup.

Now break it in

With the board hung at 1.73 m and the oche at 2.37 m, you’ve built yourself a regulation lane. Fire up the Oche X01 scorer for your first session — it scores every leg and tracks your average, so your new setup starts paying off from dart one.