Dartboard Lighting — Light Your Board Shadow-Free | Oche

Lighting isn’t fixed by a regulation the way height and distance are, but it makes a bigger difference to your scoring than almost anything else in the setup. The goal is simple: light every segment evenly, with no shadow falling on the board.

Why one light isn’t enough

A single bulb on the ceiling — especially one behind where you stand — throws the shadow of your throwing arm and the board’s own wires straight across the trebles and bull. The exact areas you’re aiming at end up the darkest on the board. The fix is to light the board from around it, not from one point behind you.

The best option: a surround light

A dedicated dartboard light that rings the board — an LED surround or a purpose-made lighting system that clips around the edge — lights every segment from all sides at once and casts no shadow. It’s the same even, shadow-free wash the pros throw under on stage, and it’s the easiest way to get a clean setup.

A simple two-lamp alternative

No surround light? Aim two lamps in from the upper left and upper right, both angled at the board. Each lamp cancels the other’s shadow, leaving the face evenly lit. Avoid lighting from a single side — it leaves the opposite segments in shadow.

Brightness and colour

Use bright, neutral-white light around 4000–5000 K. Warmer bulbs tint the cream and green segments yellow; very cool bulbs glare. Neutral white renders the colours accurately so the trebles and doubles read clearly.

Pair good lighting with a surround when you hang the board and your home setup will both look and play like the real thing.