Oche Distance — What Is the Oche & How Far to Throw | Oche

The oche — pronounced “ockey” — is the throwing line: the mark on the floor you stand behind to throw. It’s the single reference every fair game of darts is built on, and getting it in exactly the right place matters as much as hanging the board at the right height.

The exact distance

The oche sits 2.37 m (7 ft 9¼ in) from the face of the board for steel-tip darts, measured horizontally along the floor. Soft-tip (electronic) boards throw from 2.44 m (8 ft) instead. The distance is always measured to the front edge of the line — the edge nearest the board.

A common mistake is to measure from the wall. Always measure from the face of the board, which stands a few centimetres proud of the wall, or your oche will end up slightly too far back.

Cross-check with the diagonal

There’s a neat way to confirm both your height and your distance in one go. Measure the straight-line diagonal from the centre of the bullseye down to the back of the oche. For a steel-tip setup it should read 2.93 m (9 ft 7½ in). If the diagonal is right, your 1.73 m height and 2.37 m distance are both correct.

Standing at the line

You must keep your feet behind the front edge of the oche. You’re free to lean your body forward over the line, but the moment any part of your foot crosses or touches the ground beyond it, the throw is foul. Many players fix a raised oche bar — roughly 38 mm high and 610 mm long — so they can feel the line with their lead foot without looking down.