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Cornhole Distance and Dimensions

Regulation cornhole distance is 27 feet between the boards, front edge to front edge — 21 feet for juniors — with a 4 × 3 ft pitcher's box beside each board and the front edge as the foul line, inside an 8 × 40 ft playing area in the ACO's rulebook. This page is the setup: the regulation and junior distances as printable sheets, every measurement in a table, the bags, and a blank setup sheet you can put a tournament's name on. The board itself, with plans and a cut list, has its own page.

Measured · set it up

Regulation distance, junior distance, blank setup, and the board.

The two measured sheets are the ones you take outside; the blank is for tournament night; the board plan is here so the whole game is on one page.

Regulation cornhole distance diagram — two 2 by 4 ft boards 27 ft apart front edge to front edge, 4 by 3 ft pitcher's boxes either side of each board, foul lines at the front edges, 8 ft wide
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Regulation Cornhole Distance — 27 ft

Boards 27 ft apart front edge to front edge, 4 × 3 ft pitcher's boxes either side, foul lines at the front edges, 8 ft wide. The sheet you take to the yard with a tape and a can of marking paint.
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Junior cornhole distance diagram — the same boards and pitcher's boxes with the front edges 21 ft apart
PDF

Junior & Small-Yard Distance — 21 ft

The ACL / ACO junior distance: same boards, front edges 21 ft apart, holes 27 ft apart. The right sheet for kids, a short yard, a garage or a basement.
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Blank cornhole setup diagram — two boards with holes, pitcher's boxes and foul lines, no text
PDF

Blank Setup Sheet — Build Custom

The regulation setup with no numbers, ready for a tournament bracket, a league night or a wedding lawn game. Build Custom adds your name and logo.
Regulation cornhole board plan — 24 by 48 in board with the 6-in hole 9 in from the top, top and side views
PDF

The Board — 24 × 48 in Plan

The regulation board in top and side view. The board itself has its own page with the plans, cut list, leg detail and the tailgate and mini sizes.

Regulation cornhole distance and dimensions

The ACL and ACO agree on all of these; the only place they part is the last half-ounce of a bag.

MeasurementValue
Distance between boards27 ft front edge to front edge — which puts the holes 33 ft apart
Junior / recreational distance21 ft front edge to front edge (holes 27 ft apart)
Older standard33 ft, measured hole to hole — the same spacing as 27 ft front to front
Pitcher's box4 × 3 ft either side of each board (four boxes)
Foul lineThe front edge of the board, extended across the playing area
Playing area8 ft wide × 40 ft long; the ACO also asks for 12 ft of vertical clearance
Boards24 × 48 in, 6-in hole 9 in from the top, 12 in high at the back, 3–4 in at the front
Bags6 × 6 in, 15.5–16.5 oz (ACL) or 15.75–16.25 oz (ACO), resin-filled; eight per set, four per colour

Why 27 feet — and why you still hear 33

The distance is measured between the front edges of the boards, not the holes. Each board is 4 feet long with its hole 9 inches from the back edge, so 27 feet between the fronts is 33 feet between the holes — the figure the older rules used, and the one that still gets quoted as “regulation”. Both are right; they describe the same setup. Measure by the front edges because that is where the foul line is and it is the number in today’s rulebooks.

At 27 feet a well-thrown bag arrives on a flat arc with enough speed to slide; at 21 feet, the junior distance, kids and beginners can slide one in with an underhand toss. Whatever distance you pick, keep both boards the same, line the holes up by eye, and leave a few feet behind each board — the ACO’s 8 × 40 ft playing area is that allowance written down.

Building the boards?
Cornhole board dimensions, plans and cut list
The 24 × 48 in board plan, materials and cut list for a pair, the leg detail, and tailgate and mini boards.
Open
Now play it properly
Cornhole rules and scoring
Cancellation scoring to 21, foul lines, what counts as in the hole — the official ACL and ACO rules in plain English.
Open
Tournament night?
Put your name on the setup sheet
The blank regulation setup with a logo, tournament name and notes, as a print-ready PDF.
Open
How far apart are cornhole boards?
27 feet from the front edge of one board to the front edge of the other for regulation play under the ACL and ACO — which puts the holes 33 feet apart, since each board is 4 feet long and the hole is 9 inches from its far end. Juniors and small yards use 21 feet. If you have ever seen 33 feet quoted as regulation, that is the same layout measured hole to hole.
What are regulation cornhole dimensions?
Two 24 × 48 in boards with 6-in holes, set 27 ft apart front edge to front edge, with a 4 × 3 ft pitcher's box on each side of each board and the front edge of the board as the foul line. The American Cornhole Organization describes the whole playing area as 8 ft wide by 40 ft long with 12 ft of clearance overhead. Bags are 6 × 6 in at about 16 oz.
How much space do I need for cornhole?
An 8 × 40 ft strip is the official answer: 8 ft covers a 2-ft board with a 3-ft pitcher's box on each side, and 40 ft covers the 27-ft gap, the two 4-ft boards and a little room behind each. In practice a 10 × 45 ft lawn is comfortable. At the 21-ft junior distance you can fit the game into 8 × 34 ft, which is why it is the usual choice for a garage or basement — and indoors you want a 12-ft ceiling, because a lobbed bag peaks well above head height.
What is the pitcher's box?
A 4 × 3 ft rectangle on each side of each board, running from the back of the board to its front edge. Players throw from the box beside their board — from either side, but the same side for the whole frame in doubles — and must release the bag before any part of the foot crosses the foul line at the board's front edge.
Is 33 feet regulation?
It was, measured differently. The older standard gave 33 feet between the holes; the ACL and ACO now give 27 feet between the front edges, and because a board is 4 feet long with the hole 9 inches from the back, the two are the same layout. Set up by the front edges — it is easier to measure and it is how the rulebooks read.
What distance should kids throw from?
21 feet front edge to front edge, the junior distance in both the ACL and ACO rules. Keep the regulation boards — the slope and hole are what make the game work — and just move them closer. Many recreational leagues and indoor venues use 21 feet for adults too when space is tight.
What size and weight are cornhole bags?
6 × 6 inches, filled to about a pound: the ACL specifies 15.5–16.5 oz and the ACO 15.75–16.25 oz. Modern bags are filled with resin pellets rather than corn, are double-stitched, and usually have a slick side and a sticky side. A regulation set is eight bags, four per colour.
What does the ACO mean by the cornhole court?
The whole playing area: 8 ft wide by 40 ft long, with the two boards 27 ft apart inside it and 12 ft of clearance overhead. Most players just call it the setup — you do not build a court for cornhole the way you do for bocce, you measure the distance out on grass or a driveway. The sheets above draw exactly that.
How do I set the boards up on grass or a driveway?
Put the first board down, run a tape 27 ft from its front edge and set the second board's front edge on the mark, then sight down the boards so the holes line up. Chalk or paint the pitcher's boxes 4 ft long and 3 ft wide beside each board if you are running a tournament; for a backyard game the front edge of the board is the only line that matters.

Distances, boxes and playing area from the American Cornhole League and American Cornhole Organization rules. Updated through September 2026.