Best dartboard overall
The best dartboards for home
Our main dartboard roundup: bristle and electronic picks, and the wiring detail that separates a good board from a cheap one.
Category
Dartboards for the home
The cheapest way to turn a wall into a game room — and the one purchase where getting the measurements right matters more than the board.
By Ryder M. · Last updated September 27, 2026 · How we pick
A dartboard is the highest-value purchase in this entire site. It costs a fraction of any table here, it needs no floor space at all, and it is the only game room item where a beginner and a good player can genuinely compete. If someone has a blank wall and an interest, this is the gift that gets used.
There are two kinds of board and they are not really competing products. A bristle board is compressed sisal fiber, used with steel-tip darts. The fibers close around the dart and heal themselves, so a good one lasts years, and it is what every professional plays on. An electronic board is a plastic face with thousands of small holes, used with soft-tip darts, and it scores for you. The scoring is not a gimmick — it removes the single biggest barrier for casual players, who mostly do not want to do mental arithmetic in threes. We compare them properly on bristle vs electronic.
Whichever you buy, the setup is fixed and non-negotiable. The bullseye goes 5ft 8in from the floor, and the throw line sits 7ft 9¼in horizontally from the face of the board. Those are the numbers set by the World Darts Federation and used by the PDC, and they are the same everywhere in the world for steel-tip play. Get them wrong and everything the person learns at home transfers badly to any other board. The height and distance guide has the measurements and the soft-tip variants.
The other thing to budget for is the wall. Everyone misses, and a missed dart goes into plaster. A cabinet solves this elegantly — it frames the board, hides it when closed, usually includes a scoreboard, and catches most strays. A surround ring is the cheaper version of the same idea. Either way, plan for it at purchase rather than after the first hole.
Start here
The picks in this category
Every guide below is written for someone buying rather than someone who already plays.
Cue & Paddle is reader-funded. If you buy through a link on this page we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which products we pick or how we rank them — read the full disclosure.
Best electronic dartboard
The best electronic dartboards
Automatic scoring, game modes and soft-tip play — the electronic boards worth buying, for families and connected play.
Best beginner dartboard
The best dartboards for beginners
What to buy first, why the cheapest board is a false economy, and the setup that makes learning darts easier.
Best dartboard cabinet
The best dartboard cabinets
What cabinets protect, what to look for, and whether a surround ring is the better buy for your wall and budget.
How to choose
What actually decides this purchase
Darts is the easiest category on this site to get right, provided you answer one question honestly first: does the person want to play darts, or do they want a dartboard?
- Steel tip or soft tip? Someone who plays, or wants to, should be on a bristle board with steel tips — it is what every pub and every tournament uses, and the skills transfer. Someone who mainly wants a fun thing on the wall for guests is better served by an electronic board that keeps score and runs game modes. See steel tip vs soft tip.
- If bristle: look at the wiring, not the brand story. Modern boards use thin blade wire mounted at a shallow angle, which means fewer bounce-outs and more scoring darts. It is the single genuine technical improvement in the category and it is visible in a close-up photo.
- Plan the wall at the same time. A cabinet or a surround is not an accessory here, it is part of the installation. So is the throw line marker, which is the difference between practicing the right distance and practicing a made-up one.
- Check you have the room. You need about 8 feet of clear depth behind the throw line plus room to stand, and ideally nothing breakable to either side. Our guide on how much space you need covers the awkward cases like hallways and sloped ceilings.
One honest warning about very cheap bristle boards: the staples around the wire on budget models cause bounce-outs, and the sisal is softer so it wears unevenly within a year of regular play. It is the one place in this category where spending a little more genuinely changes the experience rather than buying a brand name.
Before you buy
Guides and comparisons
Comparison
Bristle vs electronic dartboards
How the two play, what each is genuinely for, safety with children, and which suits your household.
Comparison
Steel tip vs soft tip darts
Weight, throw distance and board compatibility compared — plus which type to buy for a home game room.
Guide
Dartboard height and throw distance
The regulation height, throw distance and diagonal, for steel and soft tip — with the governing bodies cited.
Guide
How much space do you need for a dartboard?
Depth, width, ceiling height and wall clearance — plus how to make hallways and awkward rooms work.
Guide
How to set up a dartboard at home
Mounting, height, throw line, lighting and wall protection — the full setup, step by step.
Questions
Common questions
What is the regulation dartboard height and distance?
The center of the bullseye is 5 feet 8 inches (1.73m) from the floor, and the throw line is 7 feet 9¼ inches (2.37m) measured horizontally from the face of the board. The diagonal from the bullseye to the throw line is 9 feet 7⅜ inches, which is the easiest way to check your setup. These figures come from the WDF playing rules and are standard for steel-tip darts worldwide.
How far should a dartboard be from the wall behind the player?
Allow at least 8 feet of clear depth from the board — the 7ft 9¼in throw distance plus standing room behind it. Two feet of clearance either side of the board keeps stray darts away from furniture and keeps the throwing arc clear. Full details on how much space you need.
Is a bristle or electronic dartboard better for home?
They suit different people. Bristle boards with steel-tip darts are what professionals use, play better, and last for years — the right choice for anyone who actually wants to improve. Electronic boards score automatically and run dozens of game modes, which makes them far better for casual players and for households where nobody wants to keep score by hand. Our comparison goes through both properly.
Do you need a cabinet for a dartboard?
Not strictly, but you need something. Missed darts go into the wall, and plaster does not heal the way sisal does. A cabinet protects the wall, hides the board when closed, and usually adds a scoreboard; a surround ring does the protection part alone for less. Either is cheaper than repainting. See dartboard cabinets.
What dartboards do professionals use?
Professional tournaments use bristle boards made from compressed sisal, with thin blade-style wiring to minimize bounce-outs. Several manufacturers supply boards to the major darts organisations, and their tournament-grade boards are sold to the public as well — so the board a professional throws at is genuinely available for a home wall. Always check the current official supplier for a given tour rather than relying on an old claim.
Elsewhere on Cue & Paddle
Other rooms, other games
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Sorted by recipient and by price tier, for the buyer who does not know the category and needs a can't-go-wrong pick.
- Gifts for dart players
Buying this for someone else? Start with the gift guide instead.