Snooker Table Guide: Sizes, Prices and Where to Buy
A full-size snooker table is 12 feet by 6 feet, with a playing surface of 11 ft 8.5 in by 5 ft 10 in. That is about twice the playing area of a 9-foot pool table, and it needs a room of roughly 22 by 16 feet. The pockets are smaller too: about 3.5 inches with rounded jaws, for balls that are 2 1/16 inches across.
Here is the honest part most "best snooker table" lists skip. In the US you can't just order a real snooker table from a big-box store. Search Amazon for one and nearly every result is a pool table. Full-size tables come from specialist makers on a quote, from importers or from the used market. Smaller snooker tables are rare here, and the route most American players take is a good pool table with a scaled snooker ball set. Below: sizes and room math, how a snooker table differs from a pool table, setup, price, and which route fits your room.
Snooker table size and dimensions
| Measurement | Full-size (regulation) snooker table |
|---|---|
| Nominal size | 12 ft x 6 ft |
| Playing surface (inside the cushions) | 11 ft 8.5 in x 5 ft 10 in (356.9 x 177.8 cm), tolerance plus or minus 0.5 in |
| Outside footprint | About 151.6 x 81.1 in on one maker's 12 ft table; varies with rail width |
| Height, floor to top of cushion | 2 ft 9.5 in to 2 ft 10.5 in |
| Pockets | Six, about 3.5 in, rounded; corners narrower than middles |
| Balls | 22 balls, 2 1/16 in (52.5 mm) |
| Baulk line | 29 in from the face of the bottom cushion |
| The D | Semicircle with an 11.5 in radius, centered on the baulk line |
| Black spot | 12.75 in from the face of the top cushion |
| Bed | Slate, five pieces on a full-size table |
Smaller snooker tables are sold in nominal sizes of 10 x 5 ft, 9 x 4.5 ft (often called three-quarter size), 8 x 4 ft and 6 x 3 ft. None of them is regulation, and their playing surfaces and pocket sizes vary by maker, so get the spec sheet for the exact table. In the US, the 10 x 5 ft table has a history of its own: it was the usual size for American snooker, the BCA-ruled version of the game.
A note on pockets: the 3.5 inch figure is approximate. The official standard is a set of templates from the WPBSA rather than a single published number, and tournament tables can be cut tighter.
Pool table vs snooker table
| Snooker table (12 ft) | Pool table (9 ft) | Pool table (8 ft) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playing surface | 140.5 x 70 in | 100 x 50 in | 92 x 46 in |
| Playing area | About 68 sq ft | About 35 sq ft | About 29 sq ft |
| Ball size | 2 1/16 in | 2 1/4 in | 2 1/4 in |
| Balls in a set | 22 (15 reds, 6 colors, cue ball) | 16 | 16 |
| Corner pocket opening | About 3.5 in, rounded jaws | 4.5 to 4.625 in (WPA spec) | 4.5 to 4.625 in (WPA spec) |
| Cloth | Napped wool baize | Nap-free worsted | Nap-free worsted |
| Cushion profile | L-shaped (L77 and similar) | K-66 on most home tables | K-66 on most home tables |
| Room with 58 in cues | About 21 ft 4 in x 15 ft 6 in minimum (22 x 16 ft is the usual advice) | About 14 x 18 ft | About 13 x 17 ft |
The pocket-to-ball ratio is what makes snooker feel so unforgiving. A snooker corner pocket is about 1.7 times the width of the ball; a pool corner is about twice the ball. Add a table 40 inches longer than a 9-footer, and a pot that is routine on a bar box becomes a real shot.
The cloth matters more than people expect. Snooker baize has a nap that runs from the baulk end toward the black spot, so a slow ball drifts with or against the weave depending on direction. Pool cloth has no nap. For the wider comparison of the three games (rules, scoring, cues), see pool vs billiards vs snooker.
How much room does a snooker table need?
Use the same formula as for a pool table: playing surface plus two cue lengths in each direction, so you can stroke from any cushion.
| Table | Cue length | Minimum room |
|---|---|---|
| 12 ft snooker | 58 in | About 21 ft 4 in x 15 ft 6 in |
| 12 ft snooker | 52 in | About 20 ft 4 in x 14 ft 6 in |
| Smaller snooker tables | Any | Playing surface plus twice the cue length, from the maker's spec |
Treat those as true minimums, with your back against the wall on some shots. The 22 by 16 foot figure that the British maker Thurston quotes leaves room to walk around and is the better target. Rests help with long reaches over the bed, but they don't reduce the room you need behind the cue ball when it sits near a cushion.
If your room is closer to 14 by 18 feet, you have a 9-foot pool room, not a snooker room. That is the moment to look at the pool-table route below.
Snooker table for sale: what US buyers can actually get
1. A full-size table from a specialist maker. These are built to order or imported and sold on a quote. Predator, for example, lists a 12-foot snooker table on its US site with an inquiry form instead of a price. Expect the quote to include crating and freight, and plan for a specialist installer to join the five slates and fit the cloth.
2. A used table. Older 10 and 12 foot tables do come up secondhand in the US, including American snooker tables from the era when Brunswick printed snooker rules in its rulebooks, and British tables that someone imported. A used slate table is only a bargain if moving it is. Budget for a mover who rigs slate, and check that the cushions still rebound and the slate seams are tight before you commit.
3. A smaller snooker table. Six to nine foot snooker tables with proper rounded pockets are common in Britain and hard to find in US retail. When a US listing says "snooker table," check the photos for rounded pocket jaws, the baulk line and D, and a 22-ball set. If it has wide cut pockets and a 16-ball set, it is a pool table with a snooker keyword.
4. A pool table with a snooker ball set. This is what most American snooker fans actually do. A 2 1/8 inch set suits 7 and 8 foot pool tables, you mark the baulk line, D and spots, and play with 10 reds. Pockets are more forgiving, but the scoring and the safety battles are the real game. Our snooker on a pool table guide has the ball sizes and marking measurements.
What about Amazon? Search "snooker table" there and the best sellers are a 7-foot MDF pool table, a 6-foot pool and ping pong combo, folding 6 to 8 foot pool tables and a 40-inch tabletop pool set. They are fine pool tables for casual play, but none of them has snooker pockets, snooker markings or a 22-ball set, and the 6-foot combo's 64 x 30 inch playfield would need the smaller 2-inch snooker set to play at all. If you want snooker on one of these, you are back to option 4, and a 7 or 8 foot table with a solid bed is the place to start. See our 8-foot pool table picks.
Snooker table price
Sawyer Twain, a US game-room retailer, puts entry-level snooker tables at about $500 to $1,000 and professional-grade tables at $3,000 to $10,000. In practice the low end of that range is smaller non-slate tables. A new full-size slate table sits at the top of it or above, and is usually quoted individually, with freight extra.
| Route | What you pay for |
|---|---|
| Scaled snooker set for your pool table | A 22-ball set, spot stickers and a scoreboard; the cheapest real snooker you can play |
| Smaller non-slate snooker table | The table; check pocket shape and bed material |
| Used 10 or 12 ft slate table | The table, a slate mover, often new cloth and sometimes new cushion rubber |
| New full-size slate table | The quote, crating and freight, and a specialist installer |
The hidden cost on any big slate table is the move. Five slates are not something two friends carry down basement stairs.
Snooker table setup: installation and markings
Getting a full-size table into a room is a job for a billiard mechanic. Most experienced pool table installers can assemble one, since the steps are the same with more slate, but ask whether they have fitted napped snooker cloth before. The order of work:
- Check the floor. It has to carry a heavy slate table on legs without flexing; ask a contractor if the room is upstairs or the structure is unknown.
- Place the frame where you have cue room on all four sides, away from doors and walkways.
- Lay the five slates, level them in both directions, then smooth the seams.
- Fit the cloth with the nap running from the baulk end toward the black spot end.
- Fit cushions and pockets, then roll balls along each cushion to check rebounds.
- Hang the light so it covers the whole bed evenly without glare.
Then mark the table. The baulk line runs across the table 29 inches from the bottom cushion, and the D is a half circle of 11.5 inch radius on that line. The colors spot like this:
| Ball | Spot |
|---|---|
| Brown | Middle of the baulk line |
| Yellow | Right-hand end of the D, looking up the table from the baulk end |
| Green | Left-hand end of the D |
| Blue | Center of the table |
| Pink | Halfway between the center spot and the top cushion |
| Black | 12.75 in from the top cushion |
| 15 reds | Racked tight in a triangle directly behind the pink, apex toward it |
On a smaller table or a pool table, scale the baulk line and D down rather than using full-size measurements; the pool table version gives working numbers for 7 and 8 foot tables. Scoring, the red-then-color sequence and fouls are covered in snooker rules for beginners.
What to check on any snooker table
- Pocket shape: rounded jaws cut for snooker, not the angled cuts of a pool table.
- Bed: slate on anything you plan to play seriously. Full-size tables use five pieces; ask the maker for thickness and how the slates are joined.
- Cushions: snooker rubber is an L-shaped profile and should rebound evenly along every rail.
- Cloth: napped wool snooker cloth, not pool worsted. The nap direction is part of how the game plays.
- Markings: baulk line, D and the six spots, accurately placed.
- Accessories: a 22-ball set at the right size for the table, rests, and a scoreboard. A slim-tipped snooker cue helps more on snooker pockets than on pool ones; see our snooker cue guide.
Which route fits your room
| Your situation | Our recommendation |
|---|---|
| A room 22 x 16 ft or bigger and a serious interest in snooker | A full-size slate table from a specialist maker, or a used one if you can find a mover who handles slate |
| A big room but not 22 ft long | A 10 ft table, new or used, if you can find one; it was the standard American snooker size for a reason |
| A normal pool room (around 13 x 17 ft) | A solid 7 or 8 ft pool table plus a 2 1/8 inch snooker set |
| You already own a pool table | Buy the snooker set and a scoreboard this week. It costs a fraction of any table and tells you whether you want the big one. |
| Curious, small space | Watch a few frames and read the rules first. A cheap 6 ft table won't play like snooker. |
Sources
- Wikipedia: Snooker (table, balls and room size)
- Wikipedia: Billiard table (snooker markings, pockets, slate, cushions; pool playing surfaces)
- Wikipedia: American snooker
- SnookerHQ: snooker table dimensions and spot positions
- Predator: snooker table room size
- Predator USA: tables, including its 12 ft snooker table
- WPA: recommended equipment specifications (pool pockets and playing surfaces)
- Brunswick Billiards: pool table room sizes
- Sawyer Twain: snooker table price ranges
- Manufacturer specifications on the Amazon listings for the Aramith snooker ball sets, CueSoul snooker cue kit and MoyanSuper scoreboard.
Our picks
Links open the current selection and price on Amazon so you can compare real reviews before buying.
Aramith Premier 2 1/8 Inch Snooker Ball Set
Snooker on a 7 or 8 ft pool tableThe full 22-ball English snooker set, unnumbered, at 2 1/8 inches: the size that gives a 7 or 8 foot pool table enough open space for a real snooker rack. Aramith rates the balls for over 4,000,000 impacts, and the smooth finish means less cloth wear on a table you also use for pool. This set is the cheapest way to find out whether you want a 12-foot table.
Amazon price: $214.17 as of 1:45 AM EDT. Price and availability can change; Amazon’s price at purchase applies.
Check price on AmazonAramith Premier Snooker Ball Set, 2 1/16 Inch
A real snooker tableRegulation 2 1/16 inch (52.4 mm) balls for a full-size or proper smaller snooker table: 15 reds, the six colors and a white, in Aramith's Premier phenolic resin, made in Belgium. Aramith checks each ball for density, balance, diameter, roundness and hardness among eight criteria, which is what keeps long pots honest on tight snooker pockets.
Check price on Amazon
CueSoul 57 Inch Snooker Cue Kit
A first snooker cueA 57-inch, 18 oz 3/4-jointed cue with a 9.5 mm tip and a kiln-dried ash shaft, packed in an aluminum case with a 6-inch mini butt extension, a telescopic extension, a towel, a glove and a joint protector. The slim tip is the point: it lets you see and strike the small snooker cue ball precisely, which a wider pool tip never quite does. One of Amazon's best-selling snooker cues.
Amazon price: $136.12 as of 1:45 AM EDT. Price and availability can change; Amazon’s price at purchase applies.
Check price on Amazon
MoyanSuper Wooden Wall-Mount Snooker Scoreboard
Keeping score through a frameA wooden wall-mounted scoreboard made for snooker, in a cherry finish, that hangs on the wall in under a minute. Snooker scores climb fast once colors and foul points pile up, and a slider on the wall keeps the frame honest without stopping play to do arithmetic.
Amazon price: $31.99 as of 1:45 AM EDT. Price and availability can change; Amazon’s price at purchase applies.
Check price on AmazonFrequently asked questions
What's a snooker table?
A snooker table is a large billiards table, 12 by 6 feet at full size, with six small rounded pockets, napped cloth and markings (the baulk line, the D and six color spots). It is built for snooker, which uses 22 smaller balls: 15 reds, six colors and a white cue ball.
How big is a snooker table compared to a pool table?
A full-size snooker table's playing surface is 140.5 x 70 inches, against 100 x 50 inches on a 9-foot pool table. That is roughly twice the playing area, and the room it needs grows from about 14 x 18 feet to about 22 x 16 feet.
Can you play pool on a snooker table?
You can, but standard 2 1/4 inch pool balls in pockets of about 3.5 inches make it very hard. Chinese 8-ball (heyball) is played on snooker-style tables with pool balls, but on tables built for it. For regular pool, buy a pool table.
Can you buy a snooker table on Amazon?
Not a real one, as of our check. The results for snooker table are pool tables, folding tables and tabletop pool sets. What Amazon does sell is the snooker equipment: scaled ball sets for pool tables, regulation sets, cues and scoreboards.
What size snooker table should I get for my home?
Measure first. You need about 22 x 16 feet for a 12-foot table. A 10-foot table is the next step down. If your room is a typical pool room, a 7 or 8 foot pool table with a 2 1/8 inch snooker set plays better than a small, cheap snooker table.
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