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This page explains what governing bodies, standards bodies and researchers publish. It is not a substitute for lessons from a qualified coach or for medical advice.
An aid, not a ruling
This tool compares numbers you type in with the maximum sizes in each sport's rule book. It checks size only. Whether a racket, paddle or ball may be used is decided by the governing body and the officials: in pickleball sanctioned play the paddle must also be on the approved list, padel rackets must carry a wrist cord, and every sport has rules on materials and attachments that a tape measure cannot check.
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The limits the tool uses
Each sport's limits come from its own rule book, in that rule book's own units. The tool checks the maximum sizes each rule book sets.
| Sport and rule book | Overall size | Hitting or stringed area | Other size rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennis: ITF, Rules of Tennis 2026, Appendix II(c) | At most 73.7 cm (29.0 in) long and 31.7 cm (12.5 in) wide | At most 39.4 cm (15.5 in) long and 29.2 cm (11.5 in) wide | The ITF says SI units take precedence |
| Pickleball: USA Pickleball, 2026 Official Rulebook, Rules 3.D.2 and 3.D.3 | Length at most 17 in (43.18 cm); length plus width at most 24 in (60.96 cm), edge guard and butt cap included | No separate limit | No limit on thickness or weight |
| Padel: FIP, Rules of Padel (from 1 January 2026), items 2 to 5 | Head and handle together at most 45.5 cm; width at most 26 cm | A perforated face, not strings | Thickness at most 38 mm, with a 2.5 percent tolerance when measured; handle at most 20 cm long |
| Badminton: BWF, Laws of Badminton, Law 4 (version 2.1, 29 May 2023) | At most 680 mm long and 230 mm wide | At most 280 mm long and 220 mm wide; up to 330 mm long if the strings extend into a throat no more than 35 mm wide | None beyond these |
Notes on the figures
- Squash is not in the tool. The World Squash rules point to separate specification pages that could not be read for this site, so the squash racket figures are not confirmed here.
- The badminton figures come from a copy of the BWF Laws dated 29 May 2023 (version 2.1). The BWF's own site could not be opened, so the later text in force until new Laws take effect on 4 January 2027 was not read; whether the racket sizes changed in it is not confirmed here.
- The pickleball rulebook was read from a copy hosted by Pickleball Canada. The tool does not check whether a paddle is on the USA Pickleball approved list or carries its seal, and it does not cover the separate list the PPA Tour and MLP use for professional play.
- The ITF keeps no list of approved rackets: Rule 4 and Appendix II set the limits, and the ITF rules on a racket when asked.
- The padel rules also require a non-elastic wrist cord of at most 35 cm. The tool cannot check it.