Printable ping pong rules: print or save as PDF
Hit Print / save as PDF to get the official table tennis rules on a single Letter or A4 page. The sheet covers scoring, the serve, lets, doubles, switching ends, table measurements and racket rules, without the rest of the web page.
Need the ping pong rules on paper for a classroom, a club or the table in your garage? The sheet below sums up the official rules on one page. Press the button to print it or save it as a PDF: only the sheet comes out of the printer.
Table tennis (ping pong) rules
Summary of the official ITTF rules · real-tt.com
Scoring
- A game goes to 11 points. At 10-10, the first player to lead by 2 wins.
- A match is best of 3, 5 or 7 games.
- Every rally scores a point, no matter who served.
Serve
- The ball rests on your open, flat palm, behind the end line and above the level of the table.
- Toss it nearly straight up, without spin, at least 16 cm (6 in). Hit it as it falls.
- The ball bounces once on your side and once on your opponent's side.
- In singles, the serve can land anywhere on the other side.
- Do not hide the ball from the receiver. There is no second serve.
- Each player serves 2 points in a row. From 10-10, 1 each.
- In each game, whoever received first in the previous game serves first.
During the rally
- After the serve, let the ball bounce once on your side, then return it directly to the other side.
- A ball off the top edge of the table is good. Off the side, it is not.
- A ball that clips the net during a rally and goes over is in play.
- The ball may hit your racket hand below the wrist.
You lose the point if you
- miss the serve or the return;
- let the ball bounce twice on your side;
- touch the ball before it bounces while it is over the table or heading for it;
- put your free hand on the table, move the table or touch the net.
Let (replay the point)
- A serve that touches the net and lands in.
- A serve made before the receiver was ready, if they did not try to return it.
- An outside interruption, like a ball from another table.
Doubles
- Serve from your right half to the receiver's right half.
- Partners hit the ball in turn.
- The serve rotates through all 4 players.
Ends and time
- Switch ends after each game and, in the last game, when someone reaches 5 points.
- Up to 1 minute between games and one 1-minute timeout per match.
- Expedite rule: kicks in if a game lasts over 10 minutes with fewer than 18 points scored.
Table, ball and racket
- Table: 2.74 m x 1.525 m (9 x 5 ft), 76 cm (2.5 ft) high. Net: 15.25 cm (6 in).
- Ball: 40 mm, 2.7 g, white or orange.
- Racket: black on one side and a bright color, such as red, blue, green, pink or violet, on the other.
How to print or save as PDF
- Press Print / save as PDF at the top of the sheet.
- In the print dialog, pick your printer. To get a file instead, choose Save as PDF as the destination.
- Keep the paper in portrait and the scale at 100% or "fit to page".
- Check the preview: only the rules sheet shows up, with no site menu or footer.
On a phone the steps differ a little. On Android, the button opens the system print screen, which includes a save as PDF option. On iPhone, the print screen also lets you share the document as a PDF. The Ctrl + P shortcut (Cmd + P on a Mac) prints only the sheet too.
What is on the sheet (and what is not)
The sheet covers the rules that decide nearly every point in a real game: scoring, the serve, how you lose a point, lets, doubles, switching ends and the key measurements. It follows the official ITTF rules, the international federation's Laws of Table Tennis.
Left out are details that only matter in umpired tournaments, such as clothing rules, the full serve and receive order in doubles, umpire cards and technical specs for the racket. For those, read the complete guide to table tennis rules. For a lighter version with the questions that cause the most arguments, see the rules summary.
Ways to use it
- School: hand out the sheet before the practical lesson and run the ping pong rules quiz at the end as a review. To plan the class, see the table tennis PE lesson plan.
- Club, office or rec room: laminate it and stick it on the wall by the table. It ends the "does the serve have to go diagonal" debate for good.
- Tournament with friends: leave a copy at each table, next to the draw from the tournament bracket generator.
Black and white printing is fine: the colors are only there for reading on screen.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get the ping pong rules as a PDF?
Right here: press Print / save as PDF and choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog. You get one page with a summary of the official rules.
Are these the official ping pong rules?
Yes. The sheet summarizes the ITTF rules, which are used in tournaments around the world and by national federations such as USA Table Tennis.
Do the printable rules fit on one page?
Yes, on Letter or A4, in portrait at normal scale. If your browser cuts anything off, choose "fit to page".
Can I print copies for my school or club?
Yes. The sheet is free to use in classes, clubs and tournaments.