Section 3: Playing Area
Section 6 of the WDF Playing Rules, "Board Setup and Oche Dimensions," fixes the exact geometry of a legal darts setup. Rule 6.01 requires the dartboard to be fixed so that the vertical height from the floor, at the same level as the oche, to a horizontal line through the centre of the Bull measures 1.73 metres (5 ft 8 in).
Rule 6.02 defines the oche (the raised throwing line) as 38 mm high and 610 mm (61 cm) long, placed at the minimum throwing distance, measured 2.37 metres along a horizontal line from the back of the oche to a plumb line at the face of the dartboard. Rule 6.03 further specifies that the diagonal distance from the centre of the Bull to the back of the oche, at floor level, measures 2.93 metres (9 ft 7½ in) — the figure commonly quoted as the standard darts throwing distance.
Under Rule 6.04, no player may tread on any part of the raised oche during match play, nor deliver a dart with their feet in any position other than behind the raised oche. Rule 6.05 extends this: a player throwing from a position on either side of the raised oche must keep their feet behind an imaginary straight line extending on either side of it.
Rule 6.07 permits a player or team official to request that the oche dimensions be checked and adjusted, provided the opposing player or official concurs; such checks may only be made before a match or between legs, and only by a WDF-appointed official. Rule 6.08 authorises Member Darts Bodies to amend board height and oche length for the particular requirements of disabled competitors in special events.