Although a simple game, your cornhole board’s size needs to be correct to ensure maximum fun, plus, you need to ensure that your cornhole board meets exact measurements if you plan on playing competitively.
Buying a cornhole board that meets regulation size can sometimes set you back a couple of hundred dollars.
Although a worthwhile investment, it would be more rewarding – and a lot more fun – to build your own cornhole board.
This way, you can design it however you like with decals and a lick of paint.
When constructing your own cornhole boards, make sure it meets the size requirements highlighted in this article!
Cornhole Boards Regulation Size
If you’re building your own set of full-sized cornhole boards, you want it to meet regulatory size, right?
There are two main governing bodies in the world of cornhole: the American Cornhole Association (ACA) and the American Cornhole Organisation (ACO).
Both organizations agree that certain sizes and dimensions of the cornhole board need to be met so that the board can be used in the American Cornhole League (ACL).
ACO and ACA regulations state the following on regulation size:
Cornhole board size
The official cornhole board dimension is 48 x 24 inches.
However, the ACO also permits boards that measure 47.5 x 23.5 inches.
This gives players plenty of surface area to land their cornhole bags on the board.
However, with more surface space, players have less chance of getting the bag in the hole, making the game difficult!
When making the boards yourself, we’d recommend cutting plywood to exactly 48 x 24 inches.
Cornhole board playing surface thickness
If you’ve played cornhole games before, you’ll know that bouncing cornhole bags is a sign of a bad board – or poor-quality bags.
You want your cornhole bags to land and then slide – with no bounce involved.
Ensuring minimal bounce comes down to board thickness.
The optimum thickness for a cornhole board is 3/4 inches.
If your cornhole board thickness is less than this, then you’ll need to add cross-section backing.
A cross-section backing is a support bar that runs underneath the board itself.
This will add extra weight and thickness to the board and help to prevent the cornhole bags from bouncing.
Cornhole board overall height
Given that cornhole boards are angled targets, one side of the board is going to be a lot taller than the other.
From the ground to the top of the playing surface, the front edge of the cornhole board should be 3 inches.
The back edge of the board should be 12 inches.
Cornhole board weight
Your cornhole board should weigh a total of 25 lbs minimum.
A standard cornhole board size should meet this weight requirement, while a board with multiple backings may weigh significantly more than this.
Luckily, there is no maximum cornhole board weight.
Hole diameter
In a game of cornhole, you can score points in two ways: either by landing bags on the playing hole or getting them in the hole.
Scoring points by simply landing bags on the board is easy; scoring points by getting them in the hole is hard.
To at least make hole points possible, your cornhole diameter needs to be accurately sized.
The diameter of the hole should be 6 inches.
The center of the hole should be 9 inches from the top of the board and 12 inches from either side of the board.
Other Cornhole Board Sizes
Cornhole boards come in all shapes and sizes.
The ‘long board’ size is considered regulation size.
However, you’ve also got tailgate, camper, and mini cornhole boards that each have their own recognized dimensions.
As we’ve already established, the ‘long board’ cornhole should be 48 x 24 inches, but what about the other types of cornhole boards?
Tailgate (TG)
Tailgates should be 36 x 24 inches.
So, while they’re the same width as longboards, they’re shorter in length.
Tailgate boards are often used for practice.
Given their smaller surface area, they can be more difficult to land on.
This way, cornhole players get a chance to practice their aim with TG boards.
You’ll often see them at family gatherings and, of course, American Tailgate Association (ATL) events.
Camper size (C)
Camper cornhole boards should be 32 x 20 inches.
If you’re looking for portable cornhole boards that still offer a decent amount of surface area, the camper size is a good option.
You’ll obviously see cornhole players with this size of board on camping trips, but also while at the beach and on other day trips.
Mini size (M)
Mini cornhole boards are 24 by 13 inches.
If you care only about the portability of the board, the mini size offers the right dimensions for you.
What Are the Cornhole Court Dimensions?
For many cornhole players, the difficulty of the game does not lie in the board dimensions but in the distance between the boards.
Once you’ve got your two cornhole boards sized correctly, you’ll need to make sure you set up the court so that it meets the required dimensions.
But how far away do your cornhole boards need to be?
To meet competitive requirements for cornhole court dimensions, your two boards need to be 27 feet apart.
This should make the two holes exactly 33 feet apart. The total size of the court should be 45 feet.
What about tailgate-sized cornhole boards?
If you’re using cornhole boards with a shortened length (like in a ‘tailgate’ cornhole game set), it will make sense to shorten the distance between the two boards.
For smaller lengths, we’d recommend making the distance between the boards 24 feet.
Alternatively, if you’re playing with younger players, it would make sense to set the two boards even closer together.
Final Thoughts
With some high-quality wood and materials, a passion for DIY, and an understanding of the required measurements of the cornhole board, you’ll be well on your way to constructing your own cornhole game set.
Make sure your front edge is smaller than the back to create angled targets, that the hole is the correct size for the bags to fit through, and that the board is thick and durable enough to ensure minimal bag bouncing.