Table Tennis (ITTF) — Official Rules

The upper surface of the table, the playing surface, is a rectangle 2.74 m long and 1.525 m wide, lying in a horizontal plane 76 cm above the floor. The playing surface includes the top edges of the table but not its sides. It may be of any material and shall yield a uniform bounce of about 23 cm when a standard ball is dropped from a height of 30 cm. The surface is uniformly dark coloured and matt, bordered by a white side line 2 cm wide along each 2.74 m edge and a white end line 2 cm wide along each 1.525 m edge.

For doubles, the playing surface is divided into two equal half-courts by a white centre line 3 mm wide running parallel to the side lines. The centre line is regarded as part of each right half-court. The net assembly divides the table widthwise into the server's court and the receiver's court; for doubles the diagonal right half-courts govern legal service.

The net assembly consists of the net, its suspension and the supporting posts, including the clamps attaching them to the table. The net is suspended by a cord attached to upright posts 15.25 cm high, the outside limits of which are 15.25 cm outside the side line. The top of the net, along its whole length, is 15.25 cm above the playing surface, and the bottom of the net is close to the playing surface along its whole length, with the ends close to the supporting posts.

The ball is spherical, with a diameter of 40 mm and a mass of 2.7 g. It is made of celluloid or similar plastic material and is white or orange, and matt. The modern competition ball, made of non-celluloid plastic, is marked 40+ to indicate its slightly larger seamless construction.

The racket may be of any size, shape or weight, but the blade shall be flat and rigid. At least 85% of the blade by thickness shall be of natural wood. A side of the blade used for striking the ball shall be covered with either ordinary pimpled rubber (pimples outwards) with a total thickness including adhesive of not more than 2 mm, or sandwich rubber (cellular rubber covered by pimpled rubber) with a total thickness of not more than 4 mm.

The covering on the two sides of the blade shall be of distinctly different colours: one side shall be matt black, and the other side a single, distinctly different colour. Since 1 October 2021 the permitted second colour is no longer red only: the other side may be red, blue, pink, green or violet (still matt). The traditional black/red combination remains legal. Both colours must be checked and approved before play; an illegal or worn covering is one of the most common equipment disputes.

A rally is the period during which the ball is in play. The ball is in play from the last moment it is stationary on the palm before being projected in service until the rally is decided as a point or a let. A let is a rally of which the result is not scored. A point is a rally of which the result is scored.

The racket hand is the hand carrying the racket; the free hand is the hand not carrying it; and the free arm is the arm of the free hand. A player strikes the ball if he/she touches it in play with the racket, held in the hand, or with the racket hand below the wrist. A player obstructs the ball if he/she, or anything he/she wears or carries, touches it in play when it is above or travelling towards the playing surface and has not passed beyond his/her end line, not having touched his/her court since last being struck by the opponent.

The server is the player due to strike the ball first in a rally; the receiver is the player due to strike it second. The umpire is the person appointed to control a match, and the assistant umpire is the person appointed to assist the umpire with certain decisions. Anything a player wears or carries includes anything worn or carried at the start of the rally other than the ball.

Service shall start with the ball resting freely on the open palm of the server's stationary free hand. The hand shall be open and flat with the fingers together and the thumb free. The ball shall be above the level of the playing surface and behind the server's end line, and from the start of service until it is struck it shall not be hidden from the receiver by any part of the body or clothing of the server or his/her doubles partner.

The server shall then project the ball near-vertically upwards, without imparting spin, so that it rises at least 16 cm after leaving the palm of the free hand and then falls without touching anything before being struck. As the ball is falling, the server shall strike it so that it touches first his/her own court and then, passing over or around the net assembly, touches the receiver's court.

In doubles, the ball shall touch first the server's right half-court and then the receiver's right half-court, passing diagonally over the net. From the start of service until it is struck, the ball shall stay above the playing surface and behind the end line; it is the receiver's responsibility, on request, to satisfy the umpire that the requirements of a correct service are observed. The umpire may warn the server that a service of doubtful legality may be faulted on any subsequent occasion in the match.

It is a fault (and the rally is awarded to the receiver) if a service fails to meet any requirement: the ball is hidden (the visibility triangle between ball, racket and receiver is broken), the toss is not near-vertical or rises less than 16 cm, spin is imparted in the toss, the ball is struck from in front of or below the end-line/table-surface plane, or the ball is not projected from the flat open palm. A service fault scores a point for the opponent.

The ball, having been served or returned, shall be struck so that it passes over or around the net assembly and touches the opponent's court, either directly or after touching the net assembly. A return that touches the net and still lands in the opponent's court is good (there is no service or rally let merely for clipping the net during a return).

In singles, the server makes a service, the receiver makes a return, and thereafter server and receiver alternately make returns. In doubles, the server serves, the receiver returns, the server's partner returns, the receiver's partner returns, and thereafter each player in that sequence makes a return - so the four players strike the ball in strict rotation.

The rally is a let: if in service the ball touches the net assembly and is otherwise correct, or is obstructed by the receiver before bouncing; if service is delivered when the receiving player or pair is not ready (provided neither makes an attempt to strike); if play is interrupted to correct an error in playing order, serving or ends; if play is interrupted to introduce the expedite system; or if play is disturbed by something outside the players' control (e.g. another ball entering the court). A let is replayed with the score unchanged.

Unless the rally is a let, a player scores a point if: the opponent fails to make a correct service or a correct return; the ball, after the opponent's strike, passes beyond the player's end line without touching the player's court; the opponent obstructs the ball; the opponent strikes the ball twice successively; the opponent moves the playing surface or touches the net assembly; the opponent's free hand touches the playing surface; in doubles a player strikes out of the proper sequence; or under expedite the opponent (as server's side) fails to win the rally after the receiver completes 13 returns.

A game is won by the player or pair first scoring 11 points, unless both score 10 points (deuce), when the game is won by the first player or pair subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points. There is no upper score cap in table tennis: a deuce game continues (10-10, 11-11, 12-12 ...) until one side leads by two.

A match consists of the best of any odd number of games. In most competitions matches are the best of 5 games (first to 3) or, in major events, the best of 7 games (first to 4). A match may also be decided by retirement, walkover (failure to appear) or disqualification of an opponent.

The right to choose the initial order of serving, receiving and ends is decided by lot (the toss). The winner of the toss may choose to serve or receive first, or to start at a particular end; the other player then has the remaining choice. In doubles, the pair due to serve decides which partner serves first, and in the first game the receiving pair decides who receives.

After every 2 points have been scored, the receiving player or pair becomes the serving player or pair, and so on until the end of the game (or until the score reaches 10-10 or the expedite system is in operation). In doubles, at each change of service the previous receiver becomes the server and the previous server's partner becomes the receiver, so that no player serves twice in succession out of turn.

From 10-10 (deuce) onwards, and at any time the expedite system is in operation, each player or pair serves for only 1 point in turn, alternating after every single point until the end of the game. The same alternation of the order of serving and receiving continues, but one point at a time.

Players change ends at the end of each game. In the last possible game of a match, players change ends as soon as one player or pair first scores 5 points. If players do not change ends when they should, play is interrupted to correct the error as soon as it is noticed and the existing score stands.

If a player serves or receives out of turn, or players fail to change ends when they should, play is interrupted as soon as the error is noticed and resumes with the players serving, receiving and at the ends prescribed by the correct sequence for the established score. All points scored before the discovery of the error count.

The expedite system comes into operation if a game is unfinished after 10 minutes' play, or at any earlier time at the request of both players or pairs. The system is not introduced if both players or pairs have already scored at least 9 points (i.e. once a combined 18 or more points have been scored, the game is allowed to finish normally). Time spent during authorised stoppages is excluded from the 10 minutes.

Once expedite is introduced, each player serves for 1 point in turn until the end of the game. If the receiving player or pair makes 13 good returns in a rally, the receiver scores the point. A designated stroke counter counts the returns. Once introduced, the expedite system remains in operation until the end of the match.

A player or pair is entitled to claim one time-out period of up to 1 minute during a match. The request, made by hand signal forming a 'T', may only be made when the ball is out of play. Play resumes when both players or pairs are ready, or at the end of one minute, whichever is sooner. In team events each team may also be entitled to one time-out per individual match.

Play is continuous throughout a game except that any player is entitled to a brief interval for towelling after every 6 points from the start of each game and at the change of ends in the last possible game of a match. Between successive games there is an interval of up to 1 minute (60 seconds), during which a player may leave the playing area. Players may also have a brief towelling break at this time.

Players are entitled to practise on the match table for up to 2 minutes immediately before the start of a match but not during normal intervals. A player may receive advice from anyone during intervals between games and during authorised stoppages, but not at other times while the ball is in play. Excessive or improper advice is penalised by the umpire.

Players and advisers shall not engage in behaviour that may unfairly affect an opponent, offend spectators or bring the sport into disrepute. The umpire applies a graduated penalty: a yellow card is a warning (first offence); for a second offence by the same player the umpire awards a penalty point to the opponent (yellow + red card), and 2 penalty points for a third offence. For further or serious misconduct the umpire reports to the referee, who may disqualify the offending player, shown by a red card.

Each match is controlled by an umpire and may have an assistant umpire. The umpire decides whether a service is legal, whether a let or point should be scored, the order of serving and ends, the score, and time. A stroke counter counts returns under expedite. The referee has overall authority over the tournament, including interpreting the rules, ruling on questions of fact reported by the umpire, and ordering disqualification. Decisions of fact by match officials are final.

There is no general line-call challenge system in standard ITTF play, because the ball is judged by where it touches the table (not by lines). At top World Table Tennis (WTT) events a Video Review procedure may operate: a player may request review of specific reviewable situations (e.g. edge/side ball, double bounce, net touch, hindrance). Each player is typically granted a limited number of reviews; a successful review is retained and an unsuccessful one is lost. The review official's decision is final.

The Laws apply to wheelchair and standing classes of Para table tennis with specific modifications. For a wheelchair player, in singles a service that, after touching the receiver's court, returns toward the net, or comes to rest on the receiver's court, or (in singles) leaves the receiver's court by either side line, is a let rather than a fault. There are additional rules on the player's contact with the table, the feet and the wheelchair, reflecting the seated playing position.

This rulebook reflects the ITTF Statutes 2026 (54th edition), in force 1 January 2026. The substantive Laws of Table Tennis (table 2.74 m, net 15.25 cm, ball 40 mm / 2.7 g, 16 cm service rise, 11-point game, 10-minute expedite) have remained stable across the 2024-2026 editions. The most notable recent equipment change is the racket-covering colour rule effective 1 October 2021: one side must still be matt black, but the other side may now be red, blue, pink, green or violet rather than red only. Service officiating continues to emphasise the visibility triangle between ball, racket and receiver.