Cricket net dimensions: the ECB numbers, in one page
An outdoor cricket practice lane is at minimum 3.6 m wide, 18.3 m long and 3.6 m high under the ECB's installation guidance; the ECB's 2025 covered facilities design guide works to a 23 m net length, 3.6 m lanes (4 m elite) and 4.5 to 5 m of height; indoor single bays (ECB TS2) are 3.66 to 4 m wide and 37.12 to 41.12 m long including run-up. Those figures are scattered across five PDFs that no one has put on one referenced HTML page: this is that page. Every value links to the document it comes from.
How big is a cricket net? The quick answer
| Setting | Lane width | Length | Height | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor (minimum) | 3.6 m | 18.3 m | 3.6 m | ECB guidance 2016, sec. 4.7 |
| Covered, recreational | 3.6 m | 23 m net + 10 to 15 m run-up | 4.5 m under net | ECB Design Guide 2025, Table 2 |
| Covered, elite | 4.0 m | 23 m net + 14 to 18 m run-up | 5.0 m under net | ECB Design Guide 2025, Table 2 |
| Indoor single bay | 3.66 to 4 m | 37.12 to 41.12 m | 4 to 5 m top net | ECB TS2 |
| Outdoor (Australia) | 3.6 m | 32 to 33 m total lane | 3 m or 3.6 m roof | Cricket Australia GN03 |
Outdoor cricket net dimensions (ECB guidance)
The ECB's Guidance Notes for Non-Turf Pitches and Net Cage Facilities (2016), section 4.7, sets the outdoor cage minimums: no less than 3.6 m wide by 18.3 m long and 3.6 m high, with netting 1.5 m behind the stumps, a roof net covering the full cage with no gaps, and steel posts of at least 42.3 mm diameter with 3 mm walls, concreted at least 475 mm deep. The ECB performance standard TS6 adds the practice-area layout around the strip: an 11 m x 2.74 m batting end and 4 m each side of the delivery crease at club level, with wickets 20.12 m apart (19.22 m, 21 yards, for juniors). Note on TS6: the file currently hosted by the ECB is the 2007 edition re-published in 2024; we quote it as such.
Covered facilities: the 2025 ECB design guide
The most recent and most complete ECB source is theCovered Outdoor Cricket Facilities Design Guide v1.1 (May 2025), Table 2. It dimensions the whole facility, letter by letter:
| Ref | Component | Recreational | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Lane width | 3.60 m | 4.00 m |
| B | Pitch length (stumps to stumps) | 20.12 m (22 yd) | 20.12 m (22 yd) |
| C | Netting behind the batter’s stumps line | 1.50 m | 1.50 m |
| D | Net length (from back of net) | 23.00 m | 23.00 m |
| E | Run-up (bowler’s stumps line to sight screen) | 10.00 to 15.00 m | 14.00 to 18.00 m |
| F | Clear height under the practice net | 4.50 m | 5.00 m |
| G | Minimum height under the loft net | 4.00 m | 4.00 m |
| H | Tensioned net height | 4.50 m | 5.00 m |
| I | Safety margin, practice net to tensioned net | 1.00 m | 1.00 m |
| J | Margin around the tensioned net | 2.00 m | 2.00 m |
| - | Number of lanes | 3 (absolute minimum) | 5 to 7 |
The guide's own worked example: a 3-lane recreational facility with 10 m run-ups needs 16.80 m x 36.62 m, about 615 m². Creases follow Law 7: 1.22 m deep, 2.64 m wide.
Indoor cricket net dimensions (TS2, TS3 and Sport England)
For dedicated indoor centres, ECB TS2 specifies single bays of 3.66 m minimum width (4 m recommended maximum), 37.12 to 41.12 m length with 16 to 20 m of run-up, top nets at 4 to 5 m, a 1 m safety margin all round, 4 to 6 bays, 48 mm white nylon mesh, 1,000 to 1,500 lux of lighting and 0.3 m of net draped on the floor. For shared sports halls, ECB TS3 dimensions a double bay at 9.32 to 10 m wide and 31.2 to 35.12 m long with top nets at 4 to 4.5 m. Sport England'sindoor cricket data sheet (2012) translates that into a standard community hall: 4 lanes of 31.62 m x 3.66 m in a 33.62 m x 20.04 m x 7.70 m space, with the suspended netting at least 5.0 m above the floor. TS2 and TS3 are quoted from the official ECB documents as currently mirrored by accredited facility contractors, the ECB's original URLs having moved.
Cricket net height: 3 m, 3.6 m, 4.5 m or 5 m?
All four figures are genuinely published, and the spread is the single most useful thing to understand before specifying: 3.6 m is the ECB outdoor cage minimum (2016), 4.5 to 5 m is what the ECB's 2025 covered facilities guide designs to, 4 to 5 m is the indoor top-net range (TS2), and Cricket Australia accepts 3 m or 3.6 m roofs on outdoor community lanes. The trend across publication dates is upward. If you are buying netting for an existing steel structure, measure the structure; if you are building new, the 2025 guide is the ECB's current word.
What mesh and netting do cricket facilities use?
ECB TS2 recommends a 48 mm white nylon mesh (50 mm knot to knot) indoors. The UK market converges on the same region: 48 mm square mesh in 2 mm HDPP (Net World Sports), 50 mm in 3.5 mm braided PE or 2 mm PP (Sportsequip), 40 and 45 mm knotless PP for garden kits (Huck). A cricket ball is 71.3 to 72.9 mm in diameter, calculated fromMCC Law 4.1, so all these meshes contain it with margin: see ourmesh size chart by sport andtwine gauge chart for how mesh and twine choices interact. Our own practice cage netting is documented in millimetres against factory samples; the Spec Findershows the combinations.
What the UK market actually sells
| Seller (named, not linked) | Published specification |
|---|---|
| Net World Sports (Fortress mobile cage) | 7.3 x 3 x 3 m or 11 x 3 x 3 m; 48 mm square mesh, 2 mm HDPP twine; 42 mm OD galvanised steel |
| Huck (garden kits) | Lengths 3.66 / 7.32 / 10.98 / 14.64 m, stated as made to ECB standards; knotless PP in 40 mm (2.3 mm twine) and 45 mm (3 mm twine) |
| Durant Cricket (retractable systems) | Standard bays 24 m x 3.6 m x 4 m height, other sizes on request; knotted netting |
| Sportsequip (mobile cages) | 7.3 x 3.6 x 3.6 m and 10 x 3.6 x 3.6 m; net heights 2.7 / 3 / 3.6 m; 50 mm square mesh (3.5 mm braided PE or 2 mm PP) |
| total-play (ECB-approved systems) | Publishes no dimensions online (bespoke design); notably, it hosts the ECB TS2 document itself |
Read against the ECB documents, the market converges: 3.6 m lane width everywhere, heights from 3 m (mobile cages) to 4 m (retractable systems), mesh at 40 to 50 mm.
How we compiled this page
Every figure was read directly in the source document (July 2026): the ECB 2016 installation guidance, ECB TS6 (2007 edition as currently hosted), the ECB Covered Outdoor Cricket Facilities Design Guide v1.1 (2025), ECB TS2 and TS3 (official documents, mirrored), the Sport England indoor cricket data sheet, MCC Laws 4 and 6, and Cricket Australia's Guidance Note 03. One value in TS6 Table 2e is illegible in the published file and is deliberately omitted rather than guessed. Sellers are quoted from their own product pages and named without links.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a cricket practice net?
The ECB outdoor guidance sets a minimum lane of 3.6 m wide, 18.3 m long and 3.6 m high. The 2025 ECB covered facilities design guide specifies a 23 m net length, 3.6 m lane width (4 m elite) and 4.5 to 5 m height under the practice net. Indoor single bays (ECB TS2) run 3.66 to 4 m wide and 37.12 to 41.12 m long including run-ups.
How high should a cricket net be?
It depends on the setting, and the published figures have moved: 3.6 m minimum in the ECB 2016 outdoor guidance, 4.5 m (recreational) to 5 m (elite) under the practice net in the ECB 2025 covered facilities guide, 4 to 5 m top nets indoor (TS2), and Cricket Australia accepts 3 m or 3.6 m roof heights outdoors.
How long is a cricket net lane?
The pitch itself is always 20.12 m (22 yards, MCC Law 6.1). Around it: 18.3 m minimum total outdoors (ECB 2016), 23 m of netting plus 10 to 18 m of run-up in the 2025 covered guide, and 31.2 to 41.12 m total indoors depending on the hall (ECB TS2/TS3, Sport England).
What mesh size is used for cricket nets?
ECB TS2 recommends 48 mm white nylon mesh (50 mm knot to knot) for indoor bays. The UK market converges on the same region: 48 mm (Net World Sports), 50 mm (Sportsequip), 40 to 45 mm (Huck garden kits). A cricket ball is 71.3 to 72.9 mm in diameter, calculated from MCC Law 4.1.
How many lanes does a cricket practice facility need?
The ECB 2025 covered facilities guide sets 3 lanes as the absolute minimum and 5 to 7 for elite venues; TS2 suggests 4 to 6 bays indoors; Sport England’s standard community hall hosts 4 lanes in a 33.62 x 20.04 m space.
Specifying netting for a lane, cage or hall?
Send us the structure dimensions and the setting (outdoor, covered, indoor). We reply within 48 hours with the documented mesh and twine combination in writing, cut and sewn to your panel sizes: we quote the netting, not the steelwork.
We reply within 48 hours with questions or a documented quote.