Which billiard table to buy? 7ft, 8ft and 9ft compared

Start with the room, not the table

The most common first-time mistake is picking a table by eye and trying to fit the room around it later. The order should be reversed. To the table's outer dimensions you need to add the length of a cue on every side: a standard cue is 147 cm (58 inches), so realistically you need about 150 cm of free space around the whole rail. If you are 20–30 cm short in one spot, every shot from that wall will be played with a short cue, and that quickly spoils the fun.

The second issue is the floor. A slate-bed table weighs from 250 kg (7ft) to over 600 kg (9ft), and a 12ft snooker table exceeds a tonne. Parquet, tiles and a concrete screed are no problem. A timber floor upstairs in an old house is worth checking before you buy, because the load sits on eight legs rather than spreading evenly.

Third: access. The slate comes in three pieces (on 8ft and 9ft tables), but the frame is often one piece and more than 2.5 m long. A narrow staircase, a turn in the hallway or a 70 cm door is an argument for a table whose frame can be broken down into parts.

7ft, 8ft or 9ft – size comparison

The size in feet describes the length of the table, but what matters in practice is the playing surface (the area between the cushions) and the size of the room. Here are the real numbers for pool tables.

7ft table (bar box). Playing surface about 99 × 198 cm, outer dimensions about 130 × 230 cm. Minimum room for comfortable play: 3.9 × 4.9 m. This is the size found in pubs and American bar leagues, and in most home game rooms. Balls cluster more tightly, the game is faster and demands better cue-ball control. The upside is price and weight; the downside is that a club player used to 9ft feels cramped.

8ft table. Playing surface about 112 × 224 cm, outer dimensions about 145 × 255 cm. Minimum room: 4.1 × 5.2 m. This is the compromise most people choose when buying a home table seriously. Every pool discipline is played on it, and in many Polish clubs 8ft is the standard league size. On BidBil it is the most frequently listed used size.

9ft table (tournament). Playing surface about 127 × 254 cm, outer dimensions about 160 × 285 cm. Minimum room: 4.2 × 5.5 m. The size of every WPA event, the World Nineball Tour and national championships. If you compete and want to practise in match conditions, it is the only sensible choice. Price, weight and required floor space are the highest, though.

A simple rule: with a 4.5 × 6 m room, take 9ft. With 4 × 5 m, 8ft. With less, 7ft or nothing, because a table you cannot play on comfortably turns into an expensive countertop within a year.

Slate bed or MDF

Slate is the only material that gives a perfectly flat, stable surface for decades. It does not warp with humidity, does not sag under a player leaning on the rail, and the cloth stays smooth on it. Slate thickness on home tables is usually 19 mm; club and tournament tables use 25 mm (1 inch), which WPA rules require. On 8ft and 9ft tables the slate comes in three pieces that are joined with filler or wax after installation so the seams cannot be felt.

MDF (or melamine, "wood-based bed") appears on tables in the 1500–3500 PLN range. It is lighter and cheaper, but after a few seasons, especially in a damp room, it starts to move: the ball rolls slower and drifts on soft shots. For a child starting out or a summer cottage it is enough. For someone who plays regularly, it is not.

The rule is simple: if you want a table for years, the listing must say slate or stone bed. On BidBil sellers mark the bed type in the listing parameters, so you can filter it right away.

Cushions, cloth, pockets – what to look at beyond the slate

The slate is only half the story. Cushions made of solid K-66 profile rubber (the pool standard) determine how the ball rebounds. Old, hardened rubber gives dead rebounds and is a frequent complaint with used tables. Check it with a simple test: a ball rolled by hand should travel at least three table lengths after bouncing off a cushion.

Cloth is a consumable. Worsted tournament cloth (Simonis 860, Strachan, Simonis 760) is fast and precise but pricier and less resistant to wear. Woollen home cloth is slower and cheaper. When buying a used table, the cost of a recloth (500–1500 PLN with labour for 8ft) should be priced in if the current cloth shows wear marks or chalk stains along the break line.

Pockets and nets, rails, adjustable legs – small things, but their absence or damage is a negotiating point. Spare parts are in the table parts category, and cloth in cloth.

Brands: Rasson, Brunswick, WIK, Diamond, Dynamic

Rasson is a Chinese manufacturer that over the last decade became the table supplier for WPA and World Nineball Tour events. The Victory II and Ox models are 9ft tables with 25 mm slate, a heavy frame and stable cushions. In Poland they are found in clubs; on the second-hand market they appear rarely and sell fast.

Brunswick is the American classic – the Gold Crown has been made since the 1960s and was the world championship table for decades. A used Gold Crown is often a table for life, but it needs an inspection of the slate and frame, because examples are 20–40 years old. Read more on the Brunswick page.

Diamond (USA) is the current table of American professional events – the Professional and Pro-Am. Very fast cushions, precise pockets, the highest price in this comparison. See Diamond on BidBil.

WIK is a Polish manufacturer with a long history, most often found in Polish clubs and homes. The Olimpic, Piramida and Juliusz models are slate-bed tables at a sensible price with readily available service and parts. On the used market it is the most common brand – see current listings such as a WIK 9ft table or two WIK Piramida 8ft tables.

Dynamic (Dynamic Billard, Germany) makes solid club tables in several lines – Dynamic II and III for pool, Prince for snooker. A frequent choice in German and Polish clubs, and good value on the used market, for example a Dynamic II 9ft.

Other brands you will come across in listings: Tournament Champion, Buffalo, Clash, Sam Leisure, and in snooker Riley and Dynamic Prince.

How much does a billiard table cost – new and used

Indicative prices based on shop offers and classifieds in Poland in 2026:

New 7ft with slate bed: 5000–9000 PLN. Below that you will mostly find MDF.

New 8ft with slate bed: 8000–20 000 PLN depending on brand and slate thickness.

New 9ft tournament table: 12 000–35 000 PLN for Rasson, Dynamic or WIK; Diamond and Brunswick run 40 000–70 000 PLN.

Used: usually 30–50% cheaper than new. On BidBil in the Tables and Equipment category, used 9ft slate tables are listed in the 5000–10 000 PLN range and 8ft from about 4000 PLN – for example a Tournament Champion 9ft or an 8ft with oak frame and slate. Add transport and installation (see the FAQ below) and a possible recloth to the price of a used table.

Selling on BidBil is commission-free, so listed prices are what the seller actually receives – there is room to negotiate, especially if you collect the table yourself with a crew.

Snooker table – 10ft or 12ft

Snooker follows different dimensions. A full-size tournament table is 12 feet: playing surface 357 × 178 cm, outer dimensions about 385 × 205 cm, and a room of at least 6.7 × 4.9 m. With a five-piece slate bed it weighs over 1000 kg. A 10ft table (playing surface about 295 × 147 cm) is the home and club version, played with the same balls and rules, but in a 5.9 × 4.5 m room.

Snooker cushions are steel block (rubber on a steel profile), the cloth is napped wool (Strachan 6811), and the pockets are narrower and less forgiving. Used 12ft tables appear rarely on the Polish market, usually at 5000–15 000 PLN, like this 12ft snooker table. All current listings are collected in the snooker tables category.

Where to look for listings

On BidBil tables are split into pool tables and snooker tables, and equipment into separate subcategories: cloth, lighting, covers, cue racks, scoreboards, parts and installation tools. Every listing shows condition, location, bed type and size, and you can buy through an auction, "Buy Now" or by contacting the seller. Used tables sell quickly, so if one of the examples linked above has already gone, check the current list in the category.

FAQ: transporting and installing a billiard table

Can a billiard table be moved in one piece?

No, not if it has a slate bed. The slate has to come off the frame and travel separately, flat, in pieces. Carrying an assembled table even over a doorstep risks cracking the slate or throwing the whole structure out of alignment. MDF tables are sometimes moved whole, but it is still better to remove the legs.

How much do transport and installation cost?

Roughly: disassembly and transport of an 8ft or 9ft table within 100–200 km is 500–1500 PLN, installation with levelling 500–1200 PLN. A package of disassembly, transport, installation and a new cloth usually comes to 1500–3000 PLN. Many sellers on BidBil state in the listing whether they help with disassembly or can recommend a service.

Can I install the table myself?

The frame – yes, with two people. The slate and levelling – better not, unless you have experience. The three slate pieces must sit perfectly flush on the frame, the seams must be filled, the whole thing levelled with a machinist's level (about 0.02 mm per metre), and only then is the cloth stretched over the bed and cushions. A badly levelled table gives itself away when a slow-rolling ball drifts.

How long does installation take?

An experienced two-person crew installs an 8ft or 9ft table with new cloth in 3–5 hours. A 12ft snooker table usually takes a full day.

Will the floor take the weight?

Concrete, screed and parquet on a reinforced concrete slab – no worries. A timber floor in an older building is worth checking, especially for 9ft (450–650 kg) and snooker tables (over 1000 kg). The weight sits on eight legs, so on a soft floor load-spreading pads go under the legs.

How often should I level the table and change the cloth?

Check the level every 6–12 months and always after moving the table. Home cloth lasts 3–6 years with regular play, club cloth 6–12 months. Cloth, covers that protect against dust and light, and stretching tools are all in the equipment subcategories on BidBil.

Got a table you no longer use? List it on BidBil with no commission – buyers are mostly after 8ft and 9ft slate tables, and a well-described listing with photos of the slate and cushions sells fastest.