An NHL rink measures 200 ft (60.96 m) long and 85 ft (25.91 m) wide, with its four corners rounded to a 28 ft (8.53 m) radius. The goal line sits 11 ft (3.35 m) in from each end, and the blue lines stand 64 ft (19.51 m) further out from there. The IIHF rink most of the world plays on has a different shape: 60 m (196 ft 10 in) long and up to 30 m (98 ft 5 in) wide, with a 7.0 m to 8.5 m corner radius. Both rule books are compared below. Each figure is labeled either as a rule or as a value this page had to derive from one.
Diagram
Full ice hockey rink dimensions
| Measurement | Figure | Applies to | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rink length | 200 ft (60.96 m) | NHL | Official rule |
| Rink length | 60.00 m (196 ft 10 in) | IIHF | Official rule |
| Rink width | 85 ft (25.91 m) | NHL | Official rule |
| Rink width | 26.00 m to 30.00 m | IIHF | Official rule (range) |
| Corner radius | 28 ft (8.53 m) | NHL | Official rule |
| Corner radius | 7.00 m to 8.50 m | IIHF | Official rule (range) |
| Boards height, ideal | 42 in (1.07 m) | NHL | Official rule |
| Boards height, ideal | 1.07 m (3 ft 6 in) | IIHF | Official rule |
| Goal line, distance from the boards | 11 ft (3.35 m) | NHL | Official rule |
| Goal line, distance from the boards | 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in) | IIHF | Official rule |
| Blue line, distance from the goal line | 64 ft (19.51 m) | NHL | Official rule |
| Blue line, distance from the goal line | 17.33 m (56 ft 10 in) | IIHF | Derived |
| Goal width, inside of post to inside of post | 6 ft (1.83 m) | NHL, IIHF | Official rule |
| Goal height | 4 ft (1.22 m) | NHL, IIHF | Official rule |
| Goal net depth | 40 in (1.02 m) | NHL | Official rule |
| Goal net depth | 0.60 m to 1.12 m | IIHF | Official rule (range) |
| Face-off circle radius (all circles) | 15 ft (4.57 m) | NHL | Official rule |
| Face-off circle radius (all circles) | 4.50 m (14 ft 9 in) | IIHF | Official rule |
| Goal crease radius | 6 ft (1.83 m) | NHL | Official rule |
| Goal crease radius | 1.83 m (6 ft) | IIHF | Official rule (Appendix VI diagram) |
| End-zone face-off spot, distance from the goal line | 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) | IIHF | Official rule (Appendix VI diagram) |
| Goalkeeper’s restricted area, width at the goal line | 22 ft (6.71 m) | NHL | Derived |
| Goalkeeper’s restricted area, width at the goal line | 6.80 m (22 ft 4 in) | IIHF | Official rule |
| Goalkeeper’s restricted area, width at the boards | 28 ft (8.53 m) | NHL | Derived |
| Goalkeeper’s restricted area, width at the boards | 8.60 m (28 ft 3 in) | IIHF | Official rule |
What each line and marking does
NHL Rule 1.5 sets the goal line 11 ft (3.35 m) in from each end of the rink, not on the boards themselves, which leaves room behind the line for the net and its 40 in (1.02 m) of depth. The blue lines stand a further 64 ft (19.51 m) out from each goal line, dividing the ice into a defending zone, a neutral zone and an attacking zone; the two blue lines end up 50 ft (15.24 m) apart, a figure printed directly on the NHL rink diagram. The center red line splits the rink exactly in half. IIHF Rule 1.5 places the goal line 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in) in from each end and states only that the ice between the two goal lines is divided into three equal zones by the blue lines. Unlike the NHL rule, it gives no distance in meters. Dividing evenly puts the IIHF blue line 17.33 m (56 ft 10 in) from the goal line. This page derived that figure; it is not printed in the rule book.
Blue and center lines are painted wide: 12 in (30 cm) under both rule books, six times the width of the 2 in (5 cm) goal line. Nine face-off spots mark where play restarts after each stoppage: one at center ice, four in the neutral zone and four in the end zones. All but the neutral-zone spots carry a circle around them, 15 ft (4.57 m) in radius under NHL rules and 4.50 m (14 ft 9 in) under IIHF’s, close enough that one detail sheet on this page covers both. The NHL rule book specifies exactly where its four end-zone spots go: 20 ft (6.10 m) from the goal line, 22 ft (6.71 m) either side of the rink’s centerline. The rule text itself gives no equivalent figure, but the dimensioned diagram in Appendix VI places the end-zone spots 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) from the goal line; it does not dimension how far apart the two spots sit from the rink’s centerline, so that lateral offset remains unpublished.
Equipment: the goal, the crease and the trapezoid
The goal is one of the few items the two rule books define almost identically: posts 6 ft (1.83 m) apart inside-to-inside and 4 ft (1.22 m) tall under both NHL Rule 2.1 and IIHF Rule 2.1. Net depth is where they differ. The NHL rink diagram shows the net at a flat 40 in (1.02 m), while IIHF Rule 2.1 sets a range of 0.60 m to 1.12 m and leaves the exact depth to the manufacturer.
In front of each NHL goal, Rule 1.7 lays out a crease with a 6 ft (1.83 m) radius: two straight lines 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m) long stand 1 ft outside each goal post, closed off by a semicircle struck from the center of the goal line. Behind each goal, Rule 1.8 marks a trapezoid-shaped “goalkeeper’s restricted area” ; behind the goal line, the goaltender may play the puck only inside it. It is 22 ft (6.71 m) wide at the goal line, widening to 28 ft (8.53 m) at the boards. IIHF Rule 1.8 marks the same area with wider figures: 6.80 m (22 ft 4 in) at the goal line and 8.60 m (28 ft 3 in) at the boards. The IIHF Rule Book confirms that a goal crease is marked in front of every goal as well, with the same 1.83 m (6 ft) radius as the NHL. That figure isn’t in the numbered rule text itself, only in the dimensioned diagram in Appendix VI.
Where the rule sets differ
| Figure | NHL | IIHF |
|---|---|---|
| Rink length | 200 ft (60.96 m) | 60.00 m (196 ft 10 in) |
| Rink width | 85 ft (25.91 m) | 26.00-30.00 m |
| Corner radius | 28 ft (8.53 m) | 7.00-8.50 m |
| Goal line from the boards | 11 ft (3.35 m) | 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in) |
| Blue line from the goal line | 64 ft (19.51 m), official | 17.33 m (56 ft 10 in), derived |
| Goal size | 6 x 4 ft | 1.83 x 1.22 m (the same goal) |
| Net depth | 40 in (1.02 m) | 0.60-1.12 m |
| Face-off circle radius | 15 ft (4.57 m) | 4.50 m (14 ft 9 in) |
| Goal crease radius | 6 ft (1.83 m) | 1.83 m (6 ft), Appendix VI diagram |
| End-zone face-off spot location | 20 ft from the goal line, 22 ft either side of center | 6.00 m from the goal line (Appendix VI diagram); lateral offset not published |
| Restricted area, goal line / boards | 22 ft / 28 ft | 6.80 m / 8.60 m |
Overhead plan
The same surface seen from straight above, drawn to scale. Nothing is foreshortened here, so every figure can be read off the drawing the way a tape measure would take it.
Detail sheet
A rule book fixes more than the shape of the surface, and the rest of it is too small to draw at court scale: a mark a few centimeters long, a post standing a meter off the sideline, the clearance around the whole thing. Each one here has its own frame and its own scale.
Frequently asked questions
How big is an NHL ice hockey rink?
An NHL rink is 200 ft (60.96 m) long and 85 ft (25.91 m) wide, with its four corners rounded to a 28 ft (8.53 m) radius. That is NHL Rule 1.2, and it has not changed in decades.
How big is an IIHF or Olympic ice hockey rink?
IIHF Rule 1.2 sets the rink at 60 m (196 ft 10 in) long and 26 m to 30 m (85 ft 4 in to 98 ft 5 in) wide, with a 7.0 m to 8.5 m corner radius. Those are ranges rather than fixed numbers, and any deviation needs IIHF approval. Most major international arenas build to the wide end of the width range, 30 m, and that is the rink this page draws.
How far is the blue line from the goal line?
NHL Rule 1.5 states it directly: 64 ft (19.51 m). The IIHF Rule Book does not give a distance. It only says the ice between the two goal lines is divided into three equal zones by the blue lines. That gives 17.33 m (56 ft 10 in) once the 4.00 m goal-line offset is subtracted at each end and the remaining 52 m divided by three.
What size is a hockey goal?
6 ft (1.83 m) wide between the posts and 4 ft (1.22 m) tall, in both the NHL and IIHF rule books. It is one of the few figures the two bodies give as essentially the same number.
Are NHL and Olympic rinks the same size?
No. An NHL rink is 85 ft (25.91 m) wide. The Olympics are played under IIHF rules, which permit a width of 26 m to 30 m. A rink built to the IIHF maximum is noticeably wider than an NHL rink, and many NHL players complain about exactly that when they play international best-on-best tournaments on the bigger surface.
Official sources
- National Hockey League, Official Rules 2025-2026, Section 1, Rule 1 (Rink) and Rule 2 (Goal Posts and Nets).
- International Ice Hockey Federation, IIHF Official Rule Book 2026/27, Section 01, Rule 1 (Rink) and Rule 2 (Goal Posts and Nets).
Both documents were consulted on 10 September 2026. The IIHF Rule Book’s numbered rule text does not state a distance from the goal line to its end-zone face-off spots or a radius for its goal crease, but the dimensioned diagram in Appendix VI of the same document gives both (1.83 m crease radius; 6.00 m from the goal line to the end-zone spots), and this page uses those diagram figures rather than an outside source. The methodology page explains how each figure is labeled; report an error through corrections.