Setting up the Bowling Pin Rack

Curious about the proper setup for a rack of bowling pins? Read on for the details. 

The bowling pin rack consists of 10 pins laid out in an equilateral triangle. Often, the pin rack is referred to as the pin deck, although they're not synonymous. The pin rack is the actual set of pins; the pin deck is the area of the lane the pins rest on.

Numbering

Each pin has an individual number from 1 (also called the head pin) through 10. This makes it easy to determine which pins you left after your first ball, and it also allows splits to be easily identified (for example, the 7-10 split).

Dimensions

Refer to the image above for the dimensions, which are all measured from the centers of the bowling pins.

Segment A: 12 inches
Each pin is 12 inches from its adjacent neighbor(s).

Segment B: 20.75 inches
This distance applies to any pair of pins that are aligned one directly behind the other. This includes the number 2 and 8 pins, the 3 and 9 pins, and the 1 and 5 pins. These pairs of pins are also referred to as sleeper pins.

Segment C: 36 inches
Each side of the pin deck's perimeter measures 36 inches.

Other Dimension Facts:

• Distance from the front of the pin deck to the back: 40.25 inches.
• Distance from the back row of pins to the back of the lane: 3 inches.
• Distance from the 7 pin to the left gutter and the 10 pin to the right gutter: 2.5 inches.
• Distance from the foul line to the front of the pin deck: 60 feet (720 inches).