How much space do you need around a trampoline?

A backyard trampoline needs 2 m (6 ft 7 in) of clear ground on every side of its frame and 24 ft (7.3 m) of clear air above the ground. The side figure is BERG's, the only side distance any owner's manual read here prints as a requirement; the overhead figure is the US manuals', and BERG's 7 m (23 ft) is the same ceiling in metric. Add 4 m (13 ft 1 1/2 in) to the frame and you have the square of lawn it takes: 27 ft 1 1/2 in (8.27 m) for a 14 ft round. The 1.5 ft, 3 to 5 ft and 8.2 ft figures come from blog posts. The patio and paths around the zone are in outdoor room dimensions.

Six answers in circulation, and which are printed in a manual#

Search for the gap round a trampoline and the first page gives six different numbers. They are not six opinions about the same thing: two are manual requirements, one is a vendor's summary, and three are one-off blog figures.

The two US manuals read here both say lateral clearance "is essential" and tell you to keep the trampoline "away from walls, fences, structures, and other play areas", then give no distance. That silence is why the blog numbers exist: a buyer asks how far, the manual does not say, and each seller answers on its own page.

Measure from the outside of the frame, not the edge of the mat#

Every figure above runs from the outermost part of the trampoline at any height: the frame, the padding over it, or the enclosure poles where they stand outside the frame.

On a spring trampoline the nominal size is the frame, not the mat. Skywalker lists its 16 ft round as "16 ft W" overall and its 15 x 9 ft rectangle as "15 ft L x 9 ft W", the nominal size to the foot, while the 16 ft round has "157 square feet of jump space". A circle of 157 sq ft is 14 ft 2 in (4.3 m) across, so the springs and pad take about 11 in (28 cm) on each side. BERG names its rounds in centimetres of frame: the manual dimensions the 380 and 430 as 3.8 m and 4.3 m across.

Springfree names its models the other way, by the mat. Its Medium Round "10ft trampoline" offers "79 square feet of jumping freedom", which is the area of a circle 10 ft (3.05 m) across, and the flexible rods and frame sit outside that. So for a Springfree, take the footprint from the box or the assembly drawing, not the model name, before adding the clearance.

Why 2 m is the figure, and why a net does not shrink it#

The side clearance is there for a jumper who leaves the mat: Springfree calls it a buffer zone so "you won't land on a hard surrounding structure". Three things make BERG's 2 m the figure to plan to.

• It is the only distance printed as a requirement. The manual for BERG's Favorit Regular says "Ensure a minimum clearance of at least 2 meters from trees, fences and any other surrounding obstacles". Springfree's 3 to 5 ft is its summary of what "manufacturers typically recommend", with no manual named.
• It is written for netted trampolines. BERG's product pages say a Regular trampoline is "always delivered with a safety net", and the 2 m sits in the same manual. BERG does not relax the side figure for the net.
• The other makers' own advice lands near it. Springfree recommends "at least 5 ft from a wall" and puts 5 ft a side round its own 10, 12 and 14 ft examples. BERG's product page FAQ says "ideally at least 1.5 to 2 meters". Five feet and 1.5 m are the same figure; 2 m is 19 in (48 cm) more.

Zupapa's 1.5 ft with a net and 8.2 ft without are the outliers on each side, and they come from one post. The 1.5 ft is how far the net "must be" from walls or fences, "as they may cause harm to users"; it says nothing about the entrance, where a netted trampoline is open and people climb in and out. The 8.2 ft is 2.5 m converted, and the post gives no source for either figure.

So use 2 m. Where one side will not take it, Springfree's 5 ft (1.5 m) is the next best, and its "At the very least, aim for 3 ft" is the floor. Below 3 ft (0.9 m) no source read here supports the placement.

24 ft and 7 m: one overhead clearance in two unit systems#

The overhead figures look like a disagreement and are not. The Lowe's 14 ft manual says "A minimum of 24 feet of overhead clearance from ground level is required"; Stamina's manual gives 24 ft as "recommended for outdoor trampolines"; Trampolines.com repeats 24 ft; and Springfree attributes it to ASTM F2225, the US standard for trampoline enclosures. BERG's manual requires "a minimum overhead clearance of 7 meters measured from the ground", which its blog converts to 23 ft.

24 ft is 7.32 m, so the two differ by 13 in (32 cm), less than rounding to the whole metre. Plan to 24 ft and both are met. Both are measured from the ground, not the mat. BERG's Favorit frame stands 0.9 m (35 in) high, so 7 m leaves about 6.1 m (20 ft) above the jumping surface. Skywalker's netted rounds stand 9.1 ft (2.77 m) to the top of the enclosure, so 24 ft leaves about 15 ft (4.5 m) of open air above the net.

The Lowe's manual names the usual intrusions: "Provide clearance for wires, tree limbs, and other possible hazards." Zupapa adds: do not count ground with overhanging branches unless you will cut them back. A pergola at 8 to 9 ft overall is a third of the height, so a trampoline never goes under one. For how far the electrical code keeps overhead lines from water, see hot tub clearances.

The 2 m zone for round trampolines from 8 to 16 ft#

A round trampoline with 2 m all round needs a clear circle, or square, 4 m (13 ft 1 1/2 in) wider than its frame, set here against the other rules.

The makers' worked sizes check against it: Springfree's 16 x 16 ft for a spring 10 ft and 20, 22 and 24 ft squares for 10, 12 and 14 ft are the 3 ft and 5 ft columns, and Zupapa's 13, 15 and 18 ft with a net and 26.4, 28.4 and 31.4 ft without match its two. In metric, BERG's own rounds of 270, 330, 380 and 430 cm need squares of 6.7, 7.3, 7.8 and 8.3 m. Areas convert in square feet to square metres for rooms, single lengths in the unit converter.

Rectangles and ovals: add 13 ft 1 1/2 in to both sides#

A rectangle takes the same 2 m on each of its four sides, so the zone is the frame plus 4 m (13 ft 1 1/2 in) in each direction.

Trampolines.com gives 15 x 22 ft for a 10 x 17 ft, 2.5 ft a side. With a fixed clearance, the zone is always 13 ft 1 1/2 in wider than the short side, so a 10 x 17 ft needs lawn more than 23 ft (7.05 m) wide whichever way it turns.

What changes the zone: slope, sinking, a corner, other play equipment#

Slope. Springfree says the rise across the whole space should be "no more than three degrees"; BERG's manual asks for level ground checked with a spirit level, and the Lowe's manual "a stable level surface". Three degrees across a 14 ft (4.27 m) frame is about 9 in (23 cm) of fall from one side to the other, and across the full 27 ft (8.27 m) zone about 17 in (43 cm). Steeper ground needs levelling or a terrace, as garden path and step dimensions works out for paths.

Sinking the frame. BERG's InGround frame "rises about 20 centimeters above the lawn" and its FlatGround frame sits level with it. The Favorit Regular manual, which also covers fitting the frame into a dug hole, keeps 2 m and 7 m: sinking removes the drop from the frame edge, not the fence.

What the ring is made of. The ring is landing ground. Zupapa says hard surfaces "such as concrete or asphalt pavements, are not suitable", and BERG's older manual asks for "a soft, flat surface such as grass or sand". So the edge of a patio or a low deck stops at the ring, not at the trampoline legs, and so do raised beds and edging.

A corner of the yard. A round trampoline in a corner sits with its centre half the frame plus 2 m from each fence: 13 ft 7 in (4.13 m) for a 14 ft.

Other play equipment. The Lowe's and Stamina manuals both say away from "other play areas". A swing set has its own zone, 6 ft (1.83 m) round the frame and twice the beam height front and back, worked out in swing set clearance and yard size; the two zones must not overlap. BERG's manual keeps "fire and other heat sources" away; an open wood fire is held 25 ft (7.6 m) from combustible material in fire pit clearances.

Where these figures stop applying#

No law sets either distance for a home trampoline; Springfree says so. The 2 m is BERG's requirement for its own products, adopted here as the figure to plan to. ASTM F381 and F2225 are sold by ASTM and are quoted only where a manual quotes them. European standards are not covered.

The manuals limit use as well as space: the Lowe's 14 ft is "not intended for use by children under 6 years of age", for one jumper at a time, up to 264 lb (120 kg); BERG's Favorit 380 is rated for ages 6 and over and 110 kg (243 lb) per user (child and older adult dimensions gives heights by age). Indoor rebounders answer to the ceiling in home gym size and ceiling height, and indoor play floors are in play space dimensions.

Metric figures are conversions, as imperial and metric dimension systems explains; the documents behind the site's figures are indexed in standards and codes. Peg the zone at full size, as taping out a layout describes for rooms.