How many cans of paint for a soccer field?

A full-size field at 115 by 75 yards with the standard markings has about 2,356 feet of line. TruMark Athletics says an 18 to 20 oz aerosol can covers 200 to 300 linear feet of 2 to 4 inch line, and Beacon Athletics says 200 to 250. At 200 feet a can, the low end, that is 12 cans, or 13 with a 10 percent allowance for overspray and a second pass. A 7v7 field at 60 by 40 needs 10 cans with the same allowance. Type your own field into the calculator for the exact count.

How much line is on a full-size soccer field?

At 115 by 75 yards: two touchlines and two goal lines make 380 yards, the halfway line 75, the center circle 62.8, the two penalty areas 160, the two goal areas 64, the two penalty arcs about 37.1 and the four corner arcs 6.3. That comes to 785 yards, which is 2,356 feet or 718 meters. The penalty marks and center mark are spots and add nothing.

How wide should soccer field lines be?

The Laws of the Game say all lines must be the same width and no more than 12 cm (5 inches). Most field marking machines and aerosol wands lay a 2 to 4 inch line, and the coverage figures suppliers quote assume a 4 inch line. Your league or the facility may specify a width, so check with them before you buy paint.

How do you square a soccer field with the 3-4-5 method?

A triangle with sides in the ratio 3, 4 and 5 always has a right angle between the two shorter sides. From one corner, measure 80 feet along the touchline and 60 feet along the goal line, then move the goal line end until the distance between the two marks is exactly 100 feet. The corner is now square. Any multiple works (30-40-50 is common), and a bigger triangle gives a truer corner. Once all four corners are staked, both diagonals should match: 137.3 yards (411.9 feet) for a 115 by 75 field.

Does a 7v7 field need a build-out line?

Under US Soccer's small-sided standards, yes: a line halfway between the top of the penalty area and the halfway line, at both ends, for U9 and U10. It is not required at 9v9 or above, and some leagues skip it or use cones, so check your league's rules. The calculator adds two lines across the full width when 7v7 is selected, and lets you switch them on for a custom field.

For coaches and grounds crews

Field line-marking calculator

Pick a format or type your own size and get every line on the field with its length, the paint it takes in aerosol cans or gallons, and the numbers you need to lay it out square with a tape and a string. The markings follow US Soccer's small-sided standards for 4v4, 7v7 and 9v9 and the Laws of the Game for 11v11. Print the plan and take it to the field. Nothing leaves your browser.

Length (touchline), yards

Width (goal line), yards

Starts at the middle of the 11v11 range. Change it to your field; the markings stay at the standard sizes for the format.

11v11 field, 115 by 75 yd (105.2 by 68.6 m)

Total line: 2,356 ft (718 m, 785 yd)

Drawn to scale for the sizes above. The letters match the table.

Line length by marking
	Marking	Feet	Meters	How
A	Touchlines × 2	690	210.3	2 × 115 yd
B	Goal lines × 2	450	137.2	2 × 75 yd
C	Halfway line	225	68.6	75 yd across
D	Center circle	188	57.5	2π × 10 yd
E	Center mark	0	0	A spot, no line length
F	Penalty areas × 2	480	146.3	2 × (18 + 44 + 18) yd
G	Goal areas × 2	192	58.5	2 × (6 + 20 + 6) yd
H	Penalty marks × 2	0	0	Spots 12 yd out, no line length
I	Penalty arcs × 2	111	33.9	2 × 18.55 yd, the part of a 10 yd circle outside the box
J	Corner arcs × 4	19	5.7	4 quarter circles of 1 yd radius, 2π × 1 yd in all
	Total	2,356	718	785.2 yd

Paint

Feet per aerosol can

Feet per gallon, bulk

Add 10 percent for overspray and a second pass

Aerosol cans: 1318 to 20 oz cans at 200 ft each for 2,591 ft of line (2,356 ft plus 10 percent).
Bulk paint, diluted: 9 gal8.6 gallons of ready-to-spray paint at 300 ft per gallon, rounded up. A 5 gallon pail of concentrate at 1 to 4 makes 25 gallons.

The defaults are the low end of what suppliers quote for a 4 inch line: TruMark says an 18 to 20 oz can covers 200 to 300 linear feet of a 2 to 4 inch line, Beacon Athletics 200 to 250, and Beacon puts diluted bulk paint at about 300 feet a gallon (Newstripe claims up to 450 for its concentrate). Wet grass, a fast walk and a first coat on bare dirt all use more. Sources are listed at the foot of the page.

Layout

3-4-5 check for this field: Measure 80 ft along the touchline and 60 ft along the goal line from the same corner. The corner is square when the line between those two points is 100 ft. Any multiple of 3-4-5 works; a longer triangle is a truer corner.
Diagonal check: Corner to opposite corner should measure 137.3 yd, which is 411.9 ft or 125.5 m. Both diagonals equal means the rectangle is true.√(115² + 75²) yd

1
Set corner A
Pick the corner you can measure from most easily, usually the one nearest a fence, path or existing line you want to stay parallel to. Drive a stake or a nail and tie off your string there.
2
Run the first touchline, A to B
Measure 115 yd (345 ft) from A along the direction you want the field to run and stake corner B. Pull the string tight between them; a sagging string throws every later measurement off.
3
Square corner A with 3-4-5
Mark a point 80 ft from A along the A to B string and a second point 60 ft from A along where the goal line will go. Move the second point until the distance between the two marks is exactly 100 ft. The goal line now runs from A through that second point at a right angle.
4
Run the first goal line, A to D
Measure 75 yd (225 ft) from A along the squared line and stake corner D.
5
Find corner C from both sides
Measure 75 yd (225 ft) from B, and 115 yd (345 ft) from D. Corner C is where the two tapes meet. Stake it and run the string B to C and D to C.
6
Check both diagonals
A to C and B to D should each read 137.3 yd (411.9 ft, 125.5 m). If they differ, the rectangle is a parallelogram: shift C along the far touchline until they match, then re-check the far corner with the 3-4-5 triangle.
7
Halfway line and center mark
Mark 57.5 yd (172.5 ft) from the goal line on both touchlines and string between them. The center mark is 37.5 yd (112.5 ft) along that line.
8
Center circle
Tie a string 10 yd (30 ft) long to a stake on the center mark, walk it around with the paint wand at the end, or mark a dozen points and connect them.
9
Penalty areas
On each goal line, mark 22 yd (66 ft) either side of the midpoint. From those two points measure 18 yd (54 ft) into the field, square to the goal line (a quick 3-4-5 keeps them true), and string the three sides.
10
Goal areas
Same again inside the penalty area: 10 yd (30 ft) either side of the midpoint on the goal line, 6 yd (18 ft) into the field, three sides.
11
Penalty marks
Measure 12 yd (36 ft) straight out from the midpoint of each goal line and paint a spot.
12
Penalty arcs
Swing a string 10 yd (30 ft) long from each penalty mark and paint only the part that falls outside the penalty area, about 56 ft of arc at each end.
13
Corner arcs
A quarter circle of 1 yd (3 ft) radius from each corner stake, inside the field.
14
Paint along the strings
Walk the machine or the wand along each string with the nozzle a hand's width above the grass, then lift the strings. Where the first pass looks thin, a second pass costs less than a re-mark next week.

Marks are measured from the midpoint of each goal line. If your goals are already in place, the midpoint is the middle of the goal mouth.

How to lay out a field

Start from one corner and one line. Stake the first corner, run a string the full length of the field for the first touchline and stake the second corner. Everything else is measured off that line, so pull it tight and check it against anything it needs to run parallel to before you go on.

Square the corner with 3-4-5. A triangle whose sides measure 3, 4 and 5 of anything has a right angle between the 3 and the 4. Measure the 4 along your string and the 3 along where the goal line will go, and move the goal line end until the two marks are exactly 5 apart. Bigger is better: on a full-size field use 80, 60 and 100 feet, which a 100 foot tape can read in one pull. The calculator picks the largest multiple that fits your field.

Check the diagonals. With all four corners staked, measure corner to opposite corner both ways. A true rectangle has equal diagonals, each the square root of the length squared plus the width squared. If they differ, the field is a parallelogram: slide the last corner along the far touchline until the two readings match. The calculator prints the figure for your dimensions.

Then the markings, outside in. Halfway line and center mark, then the center circle from the mark. Penalty areas from the midpoint of each goal line, goal areas inside them, the penalty mark straight out from the midpoint, and the arc swung from the mark with only the part outside the box painted. Build-out lines on a 7v7 field, corner arcs last. Paint along the strings, lift them, and walk the field once with the goals in place before the first game.

Line length by format

Each format at the middle of its standard range with every marking the standard calls for. Cans are 18 to 20 oz aerosols at 200 feet of 4 inch line each, the low end of what suppliers quote, with and without a 10 percent allowance.

Format	Field	Feet	Meters	Yards	Cans
4v4U8 and younger	30 by 20 yd27.4 by 18.3 m	360	110	120	2 / 2
7v7U9 and U10	60 by 40 yd54.9 by 36.6 m	1,640	500	547	9 / 10
9v9U11 and U12	75 by 50 yd68.6 by 45.7 m	1,710	521	570	9 / 10
11v11U13 and up	115 by 75 yd105.2 by 68.6 m	2,356	718	785	12 / 13

4v4 has no penalty area, center circle or corner arcs under the standard, so its total is the outline and the halfway line. 7v7 includes the two build-out lines. Leagues short on space play smaller than the middle of the range, so put your own field into the calculator.

Questions

How many cans of paint for a soccer field?: A full-size field at 115 by 75 yards with the standard markings has about 2,356 feet of line. TruMark Athletics says an 18 to 20 oz aerosol can covers 200 to 300 linear feet of 2 to 4 inch line, and Beacon Athletics says 200 to 250. At 200 feet a can, the low end, that is 12 cans, or 13 with a 10 percent allowance for overspray and a second pass. A 7v7 field at 60 by 40 needs 10 cans with the same allowance. Type your own field into the calculator for the exact count.
How much line is on a full-size soccer field?: At 115 by 75 yards: two touchlines and two goal lines make 380 yards, the halfway line 75, the center circle 62.8, the two penalty areas 160, the two goal areas 64, the two penalty arcs about 37.1 and the four corner arcs 6.3. That comes to 785 yards, which is 2,356 feet or 718 meters. The penalty marks and center mark are spots and add nothing.
How wide should soccer field lines be?: The Laws of the Game say all lines must be the same width and no more than 12 cm (5 inches). Most field marking machines and aerosol wands lay a 2 to 4 inch line, and the coverage figures suppliers quote assume a 4 inch line. Your league or the facility may specify a width, so check with them before you buy paint.
How do you square a soccer field with the 3-4-5 method?: A triangle with sides in the ratio 3, 4 and 5 always has a right angle between the two shorter sides. From one corner, measure 80 feet along the touchline and 60 feet along the goal line, then move the goal line end until the distance between the two marks is exactly 100 feet. The corner is now square. Any multiple works (30-40-50 is common), and a bigger triangle gives a truer corner. Once all four corners are staked, both diagonals should match: 137.3 yards (411.9 feet) for a 115 by 75 field.
Does a 7v7 field need a build-out line?: Under US Soccer's small-sided standards, yes: a line halfway between the top of the penalty area and the halfway line, at both ends, for U9 and U10. It is not required at 9v9 or above, and some leagues skip it or use cones, so check your league's rules. The calculator adds two lines across the full width when 7v7 is selected, and lets you switch them on for a custom field.

Marking a field you rent, or one nobody has listed?

The directory lists soccer fields by city, with the formats and surfaces the venue publishes. If the field you paint is not on it, adding it is free and takes a minute.

Fields near you Add a field

Sources

The paint figures were read from these pages on September 5, 2026, and the sentence each default comes from is quoted. Coverage depends on the paint, the grass and the person walking, which is why the boxes are editable. The marking sizes are the same ones the field dimension pages use.

How Many Cans of Spray Paint to Line a Field? · TruMark Athletics“A typical 18-20 ounce aerosol can of spray paint is going to produce a 2" to 4" wide line that is between 200 to 300 linear feet depending on how fast you walk and whether you make a second pass.”
Paint Sprayers for Athletic Fields: Aerosol vs Bulk Paint · Beacon Athletics“A typical 18-20oz can of aerosol paint will produce around 200-250 linear feet depending on how fast you walk, how wide your line is, and how many passes you make. For bulk paint, you will achieve approximately 300 linear feet per diluted gallon of field marking paint.”
Athletic Field Striping Paint Concentrate, 4 gallon case · Newstripe“Covers up to 450 linear feet per diluted gallon. Dilute 1 gallon of concentrate with 4 gallons of water to make 5 gallons of usable paint.”
Gametime Field Marking Paint, 5 gallon white · Traffic Safety Warehouse“Coverage 6.4 Mils wet film thickness (4" wide stripe -4,500 linear feet/gallon). This material is ready to apply. Do not dilute.”
Laws of the Game, Law 1: The Field of Play · IFAB“All lines must be of the same width, which must not be more than 12 cm (5 ins).”
Player Development Initiatives, small-sided standards (February 2017) · US Soccer, hosted by US Youth Soccer
Small-Sided Games Manual, modified rules and diagrams (revised January 2017) · US Youth Soccer, hosted by Washington Youth Soccer