Every dart scores the number of the section it lands in, from 1 to 20. The thin outer ring doubles that number, the thin inner ring triples it, and the center is worth 25 (outer bull) or 50 (inner bull). The most you can score with three darts is 180. Below you get a points chart, the number order around the board and a few worked examples.
This guide covers what a dart is worth. For subtracting from 501, see how to keep score in darts. For the full rule set, see the darts rules.
The parts of the board and what they score
Wikipedia describes the standard dartboard as divided into 20 numbered sections that score 1 to 20 points. The older World Darts Federation (WDF) rules, in an archived 1995 edition, list the other scoring areas one by one.
| Area | Where it is | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Single | The big wedge areas of a number | The number itself |
| Double ring | The thin outer band | Twice the number |
| Treble ring | The thin inner band | Three times the number |
| Outer bull | The green ring around the center | 25 |
| Inner bull | The red or black center | 50 |
The board at a glance: the big single wedges, the thin double ring on the outside edge, the thin treble ring halfway in, the green outer bull and the inner bull at the center.
The 1995 WDF rules describe the treble ring as an inner narrow band, named the "Treble Ring", and the double ring as an outer narrow band, named the "Double Ring". The center is an inner centre ring named the "Bull" and scores 50, and the ring around it scores 25. Wikipedia adds that the inner bull is also known as "bull", "inner bull" or "double bull".
Note
A quick way to read any dart: name the number first, then ask which ring it is in. No ring means a single, the outer narrow band means double, the inner narrow band means treble. For darts that land on a wire or fall out, check the darts rules.
Points chart: every number, every ring
Use this as a lookup. Single is the number, double is times 2, treble is times 3.
| Number | Single | Double | Treble |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| 4 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 5 | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| 6 | 6 | 12 | 18 |
| 7 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| 8 | 8 | 16 | 24 |
| 9 | 9 | 18 | 27 |
| 10 | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| 11 | 11 | 22 | 33 |
| 12 | 12 | 24 | 36 |
| 13 | 13 | 26 | 39 |
| 14 | 14 | 28 | 42 |
| 15 | 15 | 30 | 45 |
| 16 | 16 | 32 | 48 |
| 17 | 17 | 34 | 51 |
| 18 | 18 | 36 | 54 |
| 19 | 19 | 38 | 57 |
| 20 | 20 | 40 | 60 |
Two things to take from it:
- The most one dart can score on the numbered part of the board is 60, the treble 20. After it come treble 19 (57), treble 18 (54) and treble 17 (51), all above the inner bull's 50.
- A treble of a smaller number can beat a single of a bigger one. Treble 7 is 21, which is more than a single 20.
The number order around the board
The board follows what the WDF 1995 rules call the "1 - 20 clock pattern", though the numbers are not in counting order. The Mathpages article "The Dartboard Sequence" gives the order around the edge of a standard board. The source lists the sequence without saying which way it runs, so we simply start at 20, as it does:
20, 1, 18, 4, 13, 6, 10, 15, 2, 17, 3, 19, 7, 16, 8, 11, 14, 9, 12, 5
Some things you can read straight off that list (these are our own readings of the list, not claims from the sources):
- The 20 sits between 1 and 5, since the list wraps around. A dart that drifts a little to either side of the treble 20 lands in a 1 or a 5 wedge, which is a big drop.
- The 19 sits between 3 and 7, the 18 between 1 and 4, and the 17 between 2 and 3.
- The numbers straight across from each other are 20 and 3, 1 and 19, 18 and 7, 4 and 16, 13 and 8, 6 and 11, 10 and 14, 15 and 9, 2 and 12, 17 and 5.
None of the sources we used explains why the numbers are arranged this way, so we will not guess at the reason. If you need to learn the layout, memorize the top six, 20, 1, 18, 4, 13, 6, then go on in chunks.
Tip
To check your memory, say the sequence while looking at a photo of a board, and then say it backward starting from 20 (20, 5, 12, 9 and so on, ending on 1). Going both ways teaches you the neighbors of each number.
The 180 maximum and other three-dart totals
Up to three darts make a turn, and you add them up. Wikipedia states that the highest possible score with three darts is 180, reached when all three land in the treble 20: 60 plus 60 plus 60.
Here is how a few turns add up:
| Darts | Working | Total |
|---|---|---|
| T20, T20, T20 | 60 + 60 + 60 | 180 |
| T20, 5, 1 | 60 + 5 + 1 | 66 |
| T19, T19, 19 | 57 + 57 + 19 | 133 |
| Bull, Bull, Bull | 50 + 50 + 50 | 150 |
| Outer bull, outer bull, outer bull | 25 + 25 + 25 | 75 |
| D20, 20, 1 | 40 + 20 + 1 | 61 |
Why only treble 20 gets you there: the next-highest three-dart total is T20, T20, T19, which is 177. Three inner bulls make just 150.
Reading a score aloud
Say the ring first and then the number. "Treble 19" is 57, "double 16" is 32 and "25" is the outer bull. Entering "19" for a treble 19 loses 38 points on the sheet, so our suggestion is to say the ring out loud when you write the dart down.
Worked examples: from dart to points
Example 1. Your first dart lands in the thin outer ring of the 16. That is a double 16, so 32. Your second hits the plain wedge of the 8, so 8. Your third lands in the plain wedge of the 5, so 5. The turn is 32 + 8 + 5 = 45.
Example 2. Dart one is in the treble ring of 17: 51. Dart two is in the green ring: 25. Dart three is in the red center: 50. The turn is 51 + 25 + 50 = 126.
Example 3. Starting from 501, you throw T20, T20, T20 for 180, so you have 321 left. Doing this arithmetic is the job of the scoreboard, and it is covered in the score keeping guide.
Mistakes to watch for (our own guidance)
These are slips we suggest checking for, not findings from the sources:
- Counting the double ring as a single. The outer band is thin, so a dart in it is easy to miss, but it scores twice the number.
- Confusing the two bull rings. Green around the center is 25. Only the red or black center is 50.
- Adding the ring bonus instead of multiplying. Treble 18 is 3 times 18, which is 54, not 18 + 3.
- Mixing up where the numbers are. On a standard board, find the 20 first and read the neighbors from there, so a 1 or a 5 is never written down as a 20.
How an app handles points
When you play X01 in Darts Counter on Android, the live X01 screen takes each dart you throw, with Double and Triple buttons for the ring, so you pick the number and the ring and the app adds the points. It works out the remaining score for you, and the X01 start scores run from 301 to 901 in steps of 100. A scoring app cannot see your board: you still enter each dart, and it only knows what you tell it.
Where to go next
This page stops at point values. Once you know what a dart is worth, the next questions are about how a game uses those numbers:
- What counts as a legal finish, and what happens when you score too much: what is a bust in darts.
- The full first-game walkthrough, from setup to the first leg: darts for beginners.
- Which board you are throwing at (bristle, electronic, magnetic) and how they differ: dartboard types.
- Which scores finish a leg: the darts checkout chart.
- How the app tracks a game: the Darts Counter page.
Sources
All pages accessed on October 22, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Darts: the 20 numbered sections, the single, double and treble values, the bull values and the 180 maximum.
- World Darts Federation (archived 1995 rules on cyberdarts.com), World Darts Federation (archived 1995 WDF rules, third revised edition): the clock pattern, the 50-point "Bull", the 25-point ring around it and the "Treble Ring" and "Double Ring" bands.
- Mathpages, The Dartboard Sequence: the order of the numbers around the board.
