Size Requirements by Governing Body
Before you request a single quote, you need to know exactly what size pit your competition level requires. Pits that don't meet the minimum specifications can disqualify your facility from hosting sanctioned meets — and expose your program to liability.
High Jump Pit — Minimum Dimensions
| Governing Body | Min. Width | Min. Depth | Min. Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFHS (High School) | 16'6" (5.03m) | 8' (2.44m) | 24" (0.61m) |
| NCAA (College) | 16' (4.88m) | 8' (2.44m) | 26" (0.66m) preferred |
| World Athletics (Elite) | 16' (4.88m) | 8' (2.44m) | 28" (0.71m) |
Dropzone Pits builds high jump pits at 16'6" × 8', in overall heights from 24" to 30" — enough range to meet any of the three standards above. Every height we quote is the overall finished height, with the 2" reversible top pad already on it. The top pad and a weather cover are included on every pit.
Pole Vault Pit — Minimum Dimensions
| Governing Body | Width | Depth Behind Box | Min. Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFHS (High School) | 19'9" (6.0m) | 16'5" (5.0m) | 24" (0.61m) |
| NCAA (College) | 19'9" (6.0m) | 19'8" (6.0m) | 26" (0.66m) |
| World Athletics (Elite) | 19'9" (6.0m) | 19'8" (6.0m) | 32" (0.80m) |
Dropzone Pits builds competition pole vault pits at 19'9" × 20'5", in an overall height of 28" or 32". As with our high jump pits, the height we quote is the overall finished height with the 2" reversible top pad on, and both the top pad and a weather cover are included.
Key Point
Rule committees update minimum specifications periodically, and the level you host at can change — a school that adds a college-sanctioned invitational is suddenly held to a different standard than its own dual meets. Tell us the highest level you expect to host in the next few years, not just the level you compete at today, and we'll spec the pit accordingly.
How Much Space You Actually Need
The pit dimensions are only part of the footprint. Every year programs order a compliant pit and then discover it doesn't fit the apron they have. Measure before you spec.
High Jump
- The pit itself — 16'6" of width and 8' of depth for a standard pit.
- Standard clearance — the uprights sit outside the landing area, so allow room on both sides beyond the pit width.
- Approach fan — a full curved approach wants a semicircular runway roughly 60' in radius. Programs working with less can still compete, but the approach limits which angles your jumpers can use.
- Run-off behind the pit — leave clear space behind the landing surface. No fences, benches, or equipment carts against the back edge.
Pole Vault
- The pit itself — 19'9" wide and 20'5" deep on a competition pit.
- Runway — a regulation runway is a minimum of 130' long, and elite programs build longer.
- Box collar and bumpers — the plant box needs a padded collar, and the front of the pit needs bumper pads that close the gap between the box and the landing surface.
- Overhead clearance — if the pit lives indoors, measure ceiling height against the bar heights your athletes are actually clearing.
Before You Order
Measure the usable apron in both directions and note anything fixed in the way — drainage grates, light poles, fence lines, the edge of the track surface. Send those numbers with your quote request and we'll tell you what fits before anyone writes a purchase order.
What Materials Actually Matter
Two pits can carry identical dimensions on a spec sheet and be a decade apart in service life. The difference comes down to three material decisions, and they're the ones most easily lost when a purchase gets compared on price alone.
Outer Casing: Vinyl vs. Polyester
UV-resistant vinyl is the standard worth holding out for on an outdoor pit. It sheds water, resists UV degradation, and doesn't absorb moisture the way polyester does. Polyester casings cost less to produce, and they weaken and fail faster outdoors — a pit that lives in full sun will show you the difference well before its tenth season.
Every Dropzone Pits exterior casing is built from 18 oz UV-resistant vinyl, the same spec whether the pit is headed to Florida or Montana.
Foam Core: Density and Construction
The foam is the landing pit. Solid-block foam compresses with use, and a surface that started out compliant can quietly turn hard and unforgiving. What to look for:
- High-density foam core sections — not a single-block fill that loses resiliency
- A 2" reversible top landing pad — it absorbs the spike and impact abuse so the core underneath is protected, and reverses to even out wear. Included on every Dropzone pit, and counted in the height we quote you
- Cross-tunnel or lattice construction — lets air escape on landing instead of packing the foam down
Seams and Closures
The weakest point in a pit is almost never the foam — it's the seams and the closures. What to look for:
- Double-stitched seams sewn with UV-protected sun guard thread, and seams folded before stitching for reinforcement
- Marine-grade zippers — the same hardware used on lifejackets, so they don't corrode or seize outdoors
- Velcro security sections — base sections lock together as one unit with no gaps opening up during a landing
Dropzone Pits Standard
Every pit we build uses 18 oz UV-resistant vinyl casing, marine-grade zippers, double-stitched seams sewn with UV-protected sun guard thread, and Velcro security on all base sections. Built to survive outdoors — not just to survive shipping.
Choosing Your Team Colors
A landing pit is the largest single object on your infield. It's in every meet photo, every recruiting video, and every shot a parent posts from the stands. It may as well be in your colors.
Because every pit is made to order, you pick the top and the base separately — which means you can run your primary color on the base and your accent on the top, or match a pit to a specific uniform set. Nothing is a special order; it's simply how each pit is built.
See it before you buy it
Rather than describing a color and hoping, you can build the pit on screen. The color builders on the high jump and pole vault pages let you set the top and base, see the result on a real pit in about ten seconds, and download the image.
That image tends to do more work than a spec sheet. Athletic directors approving a purchase, booster clubs raising the money, and school boards signing off all respond differently to a picture of their own pit than to a line item.
A note on the top surface
The top of a high jump pit is a mesh surface, which carries a slightly different color range than the solid vinyl base. Both builders only show you colors that are actually available for that section, so anything you can select is something we can build.
Tip
Pull your school's exact colors from your athletics style guide before you build. Two schools with "navy and gold" rarely mean the same two colors, and it's worth getting right on something that lives on your infield for a decade.
How to Write the Spec for a Bid
Most districts require competitive bids above a dollar threshold. A vague specification invites bids that look cheaper because they leave things out, and you find the gap after the pit arrives. A tight spec protects you.
Include all of the following:
- Exact dimensions — width × depth × height, and state whether the height is the base unit or the overall height with the top pad on. This is the single most common place bids stop being comparable. Every height Dropzone Pits quotes is overall, pad included.
- Compliance level — name the governing body you're building to (NFHS, NCAA, World Athletics)
- Casing material and weight — for example, 18 oz UV-resistant vinyl; say "vinyl," not "weather-resistant fabric"
- Foam construction — high-density core sections, cross-tunnel or lattice construction, separate top landing pad and its thickness
- Seam and closure spec — double-stitched seams, thread type, marine-grade zippers
- Section attachment method — how base sections connect to each other and how the top pad secures
- Colors — top and base specified separately
- Warranty term — in years, and what it covers
- Freight — whether shipping to your address is included or quoted separately, and who unloads
- Accessories — box collar, front bumpers, replacement pads; list them or they won't be in the number. Ask specifically whether the top pad and weather cover are included or billed separately. On a Dropzone pit, both are included.
Two Things Buyers Forget
Freight and unloading. A landing pit ships freight, and someone has to get it off the truck. Confirm who does that and what equipment is needed before delivery day. The weather cover. It affects how long the pit lasts more than anything else you buy, so check whether it's in the quote or an add-on. Ours is included.
Request a quote and tell us what your district needs to see on it.
Making a Pit Last
How a pit is treated between seasons matters as much as how it was built. The programs still competing on a pit ten years later almost always do the same handful of things.
- Use the weather cover every time the pit isn't in use. Sun and standing water do more damage than athletes do.
- Store it dry and off the ground in the off-season. Indoors is best; covered and elevated is acceptable.
- Inspect the seams and zippers pre-season and again mid-season, before a small failure becomes a replacement.
- Keep spikes off the casing and sharp equipment away from the pit entirely.
- Replace worn sections instead of whole pits. With Velcro security sections, a single worn area can be swapped without retiring the pit.
Our full pit care guide covers off-season storage, inspection checklists, and the signs that foam is failing.