Curling House

In curling, the house is the set of concentric circles located on both ends of the curling sheet. There are two houses, each consisting of four circles called the 12 foot, 8 foot, 4 foot, and the button. Only stones that land in the house can be counted for a point. While each circle varies in size and color, they do not range in point value. Every stone that lands in the house can only score one point regardless of which circle it lands on. In order for a curling stone to be considered for scoring, some part of it must be in the house.

In curling, the playing surface is known as the sheet, as curlers play on a long sheet of ice. A curling sheet is 150 feet long (45.720 meters) and 16 feet, 5 inches wide (5 meters).

The four parts of the house from smallest to largest are:

• The Button
• The 4-Foot
• The 8-Foot
• The 12-Foot

The Button

The button is the smallest circle at the center of the house measuring one foot in diameter. It is sometimes referred to as the 1-foot circle. It is typically white in color on the sheet. The center of the button has great significance, as it is the point at which the stones are measured in order to determine which team won the end. Whichever team’s stone is closest to the center of the button gains one point, with each additional closest stone gaining another point.

The 4-Foot

The 4-foot surrounds the button and measures four feet or 1.2 meters in diameter. It is typically red in color on the sheet. The 4-foot can be broken up into the top 4-foot (in front of the tee line), and the back 4-foot (behind the tee line). In mixed doubles curling, one of the pre-placed stones is set in the back 4-foot.

The 8-Foot

The 8-foot surrounds the 4-foot and measures eight feet or 2.4 meters in diameter. It is typically white in color on the sheet. The 8-foot can be broken up into the top 8-foot (in front of the tee line), and the back 8-foot (behind the tee line).

The 12-Foot

The 12-foot surrounds the 8-foot circle and measures 12 feet or 3.7 meters in diameter. It is typically blue in color on the sheet. The 12-foot can be broken up into the top 12-foot (in front of the tee line), and the back 12-foot (behind the tee line). Only stones that are inside of or touching the 12-foot can be counted for a point.

House Colors

You will notice that the colors of the houses vary. This is to easily distinguish between the start and end areas of each of the circles. The different colors do not signify any change in point value, but rather are used to help aim and more easily distinguish which stone is closest to the button.

The Backline

The backline is the line directly behind the houses. After a stone fully crosses the backline, it is out-of-play and removed from the sheet.

Curling Tee Line

The tee or tee-line is the line that runs directly through the house and middle of the button splitting it into two equal halves.

Back of The House

The back of the house in curling is the half of the house that is in between the tee line and backline. The Back half consists of the back 12 foot, back 8 foot, back 4 foot, and the back button.

Front of The House

The front of the house in curling is the half of the house that is in between the tee line and hog line. The front half consists of the top 12 foot, top 8 foot, top 4 foot, and the top button.

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