One of the simplest lawn games ever invented is the cornhole game, also known as the bean bag toss game or baggo. Although the origins of this game are still unknown, it has been around for many years. Cornhole is an awesome game for hundreds of reasons. One of them is simply having fun with people you enjoy being around (or getting competitive with). I created plans for a set of DIY Cornhole Boards for anyone who wants to build this game and enjoy it with their friends. 

Most of the Cornhole set you buy on Amazon are made from ½” plywood. I used ¾” plywood to make it sturdier and so that bags would not bounce up when hitting the board. Also, knowing my 8-year-old son, after he gets bored playing Cornhole, he’ll make a bike ramp out of it. So in my case, the boards need to withstand the bikes as well.

To match the Cornhole Boards I’ve also built a Scoreboard and Cornhole Bags for this set. You also might be interested in the other game projects that I’ve built: DIY Pucket Game, DIY Mancala Board Game, and Triangle Peg Game.

Cornhole Rules

Click here to download official American Cornhole Organization (ACO) Rules

• ACO Rules Sheet
• ACO Rules for the Sport of Cornhole

Cornhole Boards

• Place the boards 24/27 feet apart, front to front. (Boards are positioned 24 feet (amateur) or 27 feet (professional))
• The total cornhole board surface should be 24” x 48”.
• A 6″ hole, centered 9″ from the back and 12″ from either side

Cornhole Bags

• There should be 8 cornhole bags, 4 bags of each color.
• Each bag should be 6 inches by 6 inches and have one pound of corn inserted into each bag (could also use Poly Pellets instead of corn for longevity).

Game Play

• A game consists of two teams of two people. Partners shall stand at opposite cornhole boxes on the same side facing each other.
• Each cornhole team shall have 4 bags of one color and all 8 cornhole bags begin at one end.
• A coin flip will determine which team shall go first and from which side they will pitch from.
• The team who has honors will begin play by one of the partners throwing a cornhole bag at the opposite cornhole board.
• A cornhole player may throw from anywhere behind the front of the cornhole box, this is the games foul line.
• Alternate throws between the two opponents until all 8 cornhole bags have been thrown.
• If a cornhole bag hits the ground first, then bounces up onto the board, remove that bag for it does not count. A simultaneous hit (board and ground) counts as a point if it stays on the board when it’s lifted from the ground.
• After all 8 bags are throw, scoring is determined using Cancellation Format scoring. Team A has 1 bag in the hole (3 points) and 2 bags on the board (2 points), Team B has 2 bags on the board (2 points). Team A is awarded 3 points and has honors to throw first in the next round.
• The next round starts when the other cornhole player on the team, which has honors, throws their first cornhole bag.
• The cornhole game continues until one team reaches or goes over 21.

Cornhole Fouls

• A cornhole player’s foot goes past the foot foul line (the front of the cornhole board).
• Any bag that hits the ground and ends up on the board.
• A Player goes out of turn.

Scoring on the Scoreboard

The score shall be taken after all cornhole bags have been thrown for a round.

• 3 points for a cornhole bag that goes through the hole.
• 1 point for a cornhole bag that is on the playing surface.
• 1 point for a cornhole bag that is hanging into the hole.
• 1 point for a cornhole bag that is hanging off the edge. If a cornhole bag is on the front of the board, the board can be lifted. If the bag stays on the board, point counts.
• 1 point for a cornhole bag when there is a simultaneous hit (board and ground) and it stays on the board when the board is lifted from the ground.
• 0 points for a cornhole bag that is on the ground.
• The team with the highest round score, adds the difference of the two scores to their game score. (Cancellation Format scoring).
• The team who wins the round is given honors to throw first in the next round.
• If both cornhole teams have the same round score then the game score stays the same and honors stays with the team who had it the previous round.

Cornhole Boards PDF

$7.97

This PDF download includes Cut Diagrams, a List of Supplies, and 3D illustrations with detailed steps to build the project. Measurements are in imperial and not metric. Does NOT include SketchUp/CAD files.

The plans are embedded on the webpage for free, but if you would like to support the website, you can pay a small fee to purchase the printable PDFs.

Thank you for your support!

Cornhole Boards

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Cornhole Boards PDF quantity

Purchase PDF

Note: Lumber dimensions are listed as nominal size.  See lumber sizes for actual dimensions vs nominal.

Disclosure: Some of the links on this page as well as links in “tools for this project” and “material list” sections are affiliate links. 

Dimensions

Step 1 – Cut Cornhole Top Boards

First, cut the top boards of the cornhole game. Take a full sheet of ¾” cabinet grade plywood (8’x4’) and cut it in half to a 4’x4’ piece. If you don’t have a large table saw to cut a full-size plywood sheet, using a skill saw might be a better option. There are a few websites out there that teach how to make a straight cut using a skill saw. Then cut that 4’x4’ piece in half leaving you with two 4 feet by 2 feet pieces.

Step 2 – Cut Cornhole Frame Boards

Next, using the remaining plywood cut four 46 ½” x 3 ½” pieces and six 21” x 3 ½”. The long pieces will be used for the sides of the board and the short pieces are used for the ends and the middle of the cornhole board. This bottom frame of the cornhole is 3/4″ smaller than the top board. I think having the top board larger than the bottom frame makes the cornhole look more professional.

Step 3 – Drill Frame Board Pocket Holes

Set your Kreg Jig settings to ¾” wood thickness and drill pocket holes as shown in the picture. Once all of the pocket holes are drilled, take the long 46 ½” pieces and measure 3” from one end of the board. Drill a hole at that 3” mark using the same Kreg Jig 3/8” drill bit. Make sure the hole is centered in the middle of the board. These holes will be used for bolts that support the cornhole legs.

Step 4 – Build a Cornhole Frame

Take the frame pieces and place them on the flat surface to assemble together. First, attach the two short pieces to the long boards with wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws. Then place and attach the third board in the middle of the frame. This middle piece will prevent the top cornhole board from bouncing when bean bags hit the board. Now attach the frame to the cornhole top board using wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws. When attaching the frame, clamp a small ¾” plywood piece as a guide at each corner so that the cornhole top is perfectly centered.

Step 5 – Draw and Cut a 6” Diameter Hole

The 6” hole needs to be exactly in the middle of the cornhole board and 9” from back to the center of the hole.

So first find the center of the board, which is 12” from the side. Then measure and mark 9” from the back. From that center point measure 3” both directions. Take a compass and draw a 6” circle from the center point. Now take a 3/8” Kreg Jig drill bit and drill a hole on the inside of the 6” circle. This 3/8” hole will allow you to insert a jig saw blade inside to start cutting a 6” hole. Finish cutting out the 6” hole with a jig saw. If you’re planning to do a lot of these cornhole boards, you might want to invest in a 6” hole saw bit. You’ll be able to cut these holes much quicker than with a jig saw.

Step 6 – Make the Cornhole Legs

To make the legs, you could either use remaining ¾” plywood or 2×3 lumber. If you are using plywood you’ll have to glue two boards together to make the legs at least 1 ½” thick.

Take 2×3 board and cut four legs to 15” in length. Using a miter saw, cut off the corners at 30 degrees on one end of each leg making it look like an arrow. Then using a random orbital sander, sand the corners of each leg to eliminate sharp edges. Measure 1 ¼” from the top of the arrow point and drill a hole using 3/8″ drill bit on all four legs.

Step 7 – Cut Off Extra Leg Length

First, attach the legs to the cornhole boards. Insert a 4” long 3/8” bolt thru the hole that’s on the side of the cornhole. Then place a washer between the frame and the leg so that the leg will not rub against the frame when opening and closing the legs. With both of the legs attached, place the cornhole on a workbench. With legs hanging off the table, raise the cornhole to 12” from the top of the cornhole to the table. Then draw a horizontal line (continuation of the table) on both legs, see picture. Remove the legs and cut off the extra leg length using a miter saw.

Step 8 – Attach the Cornhole Legs

Now that the legs are cut to the correct length, attach them to the cornhole. Make sure to place a washer on both sides of the leg before screwing-in the nut.

Then connect the legs together with a 2×3 board. Measure and cut the 2×3 board to the distance from inside of the legs. Drill pocket holes on both ends of the board and attach this board to the legs with 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.

Step 9 – Stain and Paint the Cornhole

For this step, you could get as creative as you want. Some use different cornhole decals or vinyl wraps (I’ve included few decals links that are being sold on Amazon at the end of this post). Some people just paint it. But for this cornhole, I used a combination of stain and paint.

First, stain the board about 8” on the left and the right sides using a Jacobean Stain. You could either use a brush or a cloth for staining. Take a dry brush and dip the tip it into a Chalked Country Gray paint. Then wipe the brush against the cloth so that you have very little paint left on the brush. With very little pressure swipe the brush over the stain in one consistent direction. Repeat swiping the gray paint over the stain until you reach the desired look. Let the paint dry.

Once the paint dries, measure 5” from the left and right side of the board and tape a blue painters tape covering the stain/paint. Then paint the middle section of the cornhole top board with any color you want. The rest of the cornhole, frame, and legs, could be painted in grey color. After paint and stain dries, apply a few coats of outdoor UV urethane for protection. You’re done with a DIY set of cornhole boards.

Buy Cornhole Set and Accessories on Amazon

If you don’t have the will or the tools to make the cornhole board yourself, I included Amazon links to the boards and different accessories that you could purchase. 

Cornhole Set

Cornhole Lights

Cornhole Bags

Cornhole Vinyl Wrap

Cornhole Set

Cornhole Set

Cornhole Bags

Cornhole Wrap