I know pits are technically supposed to be 10’x10’, but my team is working on redesigning our pit for next year (fingers crossed it gets done!), and we would like to know if we should design to work with a 10’x10’ pit, or plan on it being smaller in case it is, and do 8’x8’?
I have always seen 10x10. Our 10x10 pit always fits just barley and I couldn’t imagine losing almost a third of the space.
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iirc, i dont think the pit size changes. So it would be safer imo to stick with the 10x10 space. You pretty much want to exploit as much space as you can
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We discovered that the pipes and drapes at champs created a roughly 9.5’ square for our pit. At all other events where it’s just tape lines on the floor, it’s been 10x10.
Pit sizes are event dependent. There are multiple events, especially in District venues, that will be in 8x8 pits because of limited space. Events try for 10x10, but that absolutely cannot be guaranteed.
So, if you don’t want an unnecessary surprise, I’d stick with 8x8. That is the minimum pit size I’ve ever seen at an event.
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I’m on mobile right now and cant find reference to it immediately, but I recall either the event rules or something similar stating that events would try their best to ensure 10’x10’ pits, but that they could be as small as 8’x8’ if needed.
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I would make sure your pit can work in 8x8 - i.e, you won’t have any equipment sticking out of an 8x8 pit, even if working in it is less ideal. There will be times where you have to be in an 8x10 or 8x8 pit, and if your setup is not able to shrink you’ll be kind of hosed.
There are various ways to do this when designing your storage and cabinetry; most importantly is make sure any carts, workbenches, etc. on each side are separate pieces that roll independently and do not have to be interlocked. This will let you wiggle each piece out to the limits of the usable area of that particular pit.
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Ok, I think we’ll make it about 9.5’x9.5’, and it will be in multiple separate modules.
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I’ve seen as small as 8x8 and heard of as large as 10x15. I would probably be prepared with a plan for 8x8, 9x9, and 10x10.
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Design it for an 8x8
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This year, our pits were 9x9, 9x11, and 10x12 (with a lower ceiling height). One of our regular off-season events often has pits as small as 8x8.
Yuup this 
, from talking to a few other teams with “Super-pits” it sounds like designing for a 8’x8’ is the safest bet, while having optional features/extras for a 10’x10’ space.
Our team is planning on making pit over the summer/pre-season here for an 8’x8’ space.
My question would be whats the typical height limit for pits? IIRC 12’ is the limit … not that it would be useful/safe space though, nothing higher than 8’ would be used for us since anything higher would require step-stools and such to get to the higher elements (in addition to safety hazards from tools/objects falling from high shelves if not stored properly).
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Quick question: What do teams put in the corner of their pits?
My team has rolling cabinets that are not usable when in the corner.
Most common I’ve dealt with was 8x8. Largest is normally at world’s and is 10x10. Smallest I’ve ever had to deal with in FRC was 6x6 but that was an off season event.
If you design for 8x8 and have a 10x10 pit, worst thing is you have a little extra room. If you design for 10x10 and have an 8x8 pit, your pit doesn’t fit. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
I think it is the common theme in new pits nowadays, but in our last pit redesign we went to a (largely) “2 sided” pit, where all tables/storage/“obstructions” go down 2 sides of the pit (the back and one side). We found it makes everything feel a lot more open (and would be more flexible in situations with restricted pit space)
Regardless of the “deployed” height limit, make sure you design to fit through a standard 36” door (width and height) with some margin for things like a ramp up to a doorsill or a relatively tight corner/hallway.
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Our team has a pipe structure so that takes up some of the corners, but you can also use it as more storage space. It’s nice to have a spot for backpacks, spare material, water bottles, flags, etc. that is not in the way and literally sectioned off.
FIRST Safety stuff dictates nothing over 10 feet.
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Yeah, 10 foot is the height limit. Waaay back in the day, we decided to bring a sponsor banner mast made of PVC to a regional that went straight up about 60 feet or so. The bulky aluminum pit structure was its mounting base. It was really, really easy to find our pit 
. During the kickoff the following year, they said pits were now limited to 10’x10’x10’. I can’t help but wonder if we played a part in that.
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