Home plate is a five-sided slab of whitened rubber, measuring 17 inches in length along the front edge facing the pitcher's plate.

Two adjacent sides are 8.5 inches long, and the two remaining sides are 12 inches long, set at an angle to form a point at the back.

The plate is positioned so that its point is at the intersection of the lines extending from home plate to first base and to third base, with the 17-inch edge facing the pitcher and the 12-inch edges aligned with the first- and third-base lines.

The back tip of home plate must be exactly 127 feet, 3 and 3/8 inches from second base.

The plate is typically 1 inch thick and has beveled top edges.