Dining Table Size Calculator

1. Measure the room length and width in feet or meters, from wall to wall or to any fixed furniture.
2. Enter the number of people. Keep or change the clearance, the edge per person and the table width.
3. Read the recommended table, the round option, and whether it fits. The sketch shows the table inside the clearance zone.

A dining table size calculator matches three things: how many people you want to seat, how big the table must be for them, and whether the room can hold that table with space to move around it.

It helps when you are buying a table, planning a new room or checking whether an extension leaf will fit for holidays. It works for kitchen tables and outdoor tables too.

It is not a building-code check. Only the accessibility figures come from a standard, the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. The seat width, clearance and table width are common design guidelines that you can change. Room sizes are easy to convert with the feet to meters converter.

The calculator gives each person a set length of table edge, adds up the edges, then checks the table against the room minus clearance.

1. With end seats on, 2 people sit at the ends when there are 5 or more. The rest split between the two long sides.
2. Length = people per long side times the edge per person. A table is never shorter than it is wide.
3. A round table's edge is pi times its diameter, so the diameter is people times the edge per person, divided by pi.
4. Clearance comes off both ends and both sides of the room. The table fits when it sits inside what is left, turned either way.

Accessible Seating Figures

The 2010 ADA Standards set exact dimensions for accessible dining surfaces in public places. Knee clearance must be at least 30 inches (760 mm) wide (306.3.5), the table top 28 to 34 inches (710 to 865 mm) high (902.3), and a wheelchair needs a clear floor space of 30 by 48 inches (305.3), part of which can be under the table. A walking route must be at least 36 inches (915 mm) wide (403.5.1). The accessible option uses the 30 inch place width and the 36 inch route width.

Room: 12 x 10 ft. People: 6. Settings: 36 in clearance, 24 in per person, 36 in wide table, end seats on.

Space for a table: 144 - 72 = 72 in long and 120 - 72 = 48 in wide, so the largest table is 6 x 4 ft. (An older version of this page said 8 x 6 ft, which does not match taking 36 in off every side.)

Table: 2 people at the ends leave 4 for the sides, 2 per side. 2 x 24 = 48 in, so a 48 x 36 in table works. It fits with 12 in to spare. A round table would be 6 x 24 / 3.1416 = 45.8 in across, and it fits too.

Most seats: the 72 in space allows 3 per side plus 2 ends, or 8 people. Metric check: a 4.0 x 3.2 m room with 90 cm clearance and 60 cm per person seats 8 at a 180 x 90 cm table, but an 8-seat round table (152.8 cm) is too wide for the 140 cm space.

A few measurements decide the answer. Each can be changed in the tool.

Chair Width and Arms

Armchairs and wide upholstered chairs need more than 24 in each. Measure your chair at its widest point and use that as the edge per person.

Traffic Behind the Chairs

A wall behind the chairs needs less room than a walkway. Raise the clearance where people pass behind seated guests or where a door opens.

Other Furniture

Measure to the front of a sideboard or cabinet, not to the wall behind it.

Table Legs and Bases

Corner legs can block the end of each long side. A pedestal or trestle base lets chairs tuck in more freely at the same size.

Extension Leaves

Check the room with the table fully extended, not only closed.

Rectangles suit long rooms and bigger groups. Round tables suit square rooms and groups of 4 to 6.

The round figures come from the circumference rule and are a minimum. Many people choose one size up for comfort.

Before Buying a Table

Check a listing's size against your room before you order. Listings often give sizes in centimeters; the inches to cm converter helps compare them.

Planning a Renovation or New Home

Test several room sizes to see how many people each would seat.

Hosting a Larger Group

See whether a folding table added to the end will still leave room to walk. For the food and drink side of the event, try the party food and drink calculator.

Making Room for a Wheelchair User

Turn on the accessible place to add a 30 in wide place and check the walking width.

1. Taking Clearance Off One Side Only

Clearance is needed at both ends and both sides. A 12 ft room with 36 in on each side leaves 6 ft, not 9 ft.

2. Putting Everyone on One Side in the Math

Six people do not need a 12 ft table. Split them over two sides and the ends.

3. Forgetting Chair Arms

Armchairs can need 26 to 30 in each, which adds a foot or more to a table for 6.

4. Measuring to the Wall Behind a Sideboard

Measure to the front of furniture that stays in the room.

5. Checking the Table Closed Only

An extended table needs the same clearance at its new ends.

6. Treating Guidelines as Rules

The 24 in and 36 in figures are starting points. Your chairs and how you use the room matter more.

The geometry is exact for the numbers you enter. The comfort figures are guidelines, so treat the result as a starting size.

A 48 x 36 in table seats 6 with one person at each end, at 24 in per place. Without end seats, 6 need a table about 72 in long.

About 72 x 36 in with end seats, at 24 in per place. A round table for 8 needs roughly 61 in across.

About 36 in (91 cm) from the table edge to the wall is a common guideline. Allow more where people walk behind seated guests.

With 36 in of clearance, the space left is 48 x 48 in. That fits a 48 x 36 in rectangle for 4 to 6 or a 48 in round table for 6.

Many dining tables are 36 to 40 in (91 to 102 cm) wide. Narrower tables save space but leave less room for dishes in the middle.

A common guideline is 24 in (61 cm) of edge per person. Armchairs and formal place settings need more.

At public dining surfaces, the ADA Standards call for a top 28 to 34 in high and knee clearance at least 30 in wide, with a 30 x 48 in clear floor space.

A round table often suits a small square room, because it has no corners to walk around. A narrow rectangle suits a long, thin room.

Yes. Measure the patio or deck area and use the same settings. Allow extra room if chairs are heavier or sit on uneven ground.

No. The math runs in your browser and nothing is sent to us. Save keeps a result only in this browser.

• 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (U.S. Department of Justice; 902 dining surfaces, 305.3 clear floor space, 403.5.1 walking width).
• ADA Accessibility Standards, chapters 3 and 9 (U.S. Access Board; 306.3.5 knee clearance 30 in wide, 902.3 height 28 to 34 in, 226.1 accessible seats).
• NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8 (length) (NIST SP 811; 1 in = 2.54 cm and 1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly).