Dining table sizes: how many chairs fit, and how big your room needs to be

Buying a dining table is mostly a measuring job. Get two numbers right, the size of the table and the space around it, and almost any style will work in your room. Get them wrong and even a beautiful table feels cramped every night.

This guide gives you simple rules of thumb, a quick size table, and real tables from our range at each size. Measure your room first, then read on.

Rule 1: about 60 cm of table edge per person

Allow roughly 60 cm along the edge of the table for each person. That is enough for a plate, a glass and two elbows. If your chairs are wide, or have arms, allow more.

Check the chair width before you count seats. For example, the BT Cincinnati Dining Chair is 46 cm wide, while the MD Milano Vintage Leather Dining Chair is 62 cm wide. Two chairs can need very different tables.

Rule 2: about 90 cm between the table and the wall

Leave about 90 cm from the table edge to a wall or a piece of furniture. That lets someone pull a chair out and sit down, and lets someone else walk behind them. If nobody needs to walk behind a side, 75 cm is the tight minimum.

So a quick way to size the room: add about 1.8 m to the table length, and about 1.8 m to the table width. A 180 x 90 cm table wants a space of roughly 3.6 x 2.7 m.

Quick size guide

These numbers use the two rules above. They are a starting point, not a promise. Chairs, legs and table ends all change the answer.

A chair at each end needs a table that is wide enough. Around 90 cm or wider usually works.

Small spaces: 90 to 120 cm

For an apartment or a kitchen corner, a round or square table is often the best fit. There are no corners to walk around, and you can squeeze in an extra chair when friends visit.

• CT Nobu Oak Square Dining Table: 90 x 90 cm, solid oak.
• BT Fiore 90 cm Round Dining Table: 90 cm across, sintered stone top on steel legs.
• CT Dion Solid Timber Round Dining Table: 110 cm across, solid mahogany. The maker rates it for four people.
• CT Newport Round Dining Table: 120 cm across, solid mahogany on a pillar base. A pillar base means no legs in the way of your knees.

Makers count seats differently. The BT Sphere Round Dining Table is 140 cm across and its maker lists it for four. A pillar or pedestal base usually fits more chairs than four corner legs.

Families of four to six: 150 to 180 cm

This is the most common size. A 180 cm table seats six with room to spare, and eight if you add a chair at each end and don't mind being close.

• MD Laura Solid Timber 1.8 Meter Dining Table: 180 x 105 cm, solid ash. At 105 cm wide it takes a chair at each end easily.
• BT Melba 1.8 m Dining Table: 180 x 95 cm, in oak or black timber veneer.
• CT Amsterdam Solid Mahogany Dining Table: comes in 120, 150 and 180 cm lengths, so you can match it to your room.

Big tables for eight or more: 210 cm and up

If you host often, a long table is worth the space. Check the room first: a 240 cm table needs a room around 4.2 m long.

• BT Reverbend 8 Seater Dining Table: 240 x 110 cm, acacia wood. There is also a 6 seater at 180 x 90 cm.
• MD Pathway Solid Timber Dining Table: 210 x 105 cm or 240 x 120 cm, solid ash.

Not sure? Look at an extension table

If you seat four most nights and ten at Christmas, an extension table covers both. The MD Moni Extendable Dining Table comes in three sizes. The smallest goes from 150 to 240 cm and the largest from 210 to 300 cm. Size the room for the open length, so the table still fits when it is fully extended.

A two-minute check before you buy

1. Measure the room, wall to wall, and take off anything that sticks out, like a buffet or a heater.
2. Take about 1.8 m off each measurement. What is left is your largest table.
3. Mark the table size on the floor with tape or newspaper. Walk around it and pull out a chair.
4. Check the chair width on the product page and count how many fit along each side.

You can browse every size in our dining table range, or see tables with chairs in dining furniture. If you'd like a hand with sizes, call us on 02 9790 2588 or email sales@triplejfurniture.com.au.