Table Size Guide

Get out the masking tape and cardboard! The best place to start is with your current table—which you know very well. Tape down pieces of cardboard. Mark out simulated seating areas. Grab a helper, and sit next to each other. Stand back and try to imagine “if your table looked this big.”

Try not to skip this step! It’s often the best way to ensure your future table is sized just right.

Some folks like to spread out; others don’t mind getting cozy. These preferences can vary quite a bit.

The numbers here are guidelines, not unbreakable rules.

• 54 - 72 in.

• 4 ft 6 in. - 6 ft.

• 72 - 87 in.

• 6 ft. - 7 ft. 3 in.

• 87 - 108 in.

• 7 ft. 3 in. - 9 ft.

• 108 - 132 in.

• 9 ft. - 11 ft.

A good rule of thumb here is 36 inches. That is, 36 inches between the edge of the table and surrounding walls (or furniture).

With that in mind…

If you have 24 inches, it’s very tight. It’s not generally possible to get behind somebody without them getting up.

If you have 30 inches, this is noticeably more comfortable than 24, but still pretty snug. You can move behind somebody if you’re willing to squeeze.

If you have 36 inches, this is generally quite comfortable and you can move behind somebody without difficulty.

If you have 42 inches, great! Plenty of room. Open and spacious feeling.

If you have 48 inches or more… you have a very large dining room! Or an open floor plan. Either way, you have plenty of space and I hope you don’t mind hosting for Thanksgiving and Christmas because that is almost certainly the expectation.

With a wider table (say, 42 inches or more) folks at the ends of the table naturally position themselves more toward the end of the table because they have plenty of space to occupy. This means you can usually get by with less elbow room per guest if you so desire.

Everything written above applies to both traditional (4-leg) tables and trestle-style tables. That said, if you are considering a trestle-style table, there are a few extra pieces of information to keep in mind.

First, good news: trestle-style tables make it easier for guests to comfortably position themselves at the ends of the table, and you can therefore get by with slightly less elbow-room per guest.

More good news: if you’ve ever showed up late to a party you know it’s much easier to squeeze into the corner-spot of a table when a table-leg isn’t in your way. Thus, trestle-style tables are great for hosting family dinners.

Are there downsides to trestle-style tables? Sort of. It has to do with the end-supports.

The main consideration is that guests will have to navigate an end-support as they choose the best place to sit. Fortunately, all of the end-supports we offer have a profile that can be comfortably straddled, but this is nonetheless something to keep in mind.

The final consideration has to do with where you tuck in your chairs when the table is not in use. Some trestle-style tables (Right-Angle and A-Base) are tricky to manage in this respect, and you should plan on tucking chairs in around the end-supports. Others (Hourglass and Curved Hourglass) are better in the sense that you can tuck your chair in even when the chair is adjacent to an end-support.

Can’t decide between a little table or a big table?

Not to worry: leaf extensions and extension tables offer the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for the indecisive.

Click to learn more about extension tables.

Benches are strangely magical when it comes to elbow room: adults can sit comfortably next to each other with “only” 20 to 22 inches of elbow room, even though this would feel snug in chairs.

Does Saint Louis Tables sell benches? Funny you should ask, because yes we do. Examples of previously constructed benches can be viewed in the gallery and pricing can be found in the catalog.

Chair width varies.

Narrower chairs might be 17 or 18 inches wide (at the widest point on the seat); wide chairs can be 22 inches or more.

If you have narrow chairs, then you’re good to go and if you want to stop reading this section you can safely do so.

If you have wide chairs, you just want to make sure your new table will comfortably accommodate them.

Our tip here is to think not only about how comfortable the table will be when fully seated, but also what the table will look like when it is not in use.

In other words, if you have wide chairs, will you have to squeeze them together in order to get them all tucked in? If so, you might want to consider a longer table.

But you certainly don’t have to. Like a lot of things, it just comes down to personal preference.

Kids are small, and they take up less space. On the other hand, they do tend to get larger over time.