Bar, counter and stool heights: tops, overhangs and footrails

At a glance

Millimetres, from the finished floor; 1,050 mm is 41 inches. A to D are the ranges in our Table heights guide; E to I are typical practice for our partner workshops to confirm; the last row is from Approved Document M.

Set the stool from the top

A bar is two heights that have to work as a pair: the finished top and the seat. Our Table heights guide gives the rule, a top 220 to 300 mm above the seat, and two bands: counter surfaces of 900 to 950 mm with stools of 600 to 680 mm, and bar surfaces of 1,000 to 1,100 mm with stools of 700 to 780 mm. Worked one height at a time, the bands agree at the lower end and drift apart at the upper end:

So fix the top and the seat together, write the gap on the drawing, and say which seat height you mean: loaded (as sat on) or unloaded, from finished floor level, as set out in our seat height, depth and width sheet. The drawing uses a 1,050 mm top and a 750 mm stool, a 300 mm gap, the top of the range.

Overhang, knee space and foot rail

• Overhang (E). The top projects beyond the front of the bar so that knees go under it. About 250 to 350 mm is the working range we use on this sheet; it is typical practice, not a standard. The figure depends on the top material, its thickness and how the overhang is supported, so the drawing should show the brackets or legs. How far a stone top can project unsupported is for the stone fabricator and the engineer to confirm for the actual slab: no figure is given here.
• Knee space. The room a guest has for their knees comes from three numbers together: the overhang (E), how far the stool tucks under it (I) and the gap above the seat (C). Change one and check the other two on a mock-up with the real stool.
• Foot rail (F, G). A rail about 200 to 300 mm above the floor, set about 100 to 150 mm in front of the bar, lets a seated guest rest a foot and makes the taller stools comfortable for longer. Check that it clears toes and trolleys, and that its fixings take the weight of a person standing on it: our partner metalwork workshop confirms the load.
• Toe recess. A recess at the base of the bar front lets a standing guest get close. It is drawn schematically here.

Stool pitch and the room behind

Stools are set out along the front at a pitch (H) of about 550 to 650 mm centre to centre, with 600 mm a common working figure, which gives a little under two seats per metre of run. A stool with arms, or a swivel base, takes more. Our banquette figure of 550 to 600 mm per diner is a related number but a different seat. Standing guests need less length than seated guests, and how much less depends on the venue's covers and service plan, so no figure is given for them.

Behind the stools, the clear passage (J) is set by the fire strategy, the licensing conditions and the access consultant, not by the furniture. Approved Document M does not give it for bars. State it on the plan and keep the stools, the bar and the next obstruction on the same drawing.

The accessible section

Approved Document M, Volume 2 (2015 edition incorporating the 2020 and 2024 amendments, for use in England) says in paragraph 4.3 that bars and counters, or sections of them, should be at a level suitable for wheelchair users. Paragraph 4.16(b) asks that part of the working surface of a bar or serving counter is permanently accessible to wheelchair users, at not more than 850 mm above the floor, and, where necessary, part at a higher level for people standing. Paragraph 4.13 adds that staff areas should also be accessible.

A shared refreshment worktop, such as a tea-making counter, is a separate case: paragraph 4.16(c) asks for the worktop at 850 mm above the floor with a clear space beneath of at least 700 mm above the floor (Diagram 16).

The Approved Document gives no knee width or depth for a bar and no length for the accessible section. BS 8300-2:2018, which was not read for this sheet, is the usual reference, and your access consultant sets them. 850 mm is a maximum: set the nominal height below it, as the drawing does with 840 mm, so that tolerance and floor level cannot take the surface over the limit. Our furniture tolerances sheet shows how. A stool-height bar does not meet paragraph 4.16(b) on its own.

Bar-top materials, thickness and edges

The top is part of the height, so take its thickness off to find the height of the carcass: a 1,050 mm bar with a 40 mm top is 1,010 mm to the underside, the same arithmetic as the worked example in our table heights guide. Stone, solid timber, brass, zinc and steel each ask for something different at the edge: a radius or drip edge where glasses land, joints placed away from where guests sit, and a sub-frame sized for the weight of the top. Metal tops mark and develop a patina with use, so agree the finish against a sample.

Where the bar is part of a wider package, see hospitality bars and home bars; for the lighting over a bar, see pendants over bars, tables and islands.

Finished bar top height [1,050] mm above finished floor level, measured to the finished top surface, tolerance [ ] mm. Top thickness [40] mm. Stool seat height [750] mm to the top of the loaded seat (unloaded [ ] mm). Gap from seat to top surface [300] mm. Heights to be confirmed on a mock-up with the actual stool before production.

Top overhang [300] mm beyond the finished bar front, supported by [steel brackets at [ ] mm centres or legs] as shown on the shop drawing; maximum unsupported overhang to be confirmed by the fabricator for the stated material and thickness. Foot rail [50] mm diameter [brass or stainless steel] tube, centre [250] mm above finished floor level and [120] mm from the bar front, fixed to carry a person's weight [load to be stated by the supplier]. Stool pitch [600] mm centre to centre.

Accessible section of the working surface, [ ] mm long, at [840] mm above finished floor level and not more than 850 mm anywhere along its length, with knee space beneath [ ] mm wide, [ ] mm deep and [ ] mm clear height, taken from [BS 8300-2:2018 or the access consultant's drawing]. Height measured from finished floor level at [ ] points and recorded before handover.

Standards and sources

• Approved Document M, Volume 2 (2015 edition with 2020 and 2024 amendments, England): paras 4.3, 4.13, 4.16 and Diagram 16 read.
• BS 8300-2:2018: reference for knee space; not read.
• BS EN 16139:2025: non-domestic seating, for stools; not read.
• Make Bespoke Studio journal: Table heights: source of ranges A to D.

Questions we are asked

What height should a bar top be?

In our Table heights guide a bar top is 1,000 to 1,100 mm above the finished floor, with a stool seat of 700 to 780 mm, and a counter is 900 to 950 mm with a stool of 600 to 680 mm. Set the top and the seat together so that the gap between them is about 220 to 300 mm.

How much should a bar top overhang?

Enough for knees to go under it: about 250 to 350 mm is the working range on this sheet, but it is typical practice, not a standard. The right figure depends on the top material, its thickness and the brackets or legs under it, so the partner workshop and the stone fabricator confirm it for the design.

How high should a bar foot rail be?

About 200 to 300 mm above the floor and about 100 to 150 mm in front of the bar face, as typical practice. Its fixings must take the weight of a person standing on it, so ask the partner metalwork workshop to state the load.

How far apart should bar stools be?

About 550 to 650 mm centre to centre, with 600 mm a common working figure. Stools with arms or swivel bases need more room, and the figure is confirmed on a mock-up.

How high can the accessible part of a bar be?

Approved Document M, Volume 2, paragraph 4.16(b), asks that part of the working surface of a bar or serving counter is permanently accessible to wheelchair users and not more than 850 mm above the floor, with part higher for people standing. It applies in England. Knee space is not given there, so ask your access consultant and check BS 8300-2.

What if the bar top is 1,100 mm?

The tallest stool in our published bar band, 780 mm, then leaves a 320 mm gap, more than the 220 to 300 mm rule. Either ask for a taller stool, about 800 to 880 mm for that gap, or accept the larger gap after sitting at a mock-up.

Is a counter stool the same as a bar stool?

No. A counter stool is sized for a surface of about 900 to 950 mm and a bar stool for about 1,000 to 1,100 mm. A counter stool at a bar is too short and a bar stool at a counter is too tall, so the height is set from the surface.