Dining table sizes by number of covers, in mm

At a glance

Millimetres. No UK standard or regulation gives a table size per cover: every figure is practice, or arithmetic from the stated pitch, setting depth and chair sizes. Confirm with the partner workshop and on a mock-up.

Three numbers: pitch, setting depth and table width

A table is sized by what each diner needs, then by the shape. Two numbers do most of the work.

• Pitch. The length of table edge given to each cover, measured along the edge. We use three columns: 600 mm is the least that works (elbows will touch), 650 mm is comfortable, and 750 mm is generous, for fine dining, wide chairs or a long evening. Our dining table guide says about 600 mm a diner for a home table, and our boardroom guide 600 to 750.
• Setting depth. A cover takes about 350 mm of depth, from the table edge to the far side of the plate and glass. Two facing diners therefore use 700 mm of the table's width and whatever is left in the middle is for dishes, a centrepiece or nothing.

That second point decides table width. The brief for a restaurant table is really a question about the middle: 700 mm wide leaves nothing between facing diners, 800 leaves 100 mm, 900 leaves 200 and 1,000 leaves 300. Guides usually quote a single width and do not say what it leaves for the food. A wide top with shared dishes or a centrepiece is deeper than one for a plated lunch, and a wide table is harder to talk across, so the width is a choice of service style, not a standard.

Rectangular tables, by covers

Length follows from the number of covers along a long side. For n covers with n/2 on each side and nothing at the ends, the length is L = (n / 2) x pitch. The first set of columns gives it at the three pitches; the table is 800 to 900 wide, set by the previous section.

A seat at each end. A head seat takes space from the corner seats, because its setting (350 deep) overlaps the first side setting. There are two honest ways to count it. In the first, the head seats share the corner and add no length: read the row for two covers fewer, so a 2,400 mm table that seats 8 along the sides seats 10 with a head seat each end. That is how our dining table page counts, and it is the tight arrangement. In the second, each head seat has a full setting and the first side seat starts 350 mm in from the end, so the length is L = ((n - 2) / 2) x pitch + 700. The second set of columns gives that. A mock-up with real plates settles which a client wants.

Reading it: a table for 6 at the comfortable pitch is 1,950 mm long if the six are on the sides, and 2,000 mm if two of them sit at the ends with full settings. At the generous pitch it is 2,250 and 2,200. An oval or racetrack top follows the same lengths with the ends rounded: count the seats along the long sides, and add a seat at each end only if the curved end is wide enough for a setting. The workshop's template decides.

Round and square tables

Round tables seat by circumference: D = (n x pitch) / pi, with a floor of 800 mm so that two facing settings do not touch. The table also shows the free middle at the comfortable pitch, the diameter left once a 350 mm setting is taken from each side. A round of 1,660 mm for 8 covers has about 960 mm of free middle: wide enough to want a lazy Susan or a centrepiece, and too wide to reach across. The plates stay clear of each other at every size in the table, because the circle through the plate centres is longer than a plate for each diner.

Makers usually offer round tops in steps of 50 or 100 mm, so round the figure up to the next size they make. A round table is also the most forgiving shape for numbers: adding a cover costs about 200 mm of diameter, against 650 mm of length on a rectangle.

A square table works at one cover a side (800 x 800 seats 4) and at two a side, where the side is twice the pitch. At three a side the free middle is over a metre, which is too far to reach, so a square top for 12 is a poor choice. The table gives the side at each pitch.

Armchairs, legs and overhang

Armchairs. A side chair 450 mm wide has 150 mm to spare at a 600 mm pitch. An armchair 600 mm wide has none: the arms touch, and the diners lose elbow room. Add about 100 mm to the pitch for every armchair place, which in the drawing leaves 100 mm between chairs. Take the chair width from the chair maker's drawing, not from this sheet.

Legs and overhang. A diner's knees need clear space under the top: about 450 mm wide and 300 mm deep in our drawing. A leg set in from the corner is fine for a head seat, because the clear width between corner legs is 560 mm on a 900 mm wide top with 70 mm legs set in 100 mm. It is not fine for a side seat at the corner, where the leg stands inside the knee zone. There are three answers: start the first knee zone 195 mm in from the end (the leg setback of 100, the leg of 70 and 25 mm of clearance), which at a 650 mm pitch moves the seat 95 mm along and costs 45 to 120 mm of length at each end depending on pitch; set the legs in about 615 mm so each stands between the first and second seats, which gives a long overhang for the workshop to check; or move the support to a pedestal or end trestle that clears all the knee zones. Add a head seat and the problem goes, because the first side seat is already 350 mm in.

The overhang a top can take unsupported depends on the material, thickness and construction, so it is for the partner workshop (and an engineer for stone or glass) to confirm. Table height and seat-to-top gap are on the table heights sheet, and the seat itself on seat height, depth and width.

The room around the table, and what to put in the brief

Add the space round the table before you choose the size. From each long table edge, a chair needs a sitting zone of about 450 mm and the diner another 300 to 450 mm to push back and stand, so a clear 750 to 900 mm beyond each long edge is the working figure before anyone needs to pass behind a chair. That is the same datum as on our restaurant seating sheet, which also gives the aisle, escape and accessible-route widths from Approved Documents B and M. Neither Approved Document gives a table size or a space per diner; the only table widths on this page are practice.

• State size as three numbers. Top size, covers and pitch: for example 1,950 x 900 mm, 6 covers at 650 mm.
• Say how head seats are counted (shared corner or full setting), and whether armchairs are used.
• Draw the legs and the knee zone, and say where the first side seat starts.
• Name the datum for any room clearance: from the table edge or from the chair back.
• Prove the size on a mock-up with the real chair and a laid place setting when the client is particular.
• Check access. If a wheelchair user needs to join a table, the knee space and clear floor come from the access consultant; see the Approved Document M sheet.

Dining table [rectangular / round], top [1,950 x 900] mm, [6] covers at [650] mm of table edge per cover, settings [350] mm deep, [no / a full setting at each end]. Overall height [745] mm to the top surface from finished floor level. Dimensions are finished sizes to the shop drawing [ref], tolerance [ ] mm. Size confirmed on a mock-up with chair [ref] before production.

Chairs [450] mm wide [side chairs / armchairs 600 mm wide], pitch increased to [700] mm for armchairs. Legs [70 x 70] mm, set in [100] mm from the end and the long edge, with a clear knee zone [450 wide x 300 deep] at every place. Any change to a chair or leg size to be re-checked against the table drawing before production.

Top supplied in [one piece / sections joined on site] with the join [located and finished as the shop drawing]. Overhang beyond the supports not more than [ ] mm, confirmed by [the workshop / structural engineer] for the top material and thickness [ ] mm. Extending mechanism [type], extended length [ ] mm, with the extra covers [ ] at the pitch above.

Standards and sources

• No standard or regulation read gives a table size per cover: the sizes here are practice and plan arithmetic, stated in the table notes.
• Approved Document M, Volume 2 (2015 edition incorporating 2020 and 2024 amendments; England): searched for table, desk and cover sizes: none given.
• BS EN 15372 (non-domestic tables), BS 8300-2:2018: named for strength and accessible design; not read. Confirm against the current editions.

Questions we are asked

What size table seats 6 people?

Seats on the two long sides, 1,800 mm long at the tight pitch of 600 mm, 1,950 at the comfortable 650 and 2,250 at the generous 750, 800 to 900 wide. With a seat at each end and full settings, 6 covers need 1,900 to 2,200 mm. A round table for 6 is about 1,150 to 1,430 mm across.

What size table seats 8 people?

On the long sides, 2,400 mm at 600 mm a cover, 2,600 at 650 and 3,000 at 750. With a full setting at each end, 2,500 to 2,950 mm. If the head seats share the corners, the 8 are sitting at a table sized for 6. A round table for 8 is about 1,530 to 1,910 mm across.

How much table does each person need?

About 600 mm of table edge at the least, 650 comfortable and 750 generous, and about 350 mm of depth for the setting. These are practice figures, not a standard. Armchairs and fine dining go to the upper end.

How wide should a dining table be?

700 mm is the least, with nothing between facing diners. 800 mm is a usual restaurant table, 900 to 1,000 mm leaves room for shared dishes or a centrepiece. Wider than that makes conversation across the table harder and the middle hard to reach.

How many people does a round table seat?

Diameter in mm is about covers x pitch / 3.14. At 650 mm a cover, 4 need 830, 6 need 1,240, 8 need 1,660, 10 need 2,070 and 12 need 2,480, rounded up to the next size the workshop makes.

Do armchairs change the table size?

Yes: add about 100 mm to the pitch for each armchair place, because a 600 mm wide chair touches its neighbour at a 600 mm pitch. Take the real width from the chair maker's drawing.

Can the studio confirm a table size for my restaurant?

We coordinate the manufacture of the table through our partner workshops to your drawing, and they confirm the construction, spans and any extension. The covers, service style and layout are the operator's and the designer's decisions.