The most common mistake when choosing a table is looking at the size of the table and forgetting the size of the room. A table can fit on paper and still be too big if nobody can walk behind a pulled-out chair.
There are two calculations here, and they are separate: how many people the table seats, and whether your room can take that table.
How much space does one person need?
Allow 60 cm of width per person for comfortable dining. That is the minimum for a plate, a glass and elbows. Drop to 50 cm and people touch; go to 70 cm and the table grows larger than it needs to be.
Depth matters too. Below 90 cm, plates start colliding in the middle when people sit facing each other. You need a clear strip down the centre for serving dishes, bread and water.
What size seats how many?
These assume seating along the long sides only:
- 4 people: 120 × 80 cm
- 6 people: 160–180 × 90 cm
- 8 people: 200–220 × 100 cm
- 10 people: 260–280 × 110 cm
- 12 people: 320–360 × 110 cm
Seat the short ends too and you add two more places. But then the base matters: on a table with a leg at each corner, whoever sits at the end has a leg between their knees. Pedestal and sled bases avoid this.
Round tables
On a round table, circumference decides. Divide it by 60 cm to get the number of seats:
- 4 people: 100–110 cm diameter
- 6 people: 130–140 cm
- 8 people: 160–180 cm
A round table lets everyone see everyone. Past 180 cm, though, nobody can reach the middle. For groups larger than eight, oval or rectangular works better.
The room: this is the calculation that matters
Leave at least 90 cm from every edge of the table to a wall or furniture. That space does one job: when a chair is pushed back, 75–80 cm remains behind it and a person can walk past.
So for a 180 × 90 cm table, the minimum room is:
- Length: 180 + 90 + 90 = 360 cm
- Width: 90 + 90 + 90 = 270 cm
If your room is smaller, the table has to come down. Push one side against a wall and you save that clearance — but the table also loses a side.
Height and knee clearance
A dining table is 75 cm high as standard; a chair seat sits around 45 cm. The 30 cm between them is knee room.
Tabletop thickness is what to watch here. Natural stone and compact porcelain tops run between 2 and 4 cm, and you need at least 28 cm between the seat and the underside of the top. Less than that and knees hit.
What if it does not fit?
Standard sizes are a guide, not a rule. If your room is 340 cm, reducing the table to 160 cm is usually a better decision than abandoning it — the table gets smaller, the room stays usable.
We build to the size you need, in our own workshop. Bring your room measurements and we will work it out together.