Start with 54-inch round or square tables. For a rectangular style, look for a 42 x 60. For an oval style, look for a 42 x 72 table. The most common table shape is rectangular, and the dimensions vary depending on the number of people you want to seat.
Most rectangular tables are between 36 and 40 inches wide. A table that seats four people should be approximately 48 inches long. To seat four to six people, look for a table that is at least 60 inches long. For six or eight people, the table must have a length of at least 78. The general rule is to leave 24% space per seat at the dining table.
Whether you're buying a dining table for an existing formal dining room or a more informal dining space, or you're just planning to create a new dining area, it's important to make sure you're getting the right dining table size for whatever space that table takes up. To buy a table of the right size, you have to know the right dimensions of the dining table for a particular dining space. This includes knowing how much space a dining table should surround so that people sitting there and those who enter and leave the space have enough free space to do so. Below, you'll find a series of five custom diagrams that illustrate the proper dimensions of a dining table in relation to the number of people seated in a dining space.
We have included the dimensions of dining tables in various shapes with space for six, eight, ten or twelve people. Each diagram also specifies how many people each dining table can accommodate. Below are the brief answers to this question. See our diagrams below for more details.
In addition, you can check out our dining table size calculators here. The following diagrams will show slight variations in the size of the table depending on the shape of the table. These diagrams are intended to be guidelines on space, distances and height with respect to dining tables and chairs. All of the following examples use square tables (four people), circular tables (four people), or rectangular tables (six to twelve people).
Our dining table seats eight people, but in a hurry it can seat ten. Having space for an eight-person table can be ideal, because an eight-person dining set is perfect for dinners or game nights. Below are the dimensions of the dining tables for eight people, including round, square and rectangular tables. The most important dimension to consider when it comes to dining tables is the space surrounding the table.
People shouldn't be squeezed around a dining table like sardines. Ideally, your family and guests should be able to sit at a comfortable distance from the table. The family and guests should also be able to slide the chair backwards to get up from the table and then easily walk around the table to enter and exit the dining room. It follows that if you have a narrow dining room or area, you should look for a narrow dining table to fill the space.
The dimensions of dining tables vary greatly from one another, and it's better to have a narrow dining table with enough space on all sides than a wide table without enough space to move around and be comfortable. Since it's much easier to buy a new table than to renovate a dining room, most choose to buy a table width designed for a small space. Of course, if you're doing a major renovation anyway, this wouldn't necessarily apply. It's more important to have a table of the right size than an impressive table.
This can mean having enough space to seat all your friends and family, or it can mean having a smaller table so that people seated at the table can easily move around the dining space. An advantage of open-concept living spaces compared to closed dining rooms is the fact that there is more space to accommodate larger tables, although this is not always the case. Often, the ideal size of the dining table is simply a matter of allocating enough space between the living room area and the dining area to differentiate them from each other. Another important dimension of the dining room is the space from the seat of the chair to the top of the table.
There's nothing worse than having human legs or chairs fitted together without enough space between them. Fortunately, most dining sets are designed with adequate legroom for those who sit at the dining table. The issue of the seat height of the dining table can come to light if you buy chairs regardless of the purchase of the dining table, instead of buying a dining set. An example of this would be having an old dining table and then buying modern chairs with a seat height that is too high for the old dining table.
The two final dimensions of the dining table to consider are the distance between the chairs and from the chairs to the end of the table. There should be enough space for eating for people to sit and move comfortably on the table. Wider chairs help create more space between people seated at a dining table, but they can also restrict the number of people that can accommodate that dining table. A square-shaped table is ideal for square and more compact rooms, but this L-shaped dining table also works great if you only have seats for a group of four or less people.
Once a circular table measures more than 6 feet in diameter, conversation between the table becomes difficult; this is similar to the distance applied in the conversation area of a living room. As for considering the ideal table size for your room, you'll also have to consider the space you'll have available around the table. This means that the minimum dimensions of a rectangular dining table for 6 people would be 78 x 40 (203 x 102 cm), which places the ideal dimensions for a rectangular dining table for 6 people at 96 x 54 (244 x 137 cm). Dining table size guides are derived from the amount of space people need at a dining table.
Ideally, rectangular tables should be between 36 and 42 inches wide to ensure enough space to place seats on both sides of the table. In addition to their appearance, oval dining tables can also be ideal if you regularly seat a lot of people at your dining table. According to dining table expert Wilfredo Emanuel, the width of oval dining tables tends to vary between 36 and 44 inches. The most common table shape, rectangular dining tables are great because they can accommodate a lot of guests for entertaining on a grand scale.
If you have less space, a table with a pedestal can help you save some space and, if you have a large room, you can opt for a large farmhouse style table. .
