Round dining table: which diameter for how many people?

For a round dining table, allow about sixty centimetres of table edge per person. Because the circumference of a circle grows with the diameter, in practice that means: 90 to 100 cm for four people, 110 cm for five, 120 to 130 cm for six, and 140 to 150 cm for seven to eight. Add at least eighty centimetres of walking space all around to determine whether the table fits in your room.

With a rectangular table, you can simply divide the length by the number of people. With a round table that does not work, because the seats lie along a curved edge. That is why a round table more often leads to the wrong choice of size than a rectangular one.

How do you calculate how many people fit at a round table?

You calculate with the circumference, not the diameter. The circumference of a round table is the diameter times 3.14, and you allow sixty centimetres of that circumference per person.

A 120 cm table therefore has a circumference of about 377 cm. Divided by sixty, that gives you just over six seats.

Sixty centimetres is comfortable for an ordinary meal. If you want more room, for example with chairs with armrests, allow sixty-five to seventy centimetres per person.

Which diameter goes with how many people?

The maximum column is useful for a birthday party, not for everyday use. If you eat at it every day, go by the comfortable column.

How much space do you need around the table?

Allow at least eighty centimetres between the edge of the table and the nearest wall or cabinet. That is enough to push a chair back and stand up.

If someone has to walk behind a seated guest, you need a hundred centimetres. With less than sixty centimetres, you can no longer get out of your chair properly.

In practical terms, this means a 120 cm table needs a free floor area of about 280 by 280 cm. Measure that space before you select by diameter, because the table that seats six on paper does not always fit in the room.

What if the table stands in a corner?

If the table does not stand freely in the room, you lose the seats on the wall side. In practice, a 120 cm table against a wall gives you four usable places instead of six.

In that case, a semi-circular dining bench along the wall side is often the better solution, because it uses space that would otherwise stay empty.

Which sizes do we offer?

Our round dining tables range from 90 to 150 cm, depending on top and base. A few examples from the current collection:

The full range is in the round dining tables collection. If the size you are looking for is not there, we will make it in our own factory; see made-to-measure table.

Why do people choose round instead of rectangular?

At a round table everyone faces each other, and there is no head of the table. With groups of up to six people, conversation is noticeably easier than at a long table.

A round table also has no sharp corners, which is nice in a narrow passageway or with small children.

The drawback starts above 140 cm. The distance to the other side then becomes so great that you can no longer reach the dishes in the middle.

Key points

• Allow sixty centimetres of circumference per person, not of diameter.
• 120 cm is the standard size for six people, 100 cm for four.
• Keep eighty to a hundred centimetres of free space around the table.
• Against a wall you lose about a third of the seats.
• Above 140 cm, the middle of the table becomes out of reach.

Frequently asked questions

How many people fit at a 120 cm round table?

Six people fit comfortably at a 120 cm round table. The circumference is about 377 centimetres, which works out at just over sixty centimetres per person. If you use chairs with wide armrests, five people will have more room.

Does a round table save space?

A round table saves space in the sense that it has no protruding corners and therefore fits more easily in a narrow space. In square metres it does not: for the same number of people, a round table often needs more floor area than a rectangular one, because free space is needed on all sides.

Which chairs fit under a round table?

Chairs that are no wider than about fifty-five centimetres fit under a round table; otherwise the armrests touch each other on the narrow side of the circle. Also pay attention to the shape of the base: with a central pedestal you can push chairs in closer than with four separate legs.

What is the standard height of a round dining table?

A round dining table is normally seventy-five to seventy-eight centimetres high. That matches a seat height of forty-five to forty-eight centimetres. If the seat height of your chairs is different, it is wise to adjust the table height accordingly.

Can you put a round table in a small room?

A round table fits well in a small room as long as the diameter does not exceed 110 centimetres and there is walking space on at least two sides. With less space, a 90-centimetre table with four chairs is usually the upper limit.

Finally

The size follows from two numbers: the number of people who sit at it every day, and the free floor space you have. If you arrive at two different diameters, choose the smaller one. A table you can barely walk around is annoying every day, whereas an extra chair for a birthday only matters a few times a year.

Torn between two sizes? Drop by one of our showrooms. We put the diameters side by side, so you see the difference instead of calculating it.