Laying out the general floorplan of your event is not only useful for visualizing your event, but it is also essential for understanding how much space you have available and deciding which items will efficiently fill the space. The first step is measuring your venue to see how much space you have, and the second is knowing how much space your items take up. While some stationary things like dance floors and stages are easy to measure and place, it can be difficult to know how much space you need to allocate toward the hustle and bustle of guests sitting at and moving around banquet tables. How much space do guests need to pull out chairs to sit in? How much room do guests need to walk behind and between occupied chairs? The general formula we like to follow is the table dimension + 2.5 feet on each seated side. What does that look like for each table size? Let’s break it down! And while we’re at it, let’s look at how many people can sit at each table and what size cloth you need to cover it.

36 Inch Round Table

The 36 inch round table can seat up to 4 people. When adding this size table to your floorplan, you should allot an 8 foot by 8 foot square, or 64 square feet, per table. A 96 inch round cloth will fit this table to the floor.

 48 Inch Round Table

The 48 inch round table can seat up to 6 people. A seated table of this size will take up 81 square feet of space, or a 9 foot by 9 foot square. This table takes a 108 inch round cloth to reach the floor.

60 Inch Round Table

The 60 inch round table is the most popular for banquet seating, and it comfortably seats 8 people. This table takes up a 10 foot by 10 foot space, a total of 100 square feet. If you want a tablecloth to fit this table to the floor, a 120 inch round cloth will do the trick.

72 Inch Round Table

The 72 inch round table can seat a whopping 10 people, the most out of any other singular table. This table takes up 121 square feet of space, occupying an 11 foot by 11 foot square. To fit this table to the floor, a round tablecloth needs to have a diameter of 132 inches.

30 Inch Bistro Table

The 30 inch bistro table (also called a hightop, highboy, or bar height table) can accommodate 4 or more people standing around it during cocktail hour, but only 2 to 3 people can comfortably sit around it before it becomes cramped. With seats included, this table requires a 7.5 foot by 7.5 foot square of space, equaling about 56 square feet. Though small in diameter, this tall table requires a surprisingly large cloth to reach the floor. A 120 inch round cloth will fit if left to drape, but a 132 inch round cloth is recommended if tying with a sash.

6 Foot Rectangular Table

A 6 foot rectangular table will fit 6 seats, or 8 if utilizing the ends. Allocate a 6 foot by 7.5 foot space (45 square feet) for a 6 seater, or a 11 foot by 7.5 foot space (82.5 square feet) for an 8 seater. The table itself requires a 90 inch by 132 inch rectangular cloth to fit to the floor.

8 Foot Rectangular Table

The 8 foot rectangular table will seat 8 people, or 10 if chairs are added to the ends. The 8 seat configuration requires a space of 8 feet by 7.5 feet (60 square feet), and the 10-seater requires a space of 13 feet by 7.5 feet (97.5 square feet). To fit this table to the floor, choose a 90 inch by 156 inch rectangular cloth.

30 Inch Card Table

The 30 inch card table is very similar to the 36 inch round table. It can seat up to 4 people comfortably, and it fits in a 7.5 foot by 7.5 foot space, totaling about 56 square feet. This table, like the 36 inch round, fits a 96 inch round tablecloth to the floor.

Helpful Tables