What size dining table for 8 people?
200 × 100 cm 79 × 39 in · room at least 3.82 × 2.82 m
For 8 people, choose a rectangular dining table 200 × 100 cm (79 × 39 in); a round one must be 180 cm across. With 91 cm (36 in) behind the chairs, the room must be at least 3.82 × 2.82 m (12 ft 6 in × 9 ft 3 in).
At this size a rectangle beats a round table. A round table big enough for everyone is so wide that nobody can reach the middle, and it needs a square room to stand in. The rectangle is narrower than it is long, so it suits the shape most dining rooms are.
If you seat this many only a few times a year, an extending table is the better buy: size it for everyday, and check the room against its extended length, not its closed one.
Worked out for 8 people at a rectangular table in a UK stock size, with 91 cm (36 in) from the table's edge to each wall, enough for someone to edge past a seated diner. Change the numbers
The working
- 8 people.
- Seats = 60 cm per diner on the long sides, plus one at each end when the table is at least 90 cm wide.
- Least room = table + 2 × 91 cm each way.
The rules, and their sources
Table edge per diner
A rule designers use: give each diner at least 60 cm of table edge (24 in). The NKBA asks for a 610 mm (24 in) wide place at a 30 in table.
A rule designers use Sources: IKEA Switzerland, How much space per person at a dining table (checked 31 October 2026); NKBA, Kitchen Planning Guidelines, Guideline 9 (checked 31 October 2026); furniture.co.uk (Amy, 14 Mar 2026), Dining table size guide (checked 31 October 2026).
A diner at each end
Our rule: a table at least 90 cm wide seats one diner at each end, and the end diners take about 10 cm of each corner from the long sides. IKEA says 40 cm of edge is enough at an end.
A rule designers use Source: IKEA Switzerland, How much space per person at a dining table (checked 31 October 2026).
Space behind the chairs
The NKBA's guidelines: 813 mm (32 in) from the table edge to the wall when nobody passes behind a seated diner, 914 mm (36 in) for someone to edge past, 1118 mm (44 in) to walk past. 75 cm is the least for a chair to pull out.
An industry guideline Sources: NKBA, Kitchen Planning Guidelines, Guideline 8: traffic clearance at seating (checked 31 October 2026); furniture.co.uk (Amy, 29 May 2026), Round dining table sizes (checked 31 October 2026); IKEA Indonesia, Ideal dining table height (checked 31 October 2026).
UK stock dining table sizes
UK shops sell rectangular tables from 120 × 80 cm (four) to 260 × 100 cm (ten), round tables 90–180 cm across and ovals from 150 × 90 to 220 × 100 cm.
Shop sizes Sources: furniture.co.uk (Amy, 14 Mar 2026), Dining table size guide (checked 31 October 2026); furniture.co.uk (Amy, 29 May 2026), Round dining table sizes (checked 31 October 2026); Castlery UK, Round dining tables (checked 31 October 2026).
Other numbers of people
The smallest stock rectangular table that seats each number in comfort, and the least room that leaves 91 cm (36 in) behind every chair.
| To seat | Table | Least room |
|---|---|---|
| 4 people | 90 × 90 cm35 × 35 in | 2.72 × 2.72 m8 ft 11 in × 8 ft 11 in |
| 6 people | 150 × 90 cm59 × 35 in | 3.32 × 2.72 m10 ft 11 in × 8 ft 11 in |
| 8 people this page | 200 × 100 cm79 × 39 in | 3.82 × 2.82 m12 ft 6 in × 9 ft 3 in |
| 10 people | 260 × 100 cm102 × 39 in | 4.42 × 2.82 m14 ft 6 in × 9 ft 3 in |
Change the numbers
Your sizes will differ. The dining table size calculator opens with these numbers filled in: change any of them and the answer, the working and the drawing follow.
Editorial notes
Worked out by the Snuug team on 12 November 2026 with the same code as the dining table size calculator, so the two cannot disagree. Every rule cites its source, with the date we last checked it. A rule designers use is a convention, not a study.