Bar guide · updated 14 Sep 2026 · about 8 min read

Table sizes: casual drinks vs dining

A table that is perfect for two drinks is too small for two dinners. Here is how to size tables by purpose, choose bases and tops that survive a bar, and leave the right room between them.

Quick reference

Per dining cover: 600 mm of table edge
Drinks for 2: 500–600 mm round
Dining for 2: 700 × 700 mm
Dining for 4: 900 mm round / 1200 × 750 mm
Dining height: 720–760 mm
Edge to edge (chairs back to back): 1070–1520 mm
Accessible route: ≥ 1200 mm
Banquette overhang: 50–100 mm

Start with what the table is for

A hotel bar table does two different jobs. For drinks it needs room for a few glasses, a phone and perhaps a sharing plate. For dining it needs a full place setting per person: a minimum of about 610 mm wide by 530 mm deep per cover, and ideally 760 × 690 mm. The UK contract convention is to allow 600 mm of table edge per dining cover. That single rule explains why a table that feels generous for drinks feels cramped for food.

Typical footprints, drawn to the same scale. Drinks tables are roughly one size down from their dining equivalents.

Drinks-only tables

Guests	Round	Square	Height	Notes
2	500–600 mm	600 mm	Lounge 400–450 or dining 720–760	The bar's workhorse; joins into a four
3–4	600–700 mm	700 mm	Coffee-table height with sofas and tub chairs	Keep the top small enough to reach across
2–4 standing / perched	600–700 mm poseur	—	1050–1100 with 750–800 stools	Base weight rated for the top
Side table	400–500 mm	—	550–650 (arm height)	Beside armchairs; a drink at hand height

These sizes are industry practice rather than a standard; the dining sizes below are the anchor and drinks tables are generally one step smaller.

Dining tables

Covers	Square / rectangular	Round	Joins to make
2	600 × 600 or 700 × 700 mm	700 mm	Two 700 squares = 1400 × 700 for four
4	900 × 900 mm, or 1100–1200 × 600–750 mm	900 mm (1000 mm is more comfortable)	Two rectangles end to end for eight
6	1400 × 900 mm or 1700 × 700–750 mm	1200 mm	Rounds do not join; keep them for corners

UK and American practice agree closely: a 36 in (915 mm) square seats four, a 30 × 72 in (760 × 1830 mm) rectangle seats six, and rounds of 36 / 48 / 60 in seat 3–4 / 4–6 / 6–8. Dining tables sit at 720–760 mm high with chair seats at 450–480 mm. In a hotel bar that also serves food, the flexible choice is a run of 700 mm squares: two seat one couple each, pushed together they seat four to six, and the tops can be swapped between dining and poseur bases from the same range. The table mix guide takes this further for a full restaurant.

Bases and tops for a bar

Bar tables are knocked more than restaurant tables and moved more often, so the base and top matter. A cast-iron or weighted steel pedestal resists tipping when someone leans on a small round top; a four-leg or twin-pedestal base is the one that lets rectangular tops join. Ask for adjustable glides so tops meet level. For tops, high-pressure laminate to BS EN 438 is the practical choice for drinks tables — hard, wipeable and cheap to replace — with solid timber or veneer reserved for feature tables and lacquered to a contract specification that passes the BS EN 12720 cold-liquids test, because a bar table meets more spilt spirits than any other surface in the hotel.^[5]^[6] Round or radiused corners save shins and hips in a crowded room.

Space between tables

The table is only half the footprint. Behind each seated guest allow a sitting zone of 460–610 mm for the chair; where two tables back onto each other and staff need to pass, the edge-to-edge distance grows to 1070–1520 mm. Service aisles should be 760–915 mm; a minimum squeeze-past between chair backs is 460 mm, but aim well above it in a hotel. Standing crowds change the sums: a bar that fills on a Friday needs its tables pulled back from the counter zone so that a queue for drinks does not stand in the diners' laps, and the escape routes set out in Approved Document B must stay clear whatever the crowd.^[4]

Approved Document M asks for unobstructed routes of at least 1200 mm, with a 1500 × 1500 mm turning space for wheelchair users and passing places where corridors are narrower than 1800 mm.^[1] Accessible tables need a top at 760–860 mm with at least 700 mm of knee clearance beneath, which rules out pedestal bases with a wide, high foot at those positions.^[2]^[3] As a planning rule of thumb, casual dining needs about 1.5–1.9 m² per cover including circulation; a drinks-led bar can go denser, but the accessible route widths do not change.

Chairs, and what they do to the sums

Every table dimension above assumes a chair without arms. Armchairs need about 650–700 mm of table edge per cover rather than 600, and they cannot tuck under a table apron, so a run of four-covers on 1200 × 750 mm tables becomes a run of 1300 × 800 once the chairs have arms. Stackable and lightweight side chairs make the room easier to reset between breakfast and dinner; a heavier armchair suits the tables that stay put. For a bar that serves food the usual mix is armless side chairs at the dining tables, tub chairs and small sofas around the low tables, and stools at the counter, all specified to BS EN 16139 for strength and, where upholstered, BS 7176 medium hazard for fire performance. The lounge seating guide covers the low seating end of the room in detail.

Tables against a banquette

Fixed seating changes the geometry because the guest cannot pull the seat back. Set the banquette at 450–480 mm seat height and 450–500 mm deep, let the table top overhang the seat edge by 50–100 mm, and keep 300 mm from seat to table underside. Leave at least 600–800 mm of clear floor in front of the banquette for the loose chairs opposite; 800–1000 mm is more comfortable in a commercial room. Where tables sit in a row along one banquette, allow 300–350 mm between them as a minimum and 600 mm for comfort, so guests can slide in without disturbing the next table. Because a banquette run fixes the table positions for good, it is worth having the seating manufacturer check the table layout against their drawings before anything is made; the banquette guide has the full set of dimensions.

Terrace and outdoor tables

A hotel bar with a terrace needs a second set of tables that follow the same sizing rules but different construction. Outdoor tops in compact laminate, powder-coated aluminium or synthetic rattan resist rain and sun; timber outdoors needs an exterior oil and a maintenance schedule. Bases must be heavy enough not to blow over and light enough for staff to bring in, which usually means aluminium with a weighted foot, and every table wants adjustable glides for paving that is never quite level. Keep outdoor tables to the small end of the ranges above — 600–700 mm rounds and 700 mm squares — so they can be pushed together for groups and stacked or stored when the weather turns. The accessible route widths do not change outside: 1200 mm clear through the terrace and a level, firm surface to the accessible tables.^[1]

Common mistakes

Dining on drinks tables. Two plates on a 600 mm round do not fit. Decide per table.
Small tops on light bases. The first lean tips the drinks. Weight the base to the top.
Pedestals at accessible positions. No knee clearance. Four-leg or cantilever there.
Tables in the standing zone. Friday's queue stands in the diners' laps. Pull tables back from the counter.
Domestic-lacquered timber tops. Rings within a month. Ask for BS EN 12720 results.
Banquette tables that stop short of the seat. Overhang 50–100 mm.

Specification checklist

Decide per table whether it is for drinks or dining, then size it — 600 mm of edge per dining cover
Dining height 720–760 mm; chair seats 450–480 mm; poseur 1050–1100 mm
Bases weighted for the top; joinable bases on rectangles; adjustable glides; HPL or contract-lacquered tops tested to BS EN 12720
1070–1520 mm edge to edge where chairs back onto each other; tables clear of the standing zone and escape routes
1200 mm accessible routes, 1500 mm turning circles, accessible tables with 700 mm knee clearance
Banquette tables: 50–100 mm overhang, 300 mm seat-to-underside, 600–800 mm+ clear in front
Budget 1.5–1.9 m² per dining cover including circulation

Bar stools, poseur tables and bespoke banquettes, made in SalfordForest Contract supply high and low stools, table bases and tops, and build booths and banquettes to your drawings, upholstered to BS 7176 medium hazard. Trade only.

Brochure & quote

Frequently asked questions

What size table is needed for two people having drinks?

A 500–600 mm round or a 600 mm square is enough for two drinks and a sharing plate. For two people eating, step up to 700 × 700 mm or a 700 mm round so each has a full place setting.

How much table space does each diner need?

About 600 mm of table edge per cover, which fits a place setting of roughly 600 × 400 mm plus shared items; allow 650–700 mm per cover if the chairs have arms.

How far apart should tables be in a hotel bar?

Where chairs back onto each other, 1070–1520 mm between table edges; service aisles 760–915 mm; and the accessible route through the room at least 1200 mm clear under Approved Document M, with 1500 × 1500 mm turning spaces.

What height should a bar table be?

Dining or drinks tables with chairs sit at 720–760 mm; coffee tables with lounge seating at 350–450 mm; poseur tables for perching at 1050–1100 mm with 750–800 mm stools.

What is the best top for a bar table?

High-pressure laminate to BS EN 438 for everyday drinks tables: hard, wipeable and cheap to replace. Timber or veneer for feature tables, lacquered to a contract specification that passes the BS EN 12720 cold-liquids test.

How should tables be set against a banquette?

Overhang the seat edge by 50–100 mm, keep 300 mm from seat to table underside, leave 600–800 mm or more of clear floor in front for the loose chairs, and space tables along the run 300–600 mm apart. Have the seating manufacturer check the layout before it is made.

Sources

Figures reflect established UK contract-furniture practice, cross-checked against the standards above; ranges show the consensus. Standards are paraphrased — check the current edition before you rely on a figure for compliance.

← Previous: seating heights Next: bar counter dimensions →