Written by the Timbur workshop team, Lanseria. Updated 3 November 2026.
The essential measurements for a dining space are these: allow 600 mm of table edge per person, keep 900 to 1,000 mm clear between the table edge and the nearest wall or sideboard so chairs can pull out and people can pass, set the table top at 740 to 760 mm with chair seats about 450 mm, and hang a pendant 750 to 900 mm above the top. Everything else follows from those four numbers. This guide gives the sizes in millimetres, the way South African rooms and furniture are measured, with the tables we build in our Lanseria workshop as worked examples.
How much space do you need around a dining table?
Measure from the table edge, not the chair. You need 750 mm for a chair to slide out and someone to sit down, 900 mm for someone to walk behind a seated person, and 1,000 mm or more where the dining area is a thoroughfare to the kitchen or garden. Where a sideboard stands against the wall, measure from its front edge, not the wall. If a guest uses a wheelchair, allow 1,400 mm on their side.
So the room you need is the table size plus about 1,000 mm on every side. A 2,100 x 950 mm six-seater table needs a space of roughly 4,100 x 2,950 mm; a 2,400 x 950 mm eight-seater needs about 4,400 x 2,950 mm.
What size dining table seats how many?
Allow 600 mm of edge per person for elbow room, 650 to 700 mm if the chairs have arms. Head-of-table seats need the table to be at least 900 mm wide so a place setting fits across the end. A bench on one side takes three people where chairs take two.
| Seats | Rectangular table (length x width, mm) | Round table (diameter, mm) | Room size needed (mm) | Timbur example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1,000 to 1,200 x 700 to 800 | 900 | 3,000 x 2,700 | Custom size on request |
| 4 | 1,200 to 1,500 x 800 to 900 | 1,000 to 1,100 | 3,400 x 2,900 | Oak Round Dining Table |
| 6 | 1,800 to 2,100 x 900 to 1,000 | 1,300 to 1,400 | 4,100 x 2,950 | Industro Oak six-seater, 2,100 x 950; Broadacre, 2,000 long |
| 8 | 2,400 x 950 to 1,100 | 1,600 to 1,800 | 4,400 x 3,000 | Industro Oak eight-seater, 2,400 x 950 |
| 10 | 3,000 x 1,000 to 1,200 | 2,000 (awkward to reach across) | 5,000 x 3,100 | Custom size on request |
| 12 | 3,600 x 1,100 to 1,200 | Not practical | 5,600 x 3,200 | Custom size on request |
Round tables seat fewer per square metre than rectangular ones above six seats, but suit a square room and let everyone see each other. A 1,400 mm round table in a 3,500 x 3,500 mm room is the classic small-dining-room solution.
What size dining table for a 3 x 3 m or 4 x 3 m room?
A 3,000 x 3,000 mm room takes a 1,000 to 1,200 mm round table, or a rectangular table up to about 1,500 x 800 mm pushed with one long side nearer the wall. A 4,000 x 3,000 mm room takes a 2,000 x 900 mm table for six with chairs on the long sides, or a 1,400 mm round table with room to spare. A 5,000 x 3,500 mm room is the first size that takes a 2,400 mm eight-seater with a sideboard on one wall.
Table height, chair height and bar height
| Setting | Table top height | Seat height | Gap from seat to top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard dining | 740 to 760 mm | 450 to 460 mm | About 300 mm |
| Counter height | 900 mm | 650 mm | About 250 to 300 mm |
| Bar height | 1,050 to 1,100 mm | 750 mm | About 300 mm |
The seat-to-top gap is the number that decides comfort: 280 to 320 mm lets forearms rest on the table without hunching. Timbur's dining tables are 760 mm high, which suits chairs with a 450 to 460 mm seat and benches at 450 mm. Check the apron or frame depth under the top too: with a 760 mm top and a 100 mm deep frame, the clear height for knees is 660 mm, which is enough for most chairs with arms at 620 to 640 mm.
Bar-height tables look right under a high ceiling and in a kitchen that opens onto a lounge, but they are harder for children and older guests to use and need stools that most people would not sit on for a long meal. We write about the trade-off in bar height or standard height dining furniture.
Lighting height over the table
Hang the bottom of a pendant or chandelier 750 to 900 mm above the table top. Lower and it blocks faces across the table; higher and it lights the ceiling rather than the plates. The fitting should be about half to two-thirds the width of the table, and at least 150 mm inside the table edge on all sides so nobody stands up into it. Over a long table, two or three smaller pendants spaced 600 to 900 mm apart light it more evenly than one large one.
Sideboards, servers and walkways
A sideboard against the dining room wall is 450 to 500 mm deep, so it takes that much from the clearance. Place it on the wall furthest from the kitchen door, and keep 900 mm between its front edge and the pulled-out chairs. Our Drakensberg Sideboard is 2,000 x 500 x 830 mm and the Midi 1,200 x 500 x 830 mm; at 830 mm high both are at serving height, slightly above the table, which is the comfortable height to lift a dish from.
Measuring before you order
- Measure the room wall to wall, then subtract any built-in units, radiators and door swings.
- Subtract 1,000 mm from each side where people walk and 750 mm where they only sit. What is left is the largest table that fits.
- Decide how many you seat every day and how many a few times a year. A 2,100 mm table with a bench stretches from six to seven; an eight-seater with two benches holds ten at a push.
- Tape the outline of the table on the floor and walk around it with the chairs you own.
Every table we make is built to order in solid French Oak or Kiaat, so a custom length or width is usually possible; email the room measurements to info@timbur.co.za before ordering. See the dining tables collection for current sizes and prices.
Dining space questions, answered
How much space do you need around a dining table?
Leave 900 to 1,000 mm between the table edge and the nearest wall or furniture so a chair can pull out and someone can walk behind it; 750 mm is the minimum where nobody passes. A 2,400 x 950 mm table therefore needs a room of about 4,400 x 2,950 mm.
What size dining table seats 6?
A rectangular table 1,800 to 2,100 mm long and 900 to 1,000 mm wide, or a round table 1,300 to 1,400 mm across. Timbur's Industro Oak six-seater is 2,100 x 950 mm.
What size dining table seats 8?
A rectangular table about 2,400 mm long and 950 to 1,100 mm wide, or a round table 1,600 to 1,800 mm across. Timbur's Industro Oak eight-seater is 2,400 x 950 mm; with two benches it seats ten at a push.
What is the standard height of a dining table?
740 to 760 mm to the top, with chair seats at 450 to 460 mm, which leaves about 300 mm for your legs and forearms. Counter-height tables are 900 mm and bar-height tables 1,050 to 1,100 mm.
How much table space does each person need?
About 600 mm of table edge per person, or 650 to 700 mm for chairs with arms. The table should be at least 900 mm wide if people sit at the ends.
How high should a light hang above a dining table?
750 to 900 mm from the table top to the bottom of the fitting, and the fitting should be no wider than two-thirds of the table.
What size dining table fits a 4 x 3 metre room?
A 2,000 x 900 mm table for six with chairs on the long sides, or a 1,400 mm round table. Keep 1,000 mm clear on the sides people walk past.
