Table Linen · Buyer Guide
Table Linen Sizing: Cloths, Napkins and Runners
How a tablecloth size is worked out
A cloth size comes from two figures: what the table top measures, and how far you want the cloth to hang down each side. Add the drop twice, because the cloth hangs on both sides.
The arithmetic is the same every time. Cloth width equals the table width plus two drops. Cloth length equals the table length plus two drops.
Take a table top of 180 by 75 cm as an example. With a 40 cm drop, the cloth is 260 by 155 cm. With a 70 cm drop it is 320 by 215 cm, for the same table.
So a size name on its own settles nothing. Words like banquet, trestle or six foot describe the table, not the cloth over it. Two venues using the same word can need two different cloths.
How far should the cloth hang?
That is your decision, and it is the one that changes the cloth most. There are two usual ways to settle it.
A short drop stops above the seated guest's lap. It uses less cloth, weighs less in the wash, and leaves the table legs visible.
A floor length drop reaches the ground and hides the frame underneath. It uses more cloth, so it costs more per piece and takes longer to dry. It is the choice when the table frame should not be seen.
Measure from the table top down to where you want the hem to sit, and use that figure. Do not work back from a cloth you already own, unless you know it fits the table you are buying for.
Round and trestle tables
A round table takes one figure instead of two. Cloth diameter equals the table diameter plus two drops.
A round top of 150 cm with a 40 cm drop needs a 230 cm cloth. The same top with a floor length drop of 72 cm needs 294 cm.
A trestle is a rectangle, so the rectangular arithmetic applies. The difference is the frame: a trestle is usually dressed to the floor, because the legs fold and are not meant to be on show.
If a venue runs more than one shape, measure each shape and give each its own line. One cloth does not stretch across a mixed floor.
| Table | Drop | Cloth needed |
|---|---|---|
| 180 × 75 cm rectangle | 40 cm | 260 × 155 cm |
| 180 × 75 cm rectangle | 70 cm | 320 × 215 cm |
| 150 cm round | 40 cm | 230 cm round |
| 150 cm round | 72 cm | 294 cm round |
What size should a restaurant napkin be?
There is no single answer, because the size follows the fold and the service. A napkin that has to hold a standing fold needs more cloth than one laid flat beside a plate.
The practical way to settle it is to measure the napkin you use now, hem to hem, and decide whether it works. If your staff fight the fold, the napkin is too small or the cloth is too soft for it.
Fabric matters as much as size here. A heavier cloth holds a crease and stands up; a light one drapes and lies flat. So the same measurement behaves differently in two cloths.
Cocktail and tea napkins are smaller squares again, cut for a drink or a side plate rather than a full cover. They sit on their own line, because the quantity comes from a different count.
What a table runner is for, and how it is measured
A runner is a narrow band down the middle or across the width of a table. It is used two ways, and the use decides the size.
On a bare table the runner does the whole job: it marks the setting and carries the colour. On a laid cloth it adds a second band over the top.
Length is the table length plus the overhang you want at each end, so add the overhang twice. A runner that stops short of the edge looks unfinished, and one that hangs too far catches on chairs.
Width is set by what sits on the table. A runner holding a centre arrangement needs more width than one that only marks the line of the table.
Which figures go on the order
Four things per line: the finished measurement, the cloth, the colour, and the quantity. The finished measurement is the one you worked out above, not the table size.
Write the unit beside every figure. Orders reach a factory in inches from the United States and Canada, and in centimetres from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. A cloth cut to the wrong unit cannot be used.
Count cloths from your tables and napkins from your covers. The two numbers are not the same, and a rotation needs more than one set of each.
The ordering choices for each piece sit on their own pages: table cloths and runners, table napkins, and the rest of the kitchen linen range.
Send the table measurements and the drop you want, and we will work the cloth sizes out with you before the order is priced.
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