How Many Tables and Chairs Do You Need?

Quick Chart by Guest Count

Here are the tables, chairs and floor-length tablecloths for 25 to 200 guests: one 60-inch round per 8 guests, or one 6 ft banquet table per 6 guests (8 if a guest sits at each end), always rounded up.

How the last column adds up: 60" rounds at $15, 120" round cloths at $23 and white plastic folding chairs at $2.50, one rental price for up to 3 days. For 100 guests: 13 x $15 = $195, 13 x $23 = $299 and 100 x $2.50 = $250, so $744. Delivery and tax are added on your quote.

Eight at a banquet table only works when it stands alone. Push 6 ft tables end to end into long rows and the ends disappear, so count 6 per table in a row, plus 1 at each end of the whole row.

These counts are seating only. Add the extra tables below, and a few spare chairs for the officiant, musicians or a head table.

How Many Tables for 100 Guests?

For 100 guests you need 13 round tables of 60 inches, seating 8 each, or 17 banquet tables of 6 ft, seating 6 each, plus 100 chairs. The math: 100 ÷ 8 = 12.5, rounded up to 13 rounds, and 100 ÷ 6 = 16.7, rounded up to 17 banquet tables. Thirteen rounds leave 4 empty seats, which you can use for vendors or late RSVPs.

On top of the seating, a party of 100 usually needs five or six more tables: two or three banquet tables for a buffet (ask your caterer for their layout), plus a cake table, a gift table and a sign-in table. That's 18 or 19 tables in all with rounds.

Under a tent: 13 rounds need about 1,300 sq ft at 100 sq ft per table, more than a 20x60 (1,200 sq ft, 12 rounds). At long banquet tables, 100 guests fit in a 20x60, which seats about 108. Our tent size and seating guide has the full chart.

Round Tables vs Banquet Tables

Round tables suit a dinner where guests talk across the table; banquet tables seat more people in less space. With a floor-length cloth, rounds cost the least per seat: $4.75, against $5.69 at an 8 ft table and $6.17 at a 6 ft table.

Choose rounds for a wedding dinner, mixed groups who don't all know each other, and when you want the room to look full. A 60-inch round has a rim of about 188 inches, so 8 guests get about 23 inches each.

Choose banquet tables for family-style dinners, long "farm table" rows, a tight space, or a buffet and head table. Long rows use about 11.1 sq ft per guest against 12.5 at rounds, which is why a 20x40 tent seats about 72 at long tables but 64 at rounds.

Many events use both: rounds for guests, banquet tables for the buffet, the head table and the gift table.

Extra Tables: Cake, Gifts, Buffet and Sign-In

Plan one table for each job that isn't seating, on top of your guest tables. These are the ones people forget:

Each one also needs a cloth. A 6 ft table takes a 90 x 132" cloth ($24.50), or a 17 ft polyester table skirt ($10) if you want the front and sides closed in. For a proper bar, we rent a 6 ft classic bar ($195) and a premium bar with a wood top ($295).

Tables and chairs are delivered to the closest point a truck can reach, and setup isn't included unless your order says so. If you want tables placed or chairs set at each table, ask when you request your quote.

Tablecloths to Match

Order one floor-length cloth per table and one napkin per guest. On a standard 30-inch-high table, the cloth that just meets the floor is 120 inches across for a 60-inch round, 90 by 132 inches for a 6 ft banquet table and 90 by 156 inches for an 8 ft one.

The drop is half the difference between the cloth and the table: (120 − 60) ÷ 2 = 30 inches, which reaches the floor on a standard 30-inch-high table.

Example for 100 guests at rounds: 13 cloths at $23 ($299), 13 chiffon runners at $6 ($78) and 100 cloth napkins at $2.25 ($225), $602 in all. Colors, runners and table skirts are on our linen rentals page. Linens need 14 days' notice for changes, twice the 7 days tables and chairs need.

Table and Chair Questions