Tablecloth Sizing

Instructional video on how to determine the appropriate tablecloth size to use on tables for events.
Video Transcription:
"How do i choose the right size tablecloth for my table? You might think this would be an easy question, but before you can choose a tablecloth, you must first know the dimensions of your table. And then you will need to decide how far you want to tablecloth to drop off the edges of your table, you can choose a drop from anywhere from 8 inches, generally considered the shortest thats acceptable,to a tablecloth that can drop all the way to the floor. We call this the fully draped look, which has become very popular in recent years. Lets start with round tables, since round is the most popular shape for fine events. Round tables come in many sizes ranging from 36 inches up to 84 inches across, the most common size by far is a 60 inch round table, meaning the table measures 60 inches across the top. A standard 60 inch round table will be 30 inches high. You will definetley want to measure the height of your table, since some tables like the plastic lifetime table for instance may be only 29 inches high instead of 30 inches, this is important when buying a cloth to fully drape your table but i will explain more of this in detail later. Lets suppose that you have standard wooden 60 inch round table, by the way this table seats 8 people comfortably with full glass and sit down service, or ten people if you have minimal table pieces such as a table setting for a buffet where the plates are not present. The standard tablecloth drop has changed in recent years, from 8 to 15 inches which is halfway to the floor or just above the knees of your seated guest. Your most economical choice for this size table would be a 78 inch round cloth which will give you a 9 inch, this drop is considered fine for most casual events. A better choice for 60 inch round table is a 90 inch round which will give you the standard halfway to the floor drop. How did I get this size do you ask? First I took the measurement across the top of my table, which in this case is 60 inches. I wanted it to drop halfway to the floor so I added half of 30 inches or 15 inches to my 60 inch table top measurement. But since there are two sides to the table I need to double the 15 inch measurement, so that the 60 inches across plus the 15 inches of drop on one side plus 15 inches of drop on the other side of the table, equals 90 inches. Dont worry if this is a little confusing, we have a sizing chart at Linentablecloth.com that will do all the size calculating for you. So the standard tablecloth for a 60 inch round tablecloth is a 90 round tablecloth. But what if you want your tablecloth to drop all the way to the floor? Well instead of adding just 15 inches per side to my 60 inch tabletop measurement, I will add the full 30 inches per side. 60 plus 30 plus 30 (remember theres two sides to the table) will equal 120 inches, so I will need a 120 inch round tablecloth, easy right? But one word of caution when your going for the fully draped look, remember that some of our newer plastic tables may only measure 29 inches high. If you have one of these tables then you must calculate 29 inches of drop per side, not 30. So if you 120 Round tablecloth it will be too long at it will puddle on the floor. You will have to find a 118 inch tablecloth or a tablecloth that doesn't quite reach the floor, such as our 108 round tablecloth which comes within 6 inches of the floor on a standard 60 inch round table. Now lets suppose you have standard rectangular tables you want to cover. The sizing formula is the same as with the round tables, take the measurement across the tabletop, add drop and times two. The most common rectangular banquet table is the 8 footer. 8 feet long by 30 inches wide, it generally seats four persons per side. In my case I want a drop that's halfway to the floor, 15 inches. calculating the length, i take 8feet (96 inches) plus 15 inches times 2 which gives me a total length of 126 inches. Again, if I am confusing you our sizing chart will do all the calculating for you. So for the standard 8 foot rectangular banquet table is 60 x 126 inches. If you want a tablecloth that will fall directly to the floor on your rectangular table then you need to add 30 inches more to the length and the width, On this 8 foot rectangular table that would mean a 90 x 156 inch table cloth. One note on fully draping rectangular tablecloths, because of the geometry of a rectangle the corners of the table cloth will need to be rounded, oval in shape, or the table cloth will puddle on the floor at each corner of the table. Now that you have both 8 foot and 6 foot banquet tables, and you want to purchase just one size of tablecloth that will fit both tables, you will want to get a 70 x 120 inch tablecloth