Planning guide

What Size Tablecloth Do You Need?

Every standard table size matched to the right lap, midway, and floor-length linen — the same chart we use in our Memphis showroom, with the math explained.

By the Party Connection team · Memphis, TN · Since 1987

The fastest way to make a rented table look finished is the right size linen. The fastest way to make it look wrong is a cloth that stops four inches short of where it should. We have been matching tables to linens in Memphis since 1987, and the difference between a table that looks rented and a table that looks dressed is almost never the fabric. It is the size.

This page is the chart we use in our own showroom, plus the math behind it so you can check any table you are handed — even one that is not ours. Type your table into the calculator on this page and it will do the work for you. The chart and the reasoning follow, so you can sanity-check the answer.

The quick answers

• A 60″ round table takes a 120″ round linen to reach the floor.
• An 8-foot banquet table takes a 90″ × 156″ linen to reach the floor.
• A 6-foot banquet table takes a 90″ × 132″ linen to reach the floor.
• A 48″ round takes a 108″ round to reach the floor.
• A 72″ round takes a 132″ round to reach the floor.

If you only needed one number, you probably just found it. If you want the drop to land somewhere other than the floor — or you are dressing a bistro table, a kids' table, or a buffet — keep reading.

The full table and linen chart

This is the working chart from our showroom. Find your table in the left column, then pick the drop you want.

A dash means we do not stock a linen that lands at that drop for that table — pick the nearest column instead. The skirt column is the skirting length that wraps that table; more on skirting below.

The math behind the chart

You can work out any table with one formula:

Drop = (linen size − table width) ÷ 2

The linen hangs over both sides, so the extra fabric splits in two. Standard banquet and round tables stand 30 inches tall, which means a 30-inch drop touches the floor.

Worked examples on a 60″ round:

• 90″ linen: (90 − 60) ÷ 2 = 15″ drop. That is lap length.
• 108″ linen: (108 − 60) ÷ 2 = 24″ drop. That lands about 6″ from the floor.
• 120″ linen: (120 − 60) ÷ 2 = 30″ drop. Floor length.

Rectangles have two drops — one over the long sides, one over the ends. An 8-foot banquet top is 96″ long and 30″ wide. A 90″ × 156″ cloth drops (90 − 30) ÷ 2 = 30″ over the sides and (156 − 96) ÷ 2 = 30″ over the ends. Floor length all the way around, which is why that pairing is the standard for dressed banquet tables.

What each drop length says

Lap length — about a 15″ drop

The cloth ends near a seated guest's lap. This is the working length: casual parties, kids' events, any table where people slide chairs in and out all night. It is also the right base layer under skirting, because the skirt covers the legs anyway.

Midway — 6″ to 9″ off the floor

Dressier than lap length without the hem brushing shoes. A good middle choice for showers, rehearsal dinners, and corporate dinners, and a forgiving one on slightly uneven ground.

Floor length

The formal answer. The cloth kisses the floor, the table legs disappear, and the room photographs the way wedding rooms are supposed to photograph. Floor length is the default for wedding receptions, head tables, and cake tables.

Napkins

Our linen napkins are 20″ × 20″ — a true dinner napkin, big enough for any standard fold that stands up on a plate or lies through a napkin ring. Count one per seat, then add extras for the bar, the appetizer table, and the cake cutting. Napkins run $0.65 each on our 2026 price list, and every price is confirmed on your quote, so extra napkins are cheap insurance.

Overlays

An overlay is a second, smaller cloth laid over the base linen to add a color or a texture — it is how one table carries both your ivory and your accent color. We stock overlays in three sizes: 54″ × 54″, 72″ × 72″, and 90″ × 90″.

• On a 60″ round: a 54″ overlay caps the tabletop and shows base cloth at the rim. A 72″ overlay drops about 6″ over the edge. A 90″ overlay hangs to lap length over a floor-length base.
• On a 72″ round: the 90″ × 90″ gives a 9″ drop — the classic layered look.

Square overlays on round tables are usually set on the diagonal so the corners point down like a handkerchief. That is where our Iridescent Crush and Krinkle fabrics earn their keep — a textured overlay over a smooth polyester base reads as custom without costing like custom.

Skirting

Skirting clips around the table edge and falls to the floor — the standard dress for buffet lines, cake tables, head tables, and registration tables. Under a skirt you only need a lap-length cloth on top, since the skirt hides the legs. Use the chart's skirt column for length: 14′ wraps a 48″ round, 17′ handles a 60″ round, a 6-foot banquet, or a serpentine section, 19′ wraps a 72″ round, and an 8-foot banquet takes the full 21′.

Kids' tables: size down on purpose

Children's tables — like the kids' 48″ round and 6-foot children's banquet on our table and chair rental shelf — sit lower than standard tables. A floor-length cloth sized for a 30-inch-tall table will pool on the floor of a kids' table, and pooled fabric plus small hands means the whole setting ends up in someone's lap. Dress kids' tables at lap length. It looks tidy, it survives the party, and nobody trips on the hem.

Bistro and cocktail tables

Bistro, cocktail table, highboy — three names for the same tall table, so whatever your venue calls it, it follows the bistro row of the chart: 90″ for lap length, 108″ for a mid drop, 120″ for floor length. A floor-length cloth on a bistro table is often cinched with a sash just under the tabletop, which turns a tall table into a tidy hourglass and keeps the hem from swinging in a breeze.

Fabrics and colors

Size is half the decision. The other half is fabric, and our linen and tablecloth rentals in Memphis run five lines: Polyester in 55 colors, Satin in 44, Majestic in 48, Iridescent Crush in 31, and Krinkle in 21. That runs from White, Ivory, and Champagne through Eggplant, Emerald, and Charcoal — every color carries its catalog name, so the swatch you pick is the cloth that arrives. If the plan dresses the seats too, our chair covers with sashes pull from the same color families, so table and chair match by design. The fastest way to choose is in person: our Midtown Memphis showroom is open Monday through Friday, 9 to 4, and no appointment is ever needed.

Common questions

What size tablecloth fits a 60-inch round table?

120″ round for floor length, 108″ for a drop about 6″ off the floor, 90″ for lap length.

What size linen fits an 8-foot table?

90″ × 156″ for floor length. 60″ × 120″ gives a lap-length drop.

What size tablecloth fits a cocktail table?

Use the bistro row: 120″ reaches the floor on a bistro-height table, usually tied with a sash. 90″ gives a shorter, casual drop.

How do I measure a table I did not rent?

Measure the tabletop across its widest point (and its length, if rectangular), then use drop = (linen − table) ÷ 2. If the venue can only tell you it seats eight, it is most likely a 60″ round — but measure if you can.

Know your sizes? Build your linen list and request a quote — we will match every table to a color and confirm every price on your quote.