Tablecloth sizes: how to fit a cover to the table you have
Almost every return on a party cover comes down to one number nobody measured. Here is how to get it right the first time, for both rectangle and round tables.
The arithmetic, once
For a rectangle table: measure the tabletop length and width, choose how far down you want the cover to hang, and add twice that drop to both numbers. A 72 x 30 inch table with a 12 inch drop needs roughly 96 x 54 inches, which is why the 54 x 108 inch cut is the one most people end up with.
For a round table: take the diameter and add twice the drop. A 60 inch banquet round with a 15 inch drop needs a 90 inch cover. A 108 inch cover on the same table reaches the floor.
What venues mean by table size
Halls and rental companies usually describe a table by how many people it seats rather than by inches. A round described as seating eight is normally 48 inches across; seating ten is normally 60; seating twelve is normally 72. Folding rectangles are almost always 6 foot or 8 foot long and 30 inches wide.
If you can, measure rather than trust the description. The gap between a 48 and a 60 inch round is a foot of drop, and it is visible in every photo.
Drop length changes the mood
A short drop of six to eight inches looks casual and keeps the cover clear of chair backs, which matters at a children's party. A twelve to fifteen inch drop is the standard party look. A floor-length drop reads formal and is worth it on a cake table or a gift table, where nobody has to sit.
Mixing drops in one room is fine as long as the tables doing the same job match each other.
Fitting a cover that is slightly too big
A cover an inch or two long is not a problem: the extra hangs and nobody notices. A cover that is much too long on a seated table catches on knees and gets pulled. If that is what you have, tuck the excess under the tabletop at the corners rather than letting it pool.
A cover that is too small cannot be fixed, which is the argument for measuring first and for buying the size once rather than every season.
Write the number down and reuse it
Once you have measured, the number stops being a decision. Most households use the same two or three tables for every event, so a note on your phone saying 54 x 108 for the dining table and 84 inch round for the garden one will save you the same ten minutes every time you order party supplies.
It also changes how you shop. Knowing the size, you would buy a cover because you like the print rather than because it was the only cut left in stock, and a party table put together from prints you actually chose looks different from one assembled out of whatever fitted.
