What Size Boardroom Table do I Need?

Boardroom tables are where the most important decisions happen

The boardroom is where you show off your business to key clients and prospects as well as being the place where critical corporate decisions are made. Meetings that happen here tend to go on for longer and require high levels of concentration.

Make sure your executives aren’t distracted by uncomfortable furniture

When the most important things are being decided, people don’t need to be distracted by uncomfortable furniture or badly planned workspaces. The right furniture allows everyone in the boardroom to give 100% concentration on the job at hand.

Each person at the table needs a minimum of 80cm of personal space:

• For meeting rooms and conference tables allow 80cm for each person.
• For boardroom tables each person will require between 80 and 100cm.
• The gap between the table and the wall should be a minimum of 100 cm and preferably more.

Start with space planning

Measure the room. This measurement will be the key to how many people can fit around your table. Tip: our space planning experts are always on hand if you need help with this bit.

Leave sufficient clearance around the table

Once you’ve measured the room, think about the space between the wall and a wood boardroom table.
A minimum amount of clearance is needed to sit at and walk around the table – this should be an absolute minimum of 100 cm but we suggest you allow 120-140 cm.

Here’s a simple guide to calculating boardroom table sizes:

1. For a round meeting room table – multiple the table diameter by 3.14 and then divide it by 80. So if the table is 120cm diameter, 120 x 3.14 = 376. Then 376 divided by 80 = 4.7.
2. Always round down to the nearest whole number. So in this case 4 people can be seated in comfort as we’ve rounded down from 4.7.
3. For a rectangular meeting table – divide the long side by 80, then the shortest side by 80. Then round down to the nearest whole number. And then multiple by 2.So if the table is 200cm x 100cm, that’s 200 divided by 80 = 2.5. Then 100 divided by 80 = 1.25. So that’s 2 people (rounded down from 2.5) plus one person (again rounded down from 1.25), = 3. 3 x 2 = 6. This table will seat 6.

If flexibility is key, consider two smaller tables or additional folding ones. These days they come in a variety of smart finishes to match existing conference room furnishings and can be wheeled away for storage in a trice.