Surface heights

Surface	Typical height	Seat that goes with it	Guide
Dining table, modern	730 to 760 mm	450 mm	Why Tables Are 740 mm High, Seat Height: Why 450 mm Is the Default
Dining table, older	700 to 720 mm	420 to 450 mm	Why Tables Are 740 mm High
Desk	720 to 740 mm	450 mm	Why Tables Are 740 mm High
Kitchen counter	880 to 920 mm	600 to 650 mm	Why Tables Are 740 mm High, Bar Stool Height: Counter, Bar and Table
Kitchen island with a thick top	900 to 950 mm	600 to 650 mm	Why Tables Are 740 mm High, Bar Stool Height: Counter, Bar and Table
Bar	1050 to 1100 mm	750 to 800 mm	Why Tables Are 740 mm High, Bar Stool Height: Counter, Bar and Table
Counter in an older building	850 to 950 mm	Measure it rather than assuming	Bar Stool Height: Counter, Bar and Table

Where the number stops applying. Published height is the top of the surface. Your knees meet the underside. A 40 mm top leaves 250 mm of leg room under a 740 mm table and a 60 mm apron takes it down to 230 mm, which is below the comfortable range and nobody notices until the chairs arrive.

Seat heights

Seat	Height	Where it belongs	Guide
Dining chair or bench	450 mm	At a 740 mm table	Seat Height: Why 450 mm Is the Default, Why Tables Are 740 mm High
Counter stool	600 to 650 mm	At a 900 mm counter	Bar Stool Height: Counter, Bar and Table, Stool or Chair for a Kitchen Island
Bar stool	750 to 800 mm	At a 1050 mm bar	Bar Stool Height: Counter, Bar and Table, Stool or Chair for a Kitchen Island
Sofa seat, compressed	400 to 450 mm	Paired with 500 to 560 mm of seat depth	Sofa Depth: What the Number Means When You Sit Down
Child's chair	300 mm	At a 560 mm table	Why Tables Are 740 mm High
Popliteal height, adult range	380 to 480 mm	Your own measurement replaces the default	Seat Height: Why 450 mm Is the Default

Where the number stops applying. 450 mm is a compromise that suits most people moderately and nobody perfectly. Shoes add 20 to 30 mm, two adults in one household routinely differ by 80 mm, and above about 550 mm almost nobody's feet reach the floor, which is when a footrest stops being a detail.

The gap between a seat and the surface

Case	Leg room	Verdict	Guide
The range to aim for	250 to 300 mm	The whole calculation	The Gap Between Chair Seat and Table Top
740 mm table, 450 mm seat, no apron	290 mm	The standard pairing	The Gap Between Chair Seat and Table Top, Why Tables Are 740 mm High
With a 40 mm solid top	250 mm	Still in range	The Gap Between Chair Seat and Table Top
With a 60 mm apron rail	230 mm	Below range, and you feel it	The Gap Between Chair Seat and Table Top
Thick top plus apron plus corner bracket	Under 200 mm	Adults cannot sit square to the table	The Gap Between Chair Seat and Table Top
Counter overhang, so knees fit	250 mm	Lets you sit facing the surface	Bar Stool Height: Counter, Bar and Table, How Long a Bench Needs to Be Per Person

Where the number stops applying. Measure from the floor to the underside, at the exact place somebody sits. On a table with corner legs that means checking beside a leg, not in the middle of a side. Chairs from different sources vary by 30 mm or more, which is enough that one person at the table is always slightly wrong.

Clearance around a dining table

Situation	Space	Note	Guide
Table edge to the nearest obstruction	900 mm	The working minimum	How Much Space You Need Around a Dining Table
Where somebody walks past a seated person	1100 to 1200 mm	Seated person plus a walker	How Much Space You Need Around a Dining Table
Corner nobody uses as a route	750 mm	Tight, workable in a small kitchen	How Much Space You Need Around a Dining Table
A seated person, measured from the table edge	600 mm	This is what the clearance is for	How Much Space You Need Around a Dining Table
A person walking	500 to 600 mm	Added on top of the seated person	How Much Space You Need Around a Dining Table
Pulling a dining chair out	750 mm	Behind the table edge	How to Measure a Room Before Buying Furniture, What Size Round Table Seats Six

Where the number stops applying. A 1000 mm round table with 900 mm around it needs a clear area of 2800 mm in both directions. The failure is almost never the main walkway: it is an inward-opening door, a radiator, an open drawer on a sideboard, or two chairs competing for the same corner diagonal.

Round tables: the arithmetic

Diameter	Edge length	At 600 mm each	At 550 mm each	Guide
900 mm	2827 mm	4 people	5, tight	What Size Round Table Seats Six
1000 mm	3142 mm	5 people	5 comfortably	What Size Round Table Seats Six
1100 mm	3456 mm	5 to 6	6	What Size Round Table Seats Six
1200 mm	3770 mm	6 people	6 comfortably	What Size Round Table Seats Six
1400 mm	4398 mm	7 people	8, tight	What Size Round Table Seats Six

Where the number stops applying. Circumference is diameter multiplied by 3.14, and a place setting needs about 600 mm of edge. That is the arithmetic. It is not the seat count, because this table counts the edge and ignores two things the next one does not.

Round tables: in practice

Diameter	Comfortable	At a push	Guide
800 mm	2	3	What Size Round Table Seats Four
900 mm	3	4	What Size Round Table Seats Four
1000 mm	4	5 to 6	What Size Round Table Seats Four
1200 mm	5	6	What Size Round Table Seats Four
1400 mm	6	8	What Size Round Table Seats Four

Where the number stops applying. This table sits one or two people below the arithmetic above, deliberately. A dining chair is 450 to 500 mm across and fans outwards on a circle, so chairs need more room at the back than their place setting takes at the edge. And a setting is 350 to 400 mm deep, so the usable centre shrinks faster than the edge grows: a 1200 mm top leaves a 500 mm circle in the middle, a 1000 mm top leaves 300 mm, and a 900 mm top leaves the settings practically meeting. Six adults want 1150 to 1200 mm. A base matters too: legs at the corners cost you seats that a central column does not.

Bench length per person

Situation	Per person	Why	Guide
At a dining table	600 mm	Elbows out, place setting width, cutlery in use	How Long a Bench Needs to Be Per Person
Against a wall, sitting	500 mm	Arms in, no table, shorter stays	How Long a Bench Needs to Be Per Person
Hallway, putting shoes on	450 mm	One person at a time	How Long a Bench Needs to Be Per Person
A child	350 mm	Changes the arithmetic more than anything else	How Long a Bench Needs to Be Per Person
Adult shoulder width	400 to 500 mm	The spacing above is this plus a gap	How Long a Bench Needs to Be Per Person

Where the number stops applying. A 1600 mm bench is three adults at 533 mm each, and four only when two of them are children. Four adults works out at 400 mm each, which at a dinner table with cutlery is a squeeze everyone remembers. At a table, measure the clear distance between the table legs rather than the table length.

Sofas: depth and the space around one

Measurement	Range	What it means	Guide
Overall depth minus seat depth	250 to 350 mm	The back eats the difference	Sofa Depth: What the Number Means When You Sit Down
Seat depth, upright	450 to 500 mm	Easy to get out of, good for small rooms	Sofa Depth: What the Number Means When You Sit Down
Seat depth, general purpose	500 to 560 mm	Back supported, feet on the floor	Sofa Depth: What the Number Means When You Sit Down
Seat depth, relaxed	560 to 620 mm	Wants a cushion behind the back	Sofa Depth: What the Number Means When You Sit Down
Sofa front to coffee table	300 to 450 mm	Below 300 mm you cannot stretch out	Matching Coffee Table Height to a Sofa
Walkway in front	750 to 900 mm	Plan the room from this, not from the sofa depth	Sofa Depth: What the Number Means When You Sit Down
Behind, against a wall	30 to 50 mm	Stops the back cushions compressing and traps less damp	Sofa Depth: What the Number Means When You Sit Down, Does a Two-Seat Sofa Fit Your Room
Behind, floating in the room	300 mm	600 mm if people walk there	Does a Two-Seat Sofa Fit Your Room
Beside, for a side table	400 to 500 mm	Or nothing at all if it goes into a corner	Does a Two-Seat Sofa Fit Your Room

Where the number stops applying. Overall depth is the number on the specification and seat depth is the number you sit on, and the gap between them is 250 to 350 mm. A loose cushion also loses 30 to 60 mm when somebody is on it, so measure it compressed. Two to three fingers between the front edge of the seat and the back of your knee is the test that replaces all of this.

Coffee and side tables

Measurement	Number	Note	Guide
Coffee table against the seat	Seat height, plus or minus 50 mm	Biased slightly low	Matching Coffee Table Height to a Sofa
Coffee table too low	More than 80 mm below the seat	People start putting drinks on the floor	Matching Coffee Table Height to a Sofa
Coffee table length	About two thirds of the sofa	A 1620 mm sofa takes 1000 to 1100 mm	Matching Coffee Table Height to a Sofa
Side table next to an arm	Arm height, within 50 mm	Putting a cup down becomes a sideways movement	What Height a Side Table Should Be
Side table with no arm to match	Compressed seat plus 50 to 80 mm	Where your hand falls when your arm hangs	What Height a Side Table Should Be
Side table top, the useful range	350 to 450 mm	A cup, a book, a small lamp	What Height a Side Table Should Be
Side table distance from the seating	Touching, or within 50 mm	A gap collects remote controls and dust	What Height a Side Table Should Be

Where the number stops applying. Both of these are judged by one movement: putting a cup down without standing up. Measure the seat with somebody sitting on it, because a loose cushion loses 30 to 60 mm under load and the specification sheet never accounts for that.

Walking routes and passages

Route	Clear width	What it feels like	Guide
Two people pass	900 mm	Comfortable in both directions	Does a Two-Seat Sofa Fit Your Room, How to Measure a Room Before Buying Furniture
One person, comfortable	600 mm	One person carrying a bag	Does a Two-Seat Sofa Fit Your Room, Sizing Furniture for a Narrow Hallway
Squeeze route used daily	450 mm	Tolerated, and people turn sideways	Does a Two-Seat Sofa Fit Your Room, How to Measure a Room Before Buying Furniture
Below that	350 mm	Gets rearranged within a month	Does a Two-Seat Sofa Fit Your Room
Walking behind a seated person	900 to 1000 mm	The number most plans forget	How to Measure a Room Before Buying Furniture
A door opening into the room	A quarter circle of 800 mm radius	Mark the arc on the floor	How to Measure a Room Before Buying Furniture

Where the number stops applying. Measure the clear floor, not the room. Walls in older buildings routinely vary by 20 to 30 mm across a single room, so measure every dimension at both ends and in the middle and use the smallest number you get.

What fits in a hallway

Hall width	Keep clear	Depth available	What fits	Guide
800 mm	600 mm	200 mm	Hooks, a narrow shelf	Sizing Furniture for a Narrow Hallway
900 mm	600 mm	300 mm	Shallow shelf, slim console, shoe rack	Sizing Furniture for a Narrow Hallway
1050 mm	600 mm	450 mm	Bench, standard cabinet	Sizing Furniture for a Narrow Hallway
1200 mm	700 mm	500 mm	Most things	Sizing Furniture for a Narrow Hallway

Where the number stops applying. Door swings beat every one of these numbers. Mark each arc on the floor before choosing anything, put furniture on the hinge side where the arc does not reach, and watch for handles, which project 60 to 80 mm and hit furniture before the door does.

Storage: what needs how much depth

Item	Internal depth	Guide
Paperbacks	150 mm	Cabinet Depth and What Actually Fits
Hardbacks	250 mm	Cabinet Depth and What Actually Fits
Dinner plates, stacked	300 mm	Cabinet Depth and What Actually Fits
A4 box files, upright	320 mm	Cabinet Depth and What Actually Fits
Vinyl records	330 mm	Cabinet Depth and What Actually Fits
Folded clothes	350 to 400 mm	Cabinet Depth and What Actually Fits
Hanging clothes on a rail	550 to 600 mm	Cabinet Depth and What Actually Fits

Where the number stops applying. Published depth is external. A 450 mm cabinet is roughly 410 to 425 mm inside once the door and the back panel are counted, which still takes everything on this list except hanging clothes. Past 450 mm you start storing two rows deep, the back row becomes invisible, and invisible storage is where things go to be bought again.

What a shelf is actually carrying

Contents	Per metre	Guide
Vinyl records	50 to 60 kg	How Much Weight a Wall Shelf Can Hold
Hardback books, packed	25 to 35 kg	How Much Weight a Wall Shelf Can Hold
Crockery	20 to 30 kg	How Much Weight a Wall Shelf Can Hold
Paperbacks	15 to 20 kg	How Much Weight a Wall Shelf Can Hold
Decorative objects and plants	5 to 15 kg	How Much Weight a Wall Shelf Can Hold

Where the number stops applying. Add the shelf itself and then double the total, which covers the day somebody leans on it. Shelves fail from the wall outwards, not from the shelf inwards: studs sit at 400 or 600 mm centres and are worth finding, because a screw into timber is worth ten anchors in 12.5 mm of plasterboard.

Getting it into the building

Measurement	Number	Note	Guide
A 1620 by 860 by 780 mm sofa, carried on its end	The opening it must pass is 860 by 780 mm	The longest dimension only matters at turns	Will It Fit Through the Door
Diagonal of that cross-section	About 1160 mm	Tilting converts a width problem into a height one	Will It Fit Through the Door
Handrail allowance on a stair	80 to 100 mm	Subtract it from the wall to wall figure	Will It Fit Through the Door
Wall variation across one room	20 to 30 mm	Measure at both ends and the middle, use the smallest	How to Measure a Room Before Buying Furniture

Where the number stops applying. Measure the route from the street inward and let the narrowest point govern everything. The things that are forgotten are radiator pipes at the bottom of a hallway wall, door stops and architraves that are not in the frame measurement, and the last metre, where a piece reaches the room and then cannot turn into it.

Floor protection is about pressure, not weight

Case	Contact area	Result	Guide
84 kg bench on two folded steel plates	About 16000 square mm	Gentle	Heavy Furniture and Floor Load in Apartments
The same 84 kg on four feet 20 mm across	About 1250 square mm	More than ten times the pressure	Heavy Furniture and Floor Load in Apartments
The pad that fixes it	50 by 50 mm	Wider, not softer	Heavy Furniture and Floor Load in Apartments, Protecting Floors Under Heavy Pieces

Where the number stops applying. The question is almost never whether a domestic floor can carry the weight. It is whether the contact patch concentrates that weight enough to dent or crush the surface, which is why the fix for floor marking is always a wider pad rather than a softer one.

Our own pieces, for reference

The eight pieces in the catalogue, with the numbers the tables above keep referring to. These come straight from the product data, so they are the same figures the shop uses.

Piece	Width x depth x height	Weight	Price
Stool No. 1	340 × 340 × 450 mm	4.2 kg	€ 240
Frame Chair	440 × 480 × 820 mm	6.8 kg	€ 640
Two-Seat Sofa	1620 × 860 × 780 mm	48 kg	€ 2 190
Concrete Bench	1600 × 400 × 450 mm	84 kg	€ 890
Round Table	1000 × 1000 × 740 mm	31 kg	€ 980
Side Shelf	420 × 300 × 620 mm	9.4 kg	€ 460
Drum Table	400 × 400 × 480 mm	22 kg	€ 420
Steel Cabinet	900 × 450 × 1800 mm	62 kg	€ 1 450

How to use this

Take the number, then read the guide before you spend anything. Each one explains the population the figure is averaged over, and your household is not that population. A single adult can sit 80 mm away from the default seat height, which is more than the difference between a comfortable chair and an uncomfortable one.

Two rules cover most mistakes on this page. Measure to the underside of a surface, not the top, because a thick top and an apron can take 100 mm out of the clearance you were counting on. And measure cushions with somebody sitting on them, because the specification sheet gives a height the sofa never has while it is in use.

Nothing here is invented for this page. If a figure is not in one of the guides or in our own product data, it is not on the list.

Furniture dimensions, with the reasoning attached