What seat height suits a 740 mm table?

Around 450 mm, which leaves 250 to 300 mm of leg gap. Measure to the underside of the table, not the top, because an apron eats into the gap.

How much width does each chair need?

Allow about 600 mm per person at the table, and check the chair is narrower than that including any arms.

Do dining chairs need to be padded?

Not for meals. Below about twenty minutes, seat shape matters more than padding. Over an hour, some give helps.

How many chairs should I buy?

As many as the table seats comfortably, plus consider whether two more need to stack somewhere. Stacking is what makes extras practical.

Buying guides · 4 min read

How to Choose a Dining Chair

Seat height, back angle, width and stacking. How to buy chairs you can still sit on comfortably after two hours.

Dining chairs get bought in fours and sixes, which means a mistake is multiplied. Four decisions settle it, and the first one is not negotiable.

1. Height, against your table

A seat height is meaningless on its own. What matters is the gap between the seat and the underside of the table.

Aim for 250 to 300 mm. Less and your thighs are against the table; more and you are reaching up to eat. At a standard 740 mm table that means a seat around 450 mm.

Measure to the underside. A table with a 60 mm apron under a 740 mm top gives you 680 mm to work with, which turns a comfortable gap into a tight one. The Round Table at 740 mm on a folded steel column has no apron, which is why a 450 mm seat works under it. The gap between chair seat and table top has the full method.

The Frame Chair is 440 wide by 480 deep by 820 mm high, built to sit at a standard dining table.

2. Width, against your table length

This is the check people skip and then discover at the first dinner.

Allow roughly 600 mm of table edge per person. That is the space a place setting and a pair of elbows need, and it is why a 1600 mm table seats three a side rather than four.

Then check the chair fits inside that. A 440 mm chair leaves room either side. A 560 mm chair with arms does not, and six of them around a table that seats six will touch. Dining table clearance covers the space behind the chair as well, which is the other half of the problem.

3. The back, for the way you actually sit

Dining is upright. A deeply reclined chair pushes you away from the table and encourages slumping, which is uncomfortable long before the meal is over.

What to look for:

Support at the lower back, which is where people need it when leaning slightly forward to eat.
A back that allows some lean, because conversation after a meal is a different posture from eating.
Nothing hard across the shoulder blades, which is the usual complaint about a square-backed chair.

The Frame Chair has its back placed for people who slouch, which is an honest description of how everyone sits after an hour.

4. Seat shape, which decides whether padding matters

A well-shaped hard seat is comfortable for a meal. A flat board is not, and padding is not what fixes that.

A rounded or sloped front edge, which stops the edge cutting into the back of the thigh. This causes more complaints than hardness does.
A slight dish, spreading contact instead of concentrating it.
Depth around 400 to 450 mm, so you can reach the back without the edge catching your calves.

Upholstered versus hard seating covers when padding earns its place, and the short version is: over an hour.

Stacking, and why it matters more than it sounds

Two spare chairs that live in a cupboard get used. Two spare chairs that have to stand in a corner get resented and eventually sold.

The Frame Chair stacks two high, which turns the sixth and seventh chairs from a storage problem into a shelf. If you entertain occasionally, this single property is worth more than most of the aesthetic decisions.

Who this chair is wrong for

Being specific here saves more money than any recommendation.

Counter or bar seating. A 440 mm seat at a 900 mm counter leaves you eating off your chin. You want 600 to 650 mm for a counter and 750 to 800 mm for a bar. Bar stool height has the table.
A desk you sit at all day. That is a different problem, with adjustability and lumbar support, and a dining chair is the wrong tool.
Very long evenings as the only seating. If people sit for three hours at your table regularly, a bench with cushions or an upholstered chair suits better.
A table with a deep apron, where 450 mm may be too tall. Measure first.

The alternative in the catalogue

If the table is in a kitchen and the seating is for quick meals rather than long dinners, the Stool No. 1 at 450 mm is the lighter answer. Three legs, never rocks, 4.2 kg, and it moves out of the way. It gives up back support, which is exactly the trade: short sittings do not need it. Stool versus chair in a kitchen covers the decision.

Reality check

250 to 300 mm from seat to the underside of the table. Measure the underside.
600 mm of table edge per person, and the chair must fit inside that.
Upright back, lower-back support, nothing hard at the shoulders.
Front edge shape matters more than padding for meal-length sittings.
Stacking decides whether spare chairs get used or resented.

Common questions

What seat height suits a 740 mm table?: Around 450 mm, which leaves 250 to 300 mm of leg gap. Measure to the underside of the table, not the top, because an apron eats into the gap.
How much width does each chair need?: Allow about 600 mm per person at the table, and check the chair is narrower than that including any arms.
Do dining chairs need to be padded?: Not for meals. Below about twenty minutes, seat shape matters more than padding. Over an hour, some give helps.
How many chairs should I buy?: As many as the table seats comfortably, plus consider whether two more need to stack somewhere. Stacking is what makes extras practical.