One thing that is Very Important for anybody planning a Big Event; linens. But how does one know what size tablecloth they really need? Well, here is ALL the information you could possibly NEED to help guide you in sizing your tablecloths.
First things first, how far of a
drop did you want your linen to
fall? Keep in mind these few things yo
u want to consider:
1. How do you want your tables to look?
(Full drop is considered to be a much more formal look, but with a tad more maintance. Compared to a half drop which works for just about any event, but you can see the legs of the table.)
2. Where is your event, Inside or Outside?
(Inside either a half drop or a full drop would work, but if outside you may want to consider a half drop due to more possibilities of dirt or grass getting on your tablecloths.)
3. Does your guest list include "rowdy" children.
(If so, they are more likely to pull on a full drop linen. So, you'd probably want to consider a half drop instead.)
TABLECLOTH SIZES FOR ROUND TABLES
To calculate the drop of your round tablecloth, subtract the table diameter from the linen diameter and then divide by two. For example, if you have a 60 in. table and a 120 in. tablecloth, Simply subtract 60 from 120 to get 60. Then divide 60 by 2 for a full drop of 30 in..
120(tablecloth)-60(table size)=60 60/2=30 in (drop)
Half Drop:
30 in. round table (seats 2-4 guests)—>51 in. or 70 in. round tablecloth
36 in. round table (seats 2-4 guests)—>70 in. round tablecloth
48 in. round table (seats 4-5 guests)—>76 in. round tablecloth
60 in. round table (seats 8-10 guests)—>90 in. round tablecloth
72 in. round table (seats 10-12 guests)—>108 in. round tablecloth
Full Drop:
30 in. round table (seats 2-4 guests)—>90 in. round tablecloth
36 in. round table (seats 2-4 guests)—>90 in. round tablecloth
48 in. round table (seats 4-5 guests)—>108 in. round tablecloth
60 in. round table (seats 8-10 guests)—>120 in. round tablecloth
72 in. round table (seats 10-12 guests)—>132 in. round tablecloth
NOTE: If you Prefer Something In-Between....
I would go for a 3/4 (24") drop. On a 60" round table, that would be a 108" Round tablecloth at 6" off the ground.
TABLECLOTH SIZES FOR SQUARE TABLES
A square table’s measurement is taken from one side, and the drop can be calculated with a simple formula: subtract the table length from the linen length, then divide by two. For example, if you have a 36 x 36 in. table and an 85 x 85 in. tablecloth, just subtract 85 from 36 to get 49. Then divide 49 by 2 for a final drop of 24.5 in..
85(tablecloth)-36(table size)=49 49/2=24.5 in (drop)
Half Drop:
30 in. square table (seats 4 guests)—>60 in. square tablecloth
36 in. square table (seats 4 guests)—>60 in. square tablecloth
48 in. square table (seats 8 guests)—>85 in. square tablecloth
60 in. square table (seats 8-12 guests)—>85 in. square tablecloth
Full Drop:
30 in. square table (seats 4 guests)—>85 in. square tablecloth
36 in. square table (seats 4 guests)—>85 in. square tablecloth
TABLECLOTH SIZES FOR BANQUET TABLES
Calculating the drop of a rectangular is very easy. Subtract the table length from the linen length and the table width from the linen width, and then divide both differences by two. That means if you have a 6ft. (30 x 72 in.) table with a 60 x 102 in. tablecloth, you start by subtracting 30 from 60 (60-30=30) and 72 from 102 (102-72=30). Then you divide 30 by 2 (30/2=15) and the other 30 by 2 (30/2=15) which means your tablecloth will drop 15 inches width-wise and 15 inches lengthwise.
60(tablecloth width)-30(table width)=30 & 102(tablecloth length)-72(table length)=30
30/2=15in (drop width-wise) & 30/2=15in (drop lengthwise)
Half Drop:
6 ft rectangular table (seats 6 guests)—>60 x 102 in. rectangular tablecloth
8 ft. rectangular table (seats 8 guests)—>60 x 126 in. rectangular tablecloth
Full Drop:
6 ft rectangular table (seats 6 guests)—>90 x 132 in. rectangular tablecloth
8 ft. rectangular table (seats 8 guests)—>90 x 156 in. rectangular tablecloth