Conference Table Size & Buying Guide

Conference Table Size & Buying Guide

Buying a conference table can mean navigating hundreds of confusing options with no real direction of what to prioritize. In this guide, we walk through the proper size, dimensions, space allotted per worker, chairs, and other considerations to help you build the perfect collaborative space.



If you’re in the process of assembling a conference room for your place of work, you’re probably thinking quite a bit about what kind of conference table will most suit your office’s needs. As the centerpiece of the room, it’s vital that the table you pick meets a number of criteria, including how many team members you have, the size of the room itself, and the nature of the work that will be done around the table. In this article, we break down all of the central questions you should ask when shopping for a conference table, and we tell you how to find the answers you need.
 

What Will Your Conference Room be Used For?

 
It may sound ridiculous, but buying a conference table is not so different from shoe-shopping—you might know exactly what size you need, but there are several kinds of tables, each of which suits a unique set of contexts. If you’re planning to use your Conference Room primarily as a hub for collaborative conversation, for instance, you may want to consider getting a round meeting table to cultivate a more casual work setting. If, on the other hand, the table is going to be used for board meetings and presentations, you’re probably going to want to look into one of the longer banquet-style tables that can seat as many as 12 people. Ultimately, this all depends on your overall vision for the room itself, which we break down in this post on the different types of Conference Rooms and give some essential design advice.
 

What Is the Right Size for a Conference Table?

 
Now, even the most state-of-the-art Air Jordans aren’t going to be of much use in a pick-up basketball game if you mistakenly buy Size 15 shoes for Size 10 feet. And conference tables, once again, are no different—the design of the table could be astonishingly sleek, but this means nothing if it’s not the right size.
 
There are a few factors that come into play when calculating the correct size for your new conference table. First and foremost, you’ll want to measure the dimensions of the Conference Room itself. The room should be at least six feet wider and longer than the table in order to ensure that anyone who’s out of their seat has sufficient space to navigate around people who are still seated. But even this is cutting it very close—ideally, you’ll want the room to be at least eight feet wider and longer so that everyone can move easily through the room, no matter how many people are seated. So, with that in mind, a six-person table that’s 6x3 feet would demand a room that’s at least 12x9 feet, although a 14x11 feet would be a lot more comfortable.
 
Once you’ve calculated the maximum size of your table based on the dimensions of the room itself, it’s going to be just as important to figure out the minimum capacity of the table. While pretty much every conference table on the market is going to be about 30 inches high, there’s a wide variety of lengths and widths available in order to accommodate a variety of team sizes. Here’s a quick breakdown of the dimensions you’ll need, depending on the size of your group:
 
Size Minimum Table Size Maximum Size

6 people

6 x 3 ft.

8 x 4 ft.

8 people

8 x 4 ft.

10 x 4 ft.

10 people

10 x 4 ft.

14 x 4 ft.

12 people

14 x 4 ft.

16 x 4 ft.
 
The reason there’s a range for each meeting size hearkens back to our first question on the actual purpose of the conference room itself. If you want to be as economical as possible and squeeze the maximum number of people into a room, you can get away with 30” of space for each seated team member. If, on the other hand, you imagine that people will need to refer back to their laptops and documents while at the table, you may want to give everyone has at least 42” of table space on which they can spread their materials. And if you want to be really decadent, you can provide each person with a generous 48” of space—this amount of room is practically asking team members to kick back and relax. Take a second to consider what people will actually be doing while they’re at the table, and you should know exactly how much room to allot per person.
 

A Few Final Considerations

 
We all know that size isn’t everything, so here are a few final elements to keep in mind when picking the conference table that best suits your team’s needs:
 

Power

 
As you’re planning out your conference room, you’ll want to pay special attention to your power source. Centralized and easily accessible power will prevent you from having to deal with the headache that comes from having multiple power cables strewn across your walkways. Chances are you’ll want a table with cable ports so that everyone can easily plug into the table and keep their wires organized.
 

Modularity

 
If you have plans of growing your team and your conference room has adequate spacing, you may want to get a modular table. This way, you leave open the possibility of expanding your table to accommodate your new team members.
 

Conference Chairs

 
Last but not least, you’ll want to carefully select your conference chairs. To keep your team productive during an extended meeting, you should have chairs that keep them comfortable for long durations. We recommend looking specifically into ergonomic chairs, since they’re specifically designed to keep workers happy and maximize productivity.
 
Now that you have a comprehensive idea of your conference needs, it’s time to pick out a conference table for your office. At Branch, we offer three different conference tables, each of which is thoughtfully designed and versatile in application. We recommend taking a look at the three, carefully considering their size and capacity, and picking whichever one is right for you—we guarantee you won’t find products of such quality at prices this affordable.

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