🪑 Table and Seating Calculator

Figure out how many tables you need for your event based on guest count and seats per table.

Number of guests

Seats per table

Guests over seats, rounded up

tables      = ceiling(guests / seats per table)
total seats = tables x seats per table
empty seats = total seats - guests

At the defaults, 45 guests at 8 to a table needs 6 tables: 5.625 rounds up, the 6 tables carry 48 seats, and 3 of them stay empty. The empty-seat line is the one to watch, because it tells you whether the last table is a comfortable seven or an awkward one.

Seats per table, by what you are renting

Table	Comfortable	Squeezed
60 in round	8	10
72 in round	10	12
8 ft banquet (30 x 96 in)	8	10 with the ends
6 ft banquet	6	8 with the ends
Card table	4	4

The comfortable column is 24 inches of table edge per person, which is the width a place setting plus elbows actually takes. The squeezed column cuts that to 20 and assumes nobody leaves mid-meal. Floor space is the other limit: allow 12 to 15 sq ft per seated guest at rounds, so 45 people want roughly 600 sq ft of the room before you add a buffet line, a bar or a dance floor.

The tool assumes every table is identical. If your rental is a mix, run it once per size and add the results. And when the empty-seat figure comes out at 6 or 7, drop the seats per table rather than adding a table: 45 guests at 7 each is 7 tables with 4 spare seats spread around, which seats better than six tables and one near-empty one.

Frequently asked questions

How many people fit at a 60 inch round table?

Eight with room to eat, ten if you push it and nobody minds bumping elbows. A 72 inch round takes ten comfortably and twelve at a squeeze.

How many tables do I need for 45 guests?

Six eight-seat tables, giving 48 seats with 3 spare. Five 72 inch rounds at 10 each would also cover it, and with fewer tables you get more open floor.

How much space does a seated guest need?

Twelve to fifteen square feet each once you count the chair, the table share and room to walk behind. Standing receptions need about 8, which is why the same room holds far more people without seating.