I have been in the tablecloth industry selling to all types of facilities for over 10 years, such as, party rental stores, hotels, restaurants, caterers, banquet halls, churches and anyone else who uses dining facilities.

Most know how to measure for tablecloths but for those that don't this is how to measure for round, square and rectangle tables.

Banquet Halls

Rectangle tables are generally in 3 lengths 48, 72 and 96 inches long and are referred to as banquet tables and 6-ft or 8-ft tables as the most used. While the average table is 30 inches wide some vary with widths of 18, 24 and 36. Square tables would follow the same formula.

Now you need to determine your facilities' need for a drop, which there is no standard. How the tablecloth needs to look on the table is personal and by choice. Some want the cloth to cover just the top with a little drop others want it to go to the floor. A general guideline is 10" to the lap, 15" to the bottom of the chair or halfway down the table and 30" is to the floor, if in fact the table measures 30" high. Although nursing facilities only want a 4" drop to accommodate wheelchairs. Note any cloth that goes to the floor should have rounded corners to avoid jutting out and creating a means to have someone trip.

Once you determine what drop is best for your facility then you need to add that measurement to the table measurements. For example your table measures 30x72x30, which means width, length (table top on both and height. You want a 10 inch drop you would add as follows 10+10+30= 50 and 10+10+72= 92 so the tablecloth you need is 50x92, now some companies only offer standard sizes so go up to a 54x96 if you cannot get the exact size you need.

This formula work for all tables for rounds you would add the drop of 10" to the diameter. Example 60" round or 60R add 10+10+60= 80 round or 80R cloth.

For measuring skirting, Determine whether you want to cover 3 or 4 sides then add the table measurements, 4 sides of a 6-ft banquet. 30+30+72+72= 204 inches then convert to feet or 17-ft. For 3 sides 30+30+72= 132 inches or 11-ft. Many vendors require skirting is purchased in increments of 2 this is because skirting is cut the length of goods and not width and most fabrics are wider than 60 inches.

To measure skirting for round skirting take the circumference of the table and times by pie then divide by 12 5 x 3.14 = 15.7 or 16ft of skirting.

Always take into consideration whether your tables have squared or rounded corners as 1/4" may make a difference in how tablecloths lie on the table.

Ask if your vendor if you measured correctly but most manufacturers won't recommend a drop as this is your decision and ultimately your responsibility if the cloths don't fit. So learning what your facility needs or how the cloths should look and how to measure will insure you correct fitting tablecloths.