Guide · For the trade
Area rug size guide: standard rug sizes and the rules designers use
This area rug size guide comes down to six standard rug sizes, 5x8, 6x9, 8x10, 9x12, 10x14 and 12x15, and two rules: leave 18 inches of floor between the rug and the wall, and size the rug so the furniture it serves sits on it, front legs at least, which in a living room means 8x10 for a sofa and two chairs and 9x12 for a full seating group. Under a dining table the rug is the table plus 24 to 36 inches each side; under a queen bed 8x10, under a king 9x12.
This is the chart to hand a junior with the floor plan: every standard size in feet, inches and centimeters, the rule for each room, the 70 percent rule and the 18 inch rule, and when the right answer is a custom size cut from broadloom. The room guides go deeper; this page has all the numbers in one place.
Standard rug sizes in feet, inches and centimeters
These are the sizes the mills weave and our shop-by-size filters use. Hand-knotted pieces run an inch or two either way of nominal, so draw the plan with 2 inches of tolerance.
| Nominal size | Inches | Centimeters | The room it serves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x6 | 48 x 72 | 122 x 183 | Entry (clear the door swing), reading chair |
| 5x8 | 60 x 96 | 152 x 244 | Small living room with a loveseat, home office, foot of a bed |
| 6x9 | 72 x 108 | 183 x 274 | Apartment living room, dining table for four, under a full bed |
| 8x10 | 96 x 120 | 244 x 305 | Living room with a sofa and two chairs, dining table for six, queen bed |
| 9x12 | 108 x 144 | 274 x 366 | Full living room seating group, dining table for eight, king bed |
| 10x14 | 120 x 168 | 305 x 427 | Large living room, great room seating zone, king bed in a large room |
| 12x15 | 144 x 180 | 366 x 457 | Great rooms and open plans; above this, custom from broadloom |
| 2.5x8 runner | 30 x 96 | 76 x 244 | Hall, kitchen island, beside a bed; see the hall runner guide |
A 5x7 (152 by 213 cm) and a 7x10 (213 by 305 cm) exist in some machine-woven lines; treat them as a small 5x8 and a small 8x10.
What is the 18 inch rule for rugs?
Leave 18 inches of bare floor between the rug and the wall in a room of ordinary size, 12 inches in a small room. The margin is what makes a rug read as placed rather than as a carpet that stops short of the walls. It also sets the upper limit on size: in a 12 by 15 foot living room the largest rug the rule allows is 9x12, and in a 14 by 18 foot room it is 11x15, which is why a custom size is often the answer in a large room. The one place to break it is a wall-to-wall look on purpose, a bound broadloom rug set 6 to 8 inches off every wall, usually in a bedroom.
The 70 percent rule, and the front-legs rule
The 70 percent rule says the rug should cover about 70 percent of the floor in the zone it defines, leaving the balance as a border of bare floor. In a seating area that means a rug under the front legs of every piece and at least 6 to 8 inches past the ends of the sofa. Designers use three layouts: all legs on, which needs a 9x12 or 10x14 for a standard seating group; front legs on, which an 8x10 does for a sofa and two chairs; or a floating rug with nothing on it, which only works at 5x8 or 6x9 in front of a loveseat. All three are drawn out in the living room rug size guide.
Area rug size guide for the living room
Measure the seating zone, not the room: the rectangle from the back of the sofa to the far edge of the chairs. A 7 foot sofa with two chairs across a 42 inch coffee table makes a zone about 8 by 10 feet; an 8x10 under the front legs fits it and a 9x12 puts every leg on. A sectional takes a 9x12 at minimum and usually a 10x14. In an open plan the rug defines the seating group, so err one size up and keep 18 inches between it and the dining rug.
Dining room: the table plus 24 to 36 inches
The chairs fix the rule: a chair pushed back needs 24 inches of rug behind its front legs to stay on it, and 36 inches is comfortable. A 42 by 72 inch table for six needs at least 90 by 120 inches, so 8x10; a 42 by 96 inch table for eight needs 90 by 144, so 9x12; a 48 inch round table takes an 8 foot round. Size extension tables at full extension. A flatweave or a low pile under 1/4 inch lets the chairs slide; the flatweave guide covers the choice.
Bedroom: by the bed, in two layouts
Under a queen bed (60 by 80 inches) an 8x10 with the long side across the room, top edge at the nightstands, shows about 18 inches of rug each side; under a king (76 by 80 inches) a 9x12 shows about 34 inches, and a 10x14 runs under the nightstands too. Below those sizes the rug reads as a mat. Two runners, 2.5x8 or 3x8, either side of the bed are the alternative when the floor is the point. The king bed and queen bed guides give the inches for each layout.
5x8 vs 6x9, and when 9x12 is too big
The 5x8 to 6x9 question is a loveseat question. A 5x8 holds the front legs of a loveseat and one chair; a 6x9 adds 12 inches each way, enough for a full sofa and two small chairs in a room up to 11 by 13 feet. With a standard 84 inch sofa, skip both and go to 8x10. A 9x12 is too big when it breaks the 18 inch rule, in any room narrower than 12 feet, or when it reaches under the dining chairs or into a doorway. In a room 12 by 15 or larger a 9x12 is usually right, and the 8x10 is the one that looks small.
When to specify a custom size instead
When the room is over 15 by 18 feet, when the 18 inch rule lands between two standard sizes, when a sectional or a long table leaves the rug 20 inches short at one end, or when the client wants wool underfoot everywhere but the wall margin. Any of our 3,671 broadloom styles cuts to size and binds in 3 to 5 weeks, from a 12 foot, 13 foot 2 inch or 15 foot roll, seamed beyond that width. The custom size rug guide has the roll math and the edge finishes.
Questions designers ask
What is the difference between a 5x8 and a 6x9 rug, and which works for a small living room?
Twelve inches each way: a 5x8 is 60 by 96 inches, a 6x9 is 72 by 108. The 6x9 reaches under the front legs of a full sofa and two chairs; the 5x8 holds a loveseat and one chair. With an 84 inch sofa, the room wants an 8x10.
Is a 9x12 rug too big?
Only in a room narrower than 12 feet, where it cannot keep 18 inches of floor at the walls, or where it runs under dining chairs or into a doorway. In a living room 12 by 15 feet or larger, 9x12 is the standard size.
Should the rug be lighter or darker than the sofa?
Different in value, in either direction, so the sofa reads against it; a rug the same value as the sofa flattens the room. A darker rug grounds a pale sofa and hides soil; a lighter rug under a dark sofa opens a small room. Pattern on one and solid on the other is the usual pairing.
What is the 18 inch rule for rugs?
Leave 18 inches of bare floor between the rug and the walls in a normal room, 12 inches in a small one. It sets the largest rug a room can take, and it is why large rooms go to custom sizes.
How are standard rug sizes written in centimeters?
Multiply feet by 30.48: 5x8 is 152 by 244 cm, 8x10 is 244 by 305, 9x12 is 274 by 366, 10x14 is 305 by 427. European rugs come in metric sizes such as 200 by 300 cm, a short 6.5x10, so check actual dimensions when mixing sources.
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