Guide · For the trade
Outdoor rug size: the numbers by patio zone, and when to cut one to size
Outdoor rug size follows the same two rules as inside: 24 inches of rug beyond the table edge on every side for dining, and the front legs of every seat on the rug for a lounge, with 12 to 24 inches of deck or stone showing at the edge. That puts an 8x10 under a 4-seat dining table, a 9x12 under a 6-seat table or a sofa with two chairs, a 10x14 under an 8-seat table or a sectional, and a 5x8 on a balcony. Patios rarely match the listed sizes, so a custom size cut from indoor-outdoor broadloom, 12 to 15 ft wide and bound in 3 to 5 weeks, is the answer more often outside than in.
This guide is for the designer laying out a patio, a deck, a roof terrace or a pool surround and sizing the rug before the furniture is ordered. It covers the rules as they apply outside, a size table by zone, the balcony and the walkway, round and square outdoor rugs, custom size outdoor rugs from broadloom, and what to tell the installer. The covered patio rugs guide covers fiber, construction and exposure; this one covers the dimensions.
The two sizing rules, outside
The dining rule: the rug extends at least 24 inches past the table edge on every side, so a pulled-out chair stays on the rug; outdoor dining chairs are often deeper, so 30 inches is safer for lounge-style chairs. The seating rule: the front legs of the sofa and every chair sit on the rug, and the rug extends 6 to 12 inches past the arms of the outer seats. The 18 inch rule relaxes outside because the edge is a deck, a planter or a step rather than a wall: 12 to 24 inches of surface showing is right, and a rug that runs to the edge of a raised deck is a trip edge and reads as carpet.
Outdoor rug size by zone
| Zone | Furniture | Rug size | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balcony or bistro | Two chairs and a 24 to 30 in table | 4x6 or 5x8 | 5x8 if the chairs pull out; 4x6 under a fixed bench |
| 4-seat dining | 36 to 48 in round, or 48 to 60 in rectangle | 8x10, or 8 ft round | Table plus 24 in each side |
| 6-seat dining | 66 to 84 in rectangle | 9x12 | With lounge chairs, 10x14 |
| 8-seat dining | 96 to 108 in rectangle, or a table with benches | 10x14, or custom 11x15 | Custom from broadloom is the usual answer |
| Lounge, loveseat and two chairs | Loveseat, two chairs, a coffee table | 8x10 | Front legs on, 12 in past the arms |
| Lounge, full sofa | Sofa, two chairs, coffee table | 9x12 | The most common outdoor size |
| Outdoor sectional or fire pit | Sectional, or four chairs around a 36 to 44 in fire pit | 10x14, or 12x15 and larger | Keep the rug 18 in or more from a gas fire pit edge |
| Walkway or deck steps | A path between zones or along a rail | Runner 2 ft 6 in to 3 ft wide, by the run | Cut to length from broadloom |
Dining and lounge on one patio
Most patios hold both. Specify two rugs, not one, so each zone reads as a room, with 18 to 24 inches of surface between them, in the same line and colorway or the same color in two patterns. A single oversize rug across both zones works only on a covered patio with a flat floor, and it needs a custom cut; the two rugs in one room guide has the proportions, which hold outside.
Round and square outdoor rugs
A round table outside takes the table diameter plus 48 inches, so a 48 inch table takes an 8 ft round and a 60 inch table a 9 ft round. A square rug under a square table or a four-chair conversation set is 8x8 or 10x10, and a 10x10 is the usual answer around a round fire pit. Listed rounds and squares in indoor-outdoor fibers are mostly 6 and 8 ft in machine-woven polypropylene; anything else is cut from broadloom and serged, and the custom round rug guide covers how.
Custom size outdoor rugs from broadloom
A patio is 11 ft 6 in by 17 ft, or 14 by 14 with a post in one corner, or 13 by 22 under a pergola, and none of that is 9x12. The answer is the 203 indoor-outdoor broadlooms in our catalog, 140 of them polypropylene and 79 of them flatweaves, on 12 ft, 13 ft 2 in and 15 ft rolls, cut to the dimension and bound or serged in 3 to 5 weeks. A 15 ft roll gives a rug up to 15 ft in one direction and any length in the other, so a 13 by 22 is one piece; a 16 by 20 is seamed from two drops, which works in a solid or a small texture and not in a stripe. Notch the rug around a post from a template, or stop it 18 inches short and let the floor show. The custom size rugs guide has the ordering steps, and the indoor-outdoor carpet category the styles.
What to tell the installer
Run the long side of the rug parallel to the house, center it on the seating group, not the slab, and on a raised deck hold it 12 inches inside the edge so no corner hangs over a step. An outdoor rug is loose-laid and not glued, and the pad is an open-weave outdoor rug pad, 1/8 to 1/4 inch, cut 1 inch inside the edge, or none at all under a flatweave on a smooth deck. Specify that the rug is placed after the furniture is on site, so the front legs land where they should. On a wood deck, specify a pad that does not trap water against the boards; the indoor outdoor rugs guide covers pads and the fiber question. Hand the client the seasonal note: lift and dry the rug after heavy rain, roll it for the off season on a covered patio, and store it dry.
Questions designers ask
What are the common outdoor rug sizes?
The same as inside: 5x8, 6x9, 8x10, 9x12 and 10x14, with 4x6 and 2x8 or 3x8 runners for balconies and paths, and 6 and 8 ft rounds. 9x12 is the most specified outdoor size. Anything else is cut from indoor-outdoor broadloom.
What makes an outdoor rug different from an indoor one?
The fiber and the construction. Outdoor rugs are solution-dyed polypropylene, polyester or performance nylon in a flatweave or a dense machine-woven pile, with no jute or cotton in the backing, so they shed water, resist fade and can be hosed. Sizing is the same; only the fiber changes.
What is the 70 percent rule for rugs?
The rug covers about 70 percent of the area of the zone it serves, leaving the edge of the floor showing. Outside, a 12 by 16 ft seating area points to a 9x12; a 14 by 20 ft patio holding dining and lounge points to two rugs that together cover about 70 percent.
Is it better for an outdoor rug to be too big or too small?
Too big, by a size. A rug that is too small leaves chairs half on and half off and reads as a mat; a rug a size larger than the furniture group reads as the floor of an outdoor room. The limit is the edge: keep 12 inches of deck or stone showing.
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