Guide · For the trade
Round rug sizes: the 8 ft round, the 6 ft round and when to go to 10 ft
An 8 ft round rug is 96 inches across, covers about 50 square feet, and carries a 42 to 48 inch round dining table with four chairs, a round coffee table in a square seating group, or a 10 by 10 foyer. Standard round rug sizes run 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12 feet in diameter; the 6 ft round is the entry and bedside size, the 8 ft round the most specified, and a 60-inch table or a 12 by 12 room moves the spec to a 9 or 10 ft round, usually a custom cut. The rule for a table is the diameter plus 48 inches; the rule for a room is 18 inches of floor at the nearest wall.
This guide is for the designer placing a round rug and the junior checking the size against the plan. It covers the standard diameters, sizing under a round table, in a seating group, an entry, a bedroom and a landing, pad and construction, and the custom round. The round rug for a dining table guide goes deeper on the table alone.
Round rug sizes, with the numbers
| Diameter | Inches | Area | Round table it carries (table plus 48 in) | Room or use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 ft | 48 in | 12.6 sq ft | None; accent only | Bedside, reading chair, nursery |
| 5 ft | 60 in | 19.6 sq ft | None; a 30 in bistro table at most | Small entry, dressing room |
| 6 ft | 72 in | 28.3 sq ft | None under chairs; a 24 to 30 in pedestal table | Entry to 9 by 9 ft, bedside, bay window |
| 8 ft | 96 in | 50.3 sq ft | 42 to 48 in table, four chairs | Breakfast room, 10 by 10 foyer, square seating group |
| 9 ft (custom) | 108 in | 63.6 sq ft | 54 to 60 in table, four to six chairs | Dining rooms to 12 by 12 ft |
| 10 ft | 120 in | 78.5 sq ft | 66 to 72 in table, six chairs | Dining rooms 13 by 13 ft and up, rotundas |
| 12 ft (custom) | 144 in | 113 sq ft | 84 to 96 in table, eight chairs | Large dining rooms, great rooms, lobbies |
A rug sold as 8 ft round is usually 7 ft 10 in to 8 ft, and hand-made rounds vary by an inch or two; size the room to the nominal figure with 18 inches of margin.
Sizing an 8 ft round rug under a dining table
The chair rule is the same as for a rectangle: a chair pulled out to sit must stay on the rug, which takes 24 inches beyond the table edge on every side. A 48-inch table plus 24 inches each side is 96 inches, exactly an 8 ft round, which is why the 8 ft round is the breakfast-room size. A 54-inch table wants a 9 ft round and a 60-inch table a 9 or 10 ft round; on an 8 ft round under a 60-inch table the back chair legs land on the edge at every meal. A 72-inch table for six takes a 10 ft round. Then check the room: a 10 ft round in a 12 by 12 dining room leaves 12 inches at the walls, tight but acceptable; in an 11 by 11 room it does not fit.
Round rugs in a living room
A round rug suits a seating group arranged around a round coffee table or an ottoman, in a square room or bay, and in an open plan where a rectangle would fight the kitchen island. The size is the width of the group: an 8 ft round under a 36 to 42 inch coffee table with a loveseat and two chairs pulled close, a 10 ft round where a sofa and two chairs sit around it with front legs on. Round rugs read smaller than their diameter because the corners are gone, so when a rectangle and a round are both possible, the round should be the larger of the two sizes.
Round rugs in an entry, a bedroom and on a landing
In a foyer a round rug leaves the door swing clear: a 6 ft round up to 9 by 9 feet, an 8 ft round at 10 by 10 to 12 by 12, a 10 ft round under a chandelier in a two-story entry of 14 feet or more, centered on the chandelier or the center table, not on the door. In a bedroom a 5 or 6 ft round at the foot of the bed or at a reading chair in a bay is the usual use. On a square landing a 4 to 6 ft round sits well where a rectangle would run into the newel; pad it and keep the profile low at the top of a flight. The entryway rug size guide has the rectangular equivalents.
Construction and pad for a round rug
Hand-knotted and hand-tufted wool rounds are made as rounds with a finished edge and are the choice under a dining table or in a foyer. Machine-woven polypropylene rounds are the bulk of what is listed (of the 111 round and square rugs in our catalog about 60 are polypropylene and 26 wool) and belong in a breakfast nook or on a covered porch. Braided rounds in wool or cotton are the casual version. Any broadloom can be cut round and bound or serged in 3 to 5 weeks; a flatweave, a Wilton or a hand-loomed wool makes a clean round, a thick shag does not. Pad: felt and rubber cut 1 inch inside the edge, 1/4 inch under a hand-made round on a hard floor and 1/8 inch under a flatweave, trimmed round by the installer.
The custom round
Standard rounds stop at 8 ft in most lines and 10 ft in a few, so the 9, 11 and 12 ft rounds a dining room or a lobby needs are usually custom. The fastest route is a round cut from broadloom and bound, 3 to 5 weeks. A hand-knotted or hand-tufted custom round takes a rendering, a strike-off in 4 to 6 weeks and 18 to 20 weeks of production. We need the finished diameter, the construction and the edge finish; the round custom rugs guide covers the details.
Questions designers ask
How big is an 8 ft round rug?
96 inches across, about 50 square feet. It carries a 42 to 48 inch round dining table with four chairs, a square seating group around a round coffee table, or a foyer of 10 by 10 to 12 by 12 feet with 18 inches of floor at the walls.
What size round rug goes under a 60-inch round table?
A 9 ft round, or a 10 ft round if the room is 13 by 13 or larger. On an 8 ft round the chairs' back legs catch the edge when pulled out. Nine-foot rounds are rare off the shelf and are usually cut from broadloom and bound.
Is a 6 ft round rug big enough for a dining table?
Not with chairs. A 6 ft round carries a 24 to 30 inch pedestal table with the chairs on the floor. For four chairs the minimum is an 8 ft round.
Can a round rug be cut from the same carpet as the rest of the house?
Yes. Any of our broadloom styles can be cut round and bound in 3 to 5 weeks, so a dining room round, a hall runner and a bedroom wall-to-wall can come from one roll and one dye lot.
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