How many people fit at a round table?
Most UK venues use round tables measured in feet. A 5ft (152cm) round seats 8 comfortably and up to 10 at a squeeze. A 6ft (183cm) round seats 10 comfortably and up to 12. Smaller 4ft rounds suit 6, and 5ft 6in rounds take 10. Long trestle tables are usually 6ft or 8ft by 2ft 6in and seat 6 or 8 along the sides, plus one at each end if there is room. The calculator uses comfortable numbers by default. Tick "maximum seating" to see how many tables you save by squeezing up, but remember that tight tables leave less room for centrepieces, plates and elbows.
Balancing guests across tables
Dividing guests by seats per table gives the number of tables, but it often leaves one table half-empty. The calculator also shows how to spread people evenly. For example, 92 guests on 12 tables of 8 becomes eight tables of 8 and four tables of 7. That looks better in the room and photographs better too.
Top tables and dance floors
If you are having a top table, enter its seats separately. It is usually a long table, so it does not use your round tables. For the evening, a common rule of thumb is that about a third of guests dance at once and each dancer needs around half a square metre. The calculator suggests a dance floor size on that basis.
Rough room capacity by layout
If you know the room size, the calculator estimates capacity using typical space allowances per person: about 0.5m² standing, 0.8m² theatre-style rows, 1.3m² banquet rounds, 1.6m² cabaret (rounds with one side left open) and 1.8m² classroom. Subtract space for the bar, stage, buffet and dance floor first. These are planning estimates only. The legal maximum is set by the venue's fire risk assessment and, where it applies, its licence, and it can be much lower, for example because of exit widths. Always ask the venue for its maximum capacity for your layout.
From numbers to a seating plan
Once you know how many tables you need, the hard part is deciding who sits where. Start with family and the top table, then group friends, and keep a note of dietary needs and access requirements per seat so the caterer and staff can serve everyone correctly.