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Twelve is a hall table, a long kitchen table or a dining room built for entertaining. At this size the base and the room matter as much as the top, and the difference between seating ten and seating twelve is often a detail rather than extra length.
The length that seats twelve
At 24 inches of table edge for every person, a 120-inch (305cm) top seats five a side, and twelve in total with one at each end. That works on a refectory table, where the legs stand in from the ends so a chair goes in at each end without anybody straddling a leg. If you want to seat twelve rather than ten in the same length, that detail matters more than an extra six inches.
Our longest standard refectory is 120 inches, and longer tables can be made, since every piece is built from scratch. Beyond about 108 inches you are into the lengths that suit a hall or a long kitchen.
Twelve for two weeks a year
A table that seats six for fifty weeks of the year and twelve for the other two is a different problem from a table that is simply large. A drawleaf table is the usual answer: a 96-inch drawleaf opens to 132 inches, with the leaves stored under the top. Our double gateleg tables are also made in oval sizes up to 132 inches.
Depth, chairs and the room
At twelve people, take the 39-inch (100cm) depth if the room allows. It gives a channel down the centre for dishes and puts people far enough apart to talk across the table. We also make 42-inch tops for genuinely large rooms.
Allow 36 inches behind every chair, 42 if people will be serving behind seated guests. A 120-inch table with chairs at the ends as well wants a room roughly 16 feet long and a little over 9 feet wide. Carvers at the ends are 21 inches across the arms against 19 for a single chair, which is usually fine at the ends of a refectory table.
Timber, lead time and ordering
Every table is priced in oak, cherry, mahogany and walnut, with oak as the baseline; character oak is widely requested on refectory tables. Standard designs are normally twelve weeks from order to delivery, up to sixteen when we are busy, and where access is tight we survey first. See every standard size or ring the workshop on 01449 710500.
What size table seats twelve?
A 120-inch (305cm) refectory table seats twelve: five a side and one at each end, because the legs stand in from the ends.
Can a drawleaf table seat twelve?
A 96-inch drawleaf opens to 132 inches with both leaves out, which is enough for twelve when it matters and a smaller table the rest of the year.
How big a room does a twelve-seater table need?
Allow 36 inches behind every chair. A 120-inch table with chairs at the ends as well wants a room roughly 16 feet long and a little over 9 feet wide.
What depth should a twelve-seater table be?
39 inches (100cm) if the room takes it, for a channel of dishes down the middle. We also make 42-inch tops for large rooms.
How long does a large dining table take to make?
Normally twelve weeks from order to delivery, and up to sixteen when the workshop is busy. Your date is confirmed when you order.