What size rug do I need for my sofa, dining table, bed or hallway

How to figure out what size rug you need

The right rug sits between a smallest size, set by the furniture, and a largest size, set by the room: the calculator picks the smallest standard size between the two. The smallest rug depends on where it goes:

• Under a dining table: the table plus 24 inches on each side, so the chairs stay on the rug when you pull them back. Caitlin Wilson says to add 2 feet on each side; Ruglove gives 18 to 24 inches.
• Under a bed: the rug leaves the top 28 inches of the bed off the rug, where the nightstands go, and runs 18 inches past the sides and the foot. City Furniture says at least 18-24 inches on each side of the bed; onlinetapijten.be puts a rug under the bottom two-thirds of the bed.
• In a living room: the rug runs 6 inches past each arm of the sofa (Caitlin Wilson says at least 6-10 inches), goes under the front legs and covers the area in front of the sofa that you choose, for example up to the armchairs. The 6 inches under the sofa are our own assumption.

The largest rug is the room minus 18 inches of bare floor along the walls, the figure Ren Collection gives. You can change every distance in the fields and in the advanced options. When no standard size fits between the smallest and the largest, the calculator shows the largest one that fits and flags it as below the smallest.

Worked example: a 16 × 13 ft living room with a 7 ft sofa

These are the values the calculator opens with in US units: a 16 × 13 ft room, an 84 × 36 in sofa against the wall, 6 ft of rug in front of the sofa, 18 in of bare floor along the walls.

• Smallest: 84 + 2 × 6 = 96 in (8 ft) along the sofa, 6 in + 6 ft = 6 ft 6 in deep
• Largest: 16 - 2 × 1.5 = 13 ft long; 13 - 3 + 0.5 - 1.5 = 9 ft deep
• A 6 × 9 is 6 ft deep, short of 6 ft 6 in; an 8 × 10 fits

The calculator suggests an 8 × 10 ft rug, long side along the sofa: it runs 18 in past each arm and leaves 3 ft of floor on each side and 2 ft 6 in to the opposite wall. A 9 × 12 also fits.

In the UK, with metres: a 4.5 × 3.6 m lounge with a 2 m sofa and 1.6 m of rug in front needs at least 2.30 × 1.75 m and takes at most 3.90 × 2.55 m with 30 cm of floor along the walls. A 200 × 290 cm rug fits, and so does a 240 × 340 cm.

What size rug for a dining table or a bed

With 24 in for the chairs and a room big enough, here is the smallest rug and the size to buy:

Table	Smallest rug	Size
48 × 30 in	8' × 6' 6"	8 × 10
60 × 36 in	9' × 7'	8 × 10
72 × 36 in	10' × 7'	8 × 10
84 × 40 in	11' × 7' 4"	9 × 12
96 × 42 in	12' × 7' 6"	9 × 12

Under a bed with its frame, with 18 in past the sides and the foot and the top 28 in of the bed off the rug:

Bed with frame	Smallest rug	Size
Twin, 42 × 80 in	6' 6" × 5' 10"	6 × 9
Full, 58 × 80 in	7' 10" × 5' 10"	6 × 9
Queen, 64 × 84 in	8' 4" × 6' 2"	8 × 10
King, 80 × 84 in	9' 8" × 6' 2"	8 × 10

The rug goes across the bed: the long side runs from one side of the bed to the other.

Standard rug sizes and runners

In the US, rugs come in 5 × 8, 6 × 9, 8 × 10, 9 × 12, 10 × 14 and 12 × 15 ft (City Furniture), plus 4 × 6 ft for small spots (Ren Collection). In the UK and Europe the common sizes are 80 × 150, 120 × 170, 160 × 230, 200 × 290 and 240 × 340 cm (Ruglove), up to 300 × 400 cm (Baur). When the size you need is not on sale, the receipt gives you the smallest and largest rug to order a custom size.

Runners are 2 to 3 feet wide and most often 6, 8, 10 or 12 feet long, with 14, 16 and 20 ft for long halls (Well Woven). The calculator picks the widest runner that leaves 4 in of floor on each side (Sisal Rugs suggests 4 to 5 in, at least 3) and the longest one that leaves 6 in at each end (Well Woven). A 12 ft × 42 in hallway takes a 2' 6" × 10' runner. In Europe runners are also sold by the metre, 67, 70 or 80 cm wide. The receipt adds a rug pad of the same size.

Common mistakes

• Measuring the table only. With less than 24 in past the edge, the back legs of the chairs slip off the rug when you stand up.
• Wall-to-wall rugs. A rug that reaches the walls ends up under doors and furniture: Baur says to subtract large cabinets and sideboards from the room width.
• Turning the rug the wrong way under the bed. An 8 × 10 under a queen bed goes across: 10 ft from side to side, 8 ft toward the foot.
• A runner as wide as the hallway. Without bare floor on the sides, the edges rub the baseboards: leave at least 3 in on each side.