Dining Table With a Bench: Sizes, Clearances and What Actually Works

A bench is the most common question I get asked about after size. People like the look, they like that it tucks away, and they like that it seats more people in less floor space. What they are less sure about is whether a bench is actually comfortable to eat at, how long it should be, and whether it will slide under the table properly.

I make every bench in my workshop in Midsomer Norton alongside the table it partners, so these are the numbers I work to rather than numbers copied off a chart.

How long should a dining bench be?

The rule I use is simple: make the bench 10cm to 20cm shorter than the table top.

That gap matters more than it sounds. If the bench matches the table exactly, the ends sit flush and you catch your hip on the corner every time you walk past. Slightly shorter and it disappears under the table cleanly, which is the whole point of having one.

My benches run from 80cm to 180cm in 10cm steps, so there is a length that pairs with whatever table you order. If you tell me the table length, I will tell you which bench length fits it.

For seating, allow 55cm to 60cm of bench per adult. That works out as:

• 100cm bench - two adults, or three children
• 120cm bench - two adults with room to spare
• 150cm bench - three adults at a normal dinner
• 180cm bench - three adults comfortably, four if they are on friendly terms

Seat height and the clearance underneath

This is where most benches go wrong, and it is the thing you cannot fix once it is built.

My bench legs are 40cm tall and the seat is a 32mm solid top, so the finished seat height is 43.2cm. My table legs are 71cm, so with a 32mm top the table stands at 74.2cm.

That leaves 27.8cm between the bench seat and the underside of the table top. Around 28cm is the sweet spot. Below 25cm your thighs are pressed against the table and you end up perching on the front edge. Much above 30cm and you are sitting low, reaching up to your plate.

If you are buying a bench and a table from different places, check both heights before you order. A 45cm bench under a 72cm table gives you 24cm of clearance and it will annoy you every single meal.

How deep should a dining bench be?

Mine are 40cm deep across every range, and I have settled there deliberately.

Go much narrower and the bench feels precarious, particularly for anyone sitting near the end. Go much wider and it stops sliding under the table, which loses you the floor space you bought a bench for in the first place. 40cm is deep enough to sit properly and shallow enough to tuck away.

Are dining benches actually comfortable?

Honest answer: for a normal family meal, yes. For a four hour Christmas dinner, less so than a chair with a back.

There is no backrest, so the bench asks you to sit upright. Most people are fine with that for 45 minutes. Beyond that, you start looking for something to lean on.

The setup that solves it, and the one most of my customers end up with, is a bench down one side and chairs down the other. Children take the bench, which they prefer anyway because they can shuffle along it. Adults take the chairs. You keep the space saving and the look, without committing everyone at the table to a backless seat.

The other thing worth knowing is that a bench moves the seating problem. Whoever sits in the middle has to ask two people to stand up before they can get out. That is fine with kids. It is less fine if you are seating four adults on a 180cm bench.

Will it tuck under the table?

It depends on the table more than the bench.

A lot of dining tables have an apron, which is the rail running underneath the top around the edge. An apron eats into your clearance and often stops a bench going more than halfway under.

My tables do not have one. The steel legs bolt straight to the underside of the top, so the full 27.8cm is usable and the bench slides all the way in until it touches the legs. If you are measuring up a table you already own, measure to the underside of the apron, not the underside of the top.

Choosing the wood

A bench takes more abuse than a table. People sit down heavily on it, children stand on it, and it gets dragged across the floor rather than lifted. That is worth thinking about when you pick the timber.

• Solid oak is the default for a reason. It is hard, it dents rather than gouges, and the grain hides everyday marks well. The Halse bench is English oak.
• American black walnut is softer than oak but darker and more forgiving of scratches, because the marks do not stand out against the colour. The Wedmore bench is black walnut.
• Painted or stained pine is the most affordable route and the most flexible on colour. It marks more easily than the hardwoods, though the Osmo finish makes a knock easy to spot repair rather than something you have to live with. The Bruton bench comes in the full colour range.

Matching the bench to the table

Buy them as a pair if you can. Wood varies between batches, and a bench cut from the same stock as the table top, finished on the same day with the same oil, will match in a way that a bench ordered eighteen months later will not.

If you already have one of my tables and want to add a bench, tell me which table and when you bought it and I will do what I can to match the finish.

The short version

• Bench 10cm to 20cm shorter than the table top
• 55cm to 60cm of bench per adult
• Around 28cm between the seat and the underside of the table
• 40cm deep, so it tucks away properly
• Bench one side, chairs the other, if you eat long meals

You can see the full bench range here, and the dining tables they partner here. Every one is made to order, so if the length you need sits between two sizes, just ask.