Get the Measurements Right First, Then Match Shape and Material to the Way Your Team Meets
A conference table is a piece of office furniture that can ruin office meetings if you choose incorrectly. Too long, and chairs hit the wall every time someone stands up. Too short, and your eight-person team sits elbow to elbow while clients watch. Measure the room before you look at a single tabletop, and finding the right table just became a whole lot easier.
How Much Conference Table Fits Your Room
Allow about 30 inches of table edge per seated person as a starting point, with more room for wider chairs, laptops, or longer meetings. Around the table, plan for at least 36 inches between the table edge and walls or other furniture. If people need to walk behind occupied chairs, additional clearance will make the room much more comfortable. This will keep people comfortable when sitting and let them pull a chair back and walk behind it without a shuffle.
Let’s say you have a 12-by-15-foot meeting room. You’d subtract 30 inches of clearance from each side and you’re left with a usable footprint of about 7 by 10 feet. In a 12-by-15-foot meeting room, an 8-foot table is typically the safer fit for six to eight people. A 10-foot table would leave only 30 inches at each end of a 15-foot room, which is tight once you account for chairs and circulation. Always check the table’s width, chair size, and any credenzas or technology before making the final call.
Remember to subtract the depth of any planned storage or wall-mounted display from the room before you settle on table length.
Measure your doorways while the tape is out. A solid 10-foot top doesn’t fold, and it has to travel through doors, hallways, and possibly an elevator before it reaches the room. At Santa Fe Office Interiors in Overland Park, we walk through delivery paths with buyers all the time to prevent an awkward moving day.
Conference Table Shapes and When Each One Works
- Rectangular conference tables are the default. They seat the most people per foot of length and suit rooms that are longer than they are wide. A boat-shaped top widens at the middle, which is great for video calls; the curve gives everyone a sightline to the screen and to each other.
- Oval tops soften the corners, useful where the walkway is tight or you’d rather nobody catches a hip on the way to a seat.
- Round and square tables suit small rooms and groups of four to six, and they put everyone on equal footing, a setup that fits working sessions better than presentations.
- Modular conference room tables split into sections you can rearrange into a U, classroom rows, or one long run. Teams whose meeting room doubles as a training room get the most out of this setup.
Materials, Bases, and Power on a Used Conference Table
Laminate tops take the most daily abuse for the least money, and modern laminates look far better than those from the past. Wood veneer delivers a real-wood surface at a mid-range price. Solid wood brings boardroom presence but serious weight, important if the table will ever move floors.
Panel bases feel strong but can crowd knees at the end seats, while post legs and trestle bases leave more room to add a chair when the meeting runs large.
On a used conference table, check the power and data modules before you commit. Pop-up hatches and cable cutouts were fitted for a previous owner’s setup, so open every hatch and look underneath. On any used conference table you consider, open the power hatches and look underneath. Ask what is functional, what may need a new connection, and what is cosmetic before you buy.
What’s On Our Showroom Floor Right Now
Our inventory changes daily at Santa Fe Office Interiors in Overland Park. Our used conference table inventory changes frequently as local offices remodel, move, or consolidate, so available sizes, shapes, and finishes can change from week to week.
If the right size is not available in our used inventory, we can also walk you through new options such as the N9NE Collection and confirm current lead times before you order.
Call or Stop By
Once you know the size and shape you need, call us at (913) 901-8800 and describe the room. We’ll tell you which pieces on the floor match, and you can walk straight to the right conference table candidates when you arrive. The showroom at 8106 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, KS 66204 welcomes visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each weekday. Appointments are available if your workday runs past four. Every conference table for sale in our showroom is one you can sit at, measure, and check against your finished samples before you buy.