Restaurant table spacing calculator
Enter two tables, the gap between them and who sits on the walkway side to see the walkway left after the chairs.
Table spacing checker
Two tables side by side across a walkway. Enter the gap between their edges and which sides people sit on.
Walkway between the chair lines
Meets the accessway figure, not the accessible-route width334 mm (13 in) clear
- Gap between the tables
- 1,300 mm (51 in)
- Chair lines (2 × 483 mm)
- − 966 mm (38 in)
- Walkway left
- 334 mm (13 in)
- Aisle accessway figure
- 305 mm (12 in) · met
- Accessible route figure
- 915 mm (36 in) · 581 mm (23 in) short
- Tables repeat every
- 2,100 mm (82.5 in) centre to centre
This gap meets the accessway figure; a walkway on the accessible route needs a gap of 1,881 mm (74 in).
Comparing the ADA's 36 in route with the space left after Minnesota's chair lines is this page's own conservative choice: the ADA Standards have no chair-line rule.
Planning guidance, not a code or compliance check. Sources: chair line and accessway, Minn. R. 1305.1018 §1018.2 and §1018.2.1 [1]; accessible route, 2010 ADA Standards §403.5.1 [2].
From the restaurant floor plans guide, with an editable template, pictures and more figures.
METHOD
How the calculation works
Codes measure the walkway between seated tables from a chair line, not from the table edge [1]. The calculator takes a chair line off the gap for each seated side and compares what is left with two widths.
- Chair lines
- 483 mm (19 in) from each table edge with seats on the walkway side
- Walkway left
- gap − 483 mm × seated sides
- Aisle accessway figure
- 305 mm (12 in), plus 12.7 mm (0.5 in) for each foot, or part of one, beyond 12 ft (3,658 mm) of walkway length
- Accessible route figure
- 915 mm (36 in) clear
- Gap a figure needs
- the figure + 483 mm × seated sides
- Tables repeat every
- table depth + gap, centre to centre
Worked example
The calculator's starting values: two 800 × 800 mm tables, a 1,300 mm gap, people seated on both walkway sides and a 3,000 mm walkway to an aisle.
- Chair lines
- 2 × 483 mm = 966 mm (38 in)
- Walkway left
- 1,300 − 966 = 334 mm (13 in)
- Aisle accessway figure
- 305 mm (12 in), for a walkway under 12 ft · met
- Accessible route figure
- 915 mm (36 in) · 581 mm (23 in) short; a gap of 1,881 mm (74 in) would meet it
- Tables repeat every
- 800 + 1,300 = 2,100 mm (82.5 in)
Comparing the ADA's 36 in route with the space left after Minnesota's chair lines is this calculator's own conservative choice: the ADA Standards have no chair-line rule.
FIGURES
The figures it uses
| Figure | Value | How the calculator uses it | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair line | 483 mm (19 in) | Taken off the gap for each seated side | Minn. R. 1305.1018 §1018.2 [1] |
| Aisle accessway | 305 mm (12 in) + 12.7 mm a foot beyond 12 ft | The narrowest walkway between chair lines on the way to an aisle | §1018.2.1 [1] |
| Short-stretch exception | up to 1,829 mm (72 in) long | Named when the walkway is this short: no minimum width if four people or fewer use it | §1018.2.1 [1] |
| Aisle | 914 mm (36 in) | Where accessways meet on the way to an exit (shown for comparison) | §1018.2.2 [1] |
| Accessible route | 915 mm (36 in) | The clear width a walkway on the accessible route needs | 2010 ADA Standards §403.5.1 [2] |
The aisle (914 mm) and the route (915 mm) are both 36 in; the two sources convert it differently.
These figures check one walkway between two tables for an early layout. FloorPlanCraft does not certify a plan as safe, accessible or code-compliant; confirm seating, exits and accessibility with your building authority and a qualified professional.
QUESTIONS
Questions about this calculator
Why measure from a chair line, not the table edge?
Because a seated guest's chair takes floor. Minnesota's adoption of the building code measures an aisle accessway beside tables with seating to a line 483 mm (19 in) from the table edge, so the calculator takes that off the gap for each seated side. [1]
When does the walkway need to be wider than 305 mm?
When it runs more than 12 ft (3,658 mm) to an aisle: the rule adds 0.5 in (12.7 mm) for each further foot or part of one. A stretch of 6 ft (1,829 mm) or less used by four people or fewer has no minimum width, and the calculator says when that exception could apply. [1]
Why compare the walkway with the accessible-route width?
A walkway that wheelchair users take is part of an accessible route, 915 mm (36 in) clear under the 2010 ADA Standards. Measuring it after the chair lines is this calculator's own conservative choice, as the ADA has no chair-line rule. [2]
What does the centre-to-centre figure tell me?
How far apart to set the tables' centres to repeat the same gap along a row: the table's depth plus the gap. With the starting 800 mm tables and 1,300 mm gap it is 2,100 mm.
What if nobody sits on the walkway side?
Choose how many of the two tables seat people on the side facing the walkway. With "Neither", as beside a table's unseated end, no chair line is taken off and the whole gap counts as walkway.
References
Sources of the figures this calculator uses.
- Minnesota Rules 1305.1018, Section 1018, Aisles (the International Building Code's aisle section as amended in Minnesota)Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. §1018.2, measured to a line 19 in (483 mm) from a seated table edge; §1018.2.1, aisle accessway 12 in (305 mm) plus 0.5 in (12.7 mm) per foot beyond 12 ft, with its exception for stretches up to 6 ft used by four people or fewer; §1018.2.2, aisles at least 36 in (914 mm).One state's adoption of the model code; other jurisdictions number and amend these sections differently.
- 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible DesignU.S. Access Board. §226.1, dining surfaces (at least 5 percent of seating); §305.3, clear floor space 30 x 48 in (760 x 1220 mm); §304.3.1, turning space 60 in (1525 mm); §403.5.1, walking surfaces 36 in (915 mm); §902.3, dining surface height 28 to 34 in (710 to 865 mm).
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