How to size a rug
Size it to the furniture, not to the room. Everything that matters should sit on it: the front legs of the sofa, the bed from the nightstands down, every dining chair even when it's pulled out. Then leave 12 to 18 inches of bare floor at the walls, and the room looks finished instead of carpeted.
Around a dining table, 24 inches of rug past the edge is the minimum, and 30 feels roomier if you have the space. Beside a bed, 18 inches works and 24 feels generous. On a tight budget, one size down is usually fine. Two sizes down is where a room starts to look cheap, and that's the size the calculator crosses out.
Rug size for a queen, king, full or twin bed
The usual way is across the lower two-thirds of the bed, starting just in front of the nightstands. Under the whole bed means the nightstands sit on it too. Snug is the size to drop to if the budget is tight; it still looks right.
| Bed | Best | Snug | Whole bed | Or two runners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin38 × 75 in | 6' × 9' | Same | 8' × 10' | 2'6" × 8' |
| Full54 × 75 in | 6' × 9' | Same | 8' × 10' | 2'6" × 8' |
| Queen60 × 80 in | 8' × 10' | Same | 9' × 12' | 2'6" × 8' |
| King76 × 80 in | 9' × 12' | 8' × 10' | 9' × 12' | 2'6" × 8' |
| Cal king72 × 84 in | 9' × 12' | 8' × 10' | 9' × 12' | 2'6" × 8' |
Living room rug size, by sofa length
Measure the sofa arm to arm. With the front legs on the rug, it should run at least 6 inches past each end of the sofa (8 looks better) and reach far enough to catch the front legs of the chairs across from it.
| Sofa | Front legs on | All legs on | Coffee table only |
|---|---|---|---|
| 72 in (183 cm) | 8' × 10' | 9' × 12' | 4' × 6' |
| 84 in (213 cm) | 8' × 10' | 9' × 12' | 5' × 7' |
| 96 in (244 cm) | 8' × 10' | 9' × 12' | 5' × 8' |
| 108 in (274 cm) | 9' × 12' | 9' × 12' | 5' × 8' |
Dining room rug size, by table
The rug has to reach about 24 inches past every edge of the table, so the chairs stay on it when they're pulled out. A round table looks best on a round rug: table width plus 4 feet.
| Table | Rug | Snug |
|---|---|---|
| 36 to 42 in round, seats 4 | 8' round | Same |
| 48 in round, seats 4 to 6 | 8' round | Same |
| 60 × 36 in, seats 4 | 8' × 10' | Same |
| 72 × 38 in, seats 6 | 9' × 12' | 8' × 10' |
| 84 × 40 in, seats 6 to 8 | 9' × 12' | Same |
| 96 × 42 in, seats 8 | 10' × 14' | 9' × 12' |
Runner size for a hallway
Leave a strip of floor on each side and 6 to 12 inches at each end. Runners come in a few fixed widths, so in practice: a 36-inch hallway takes a 24-inch-wide runner, with 6 inches of floor each side; a 42-inch hallway takes a 30-inch-wide runner, with 6 inches of floor each side; a 48-inch hallway takes a 36-inch-wide runner, with 6 inches of floor each side. In a long hall, two or three runners with a small gap look better than one that stops short.
Standard rug sizes, in feet and centimeters
US rugs are sold in feet. Below is the exact size in centimeters, plus the metric size you'll usually see instead. It's close, but not the same rug.
| Size | Exact | Closest metric size | Where it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2' × 3' | 61 × 91 cm | 60 × 90 cm | Doorways, in front of a sink |
| 3' × 5' | 91 × 152 cm | 90 × 150 cm | Entries, under a desk chair, coffee table only with a loveseat |
| 4' × 6' | 122 × 183 cm | 120 × 180 cm | Coffee table only with a 6 ft sofa, small entries |
| 5' × 7' | 152 × 213 cm | 150 × 200 cm | Coffee table only with a 7 ft sofa |
| 5' × 8' | 152 × 244 cm | 160 × 230 cm | Coffee table only with a big sofa, home offices |
| 6' × 9' | 183 × 274 cm | None close | Twin and full beds, small dining tables |
| 8' × 10' | 244 × 305 cm | 240 × 300 cm | Most living rooms, queen beds, 60 in dining tables |
| 9' × 12' | 274 × 366 cm | None close | King beds, dining tables for 6, all legs on |
| 10' × 14' | 305 × 427 cm | None close | Dining tables for 8, big living rooms |
| 12' × 15' | 366 × 457 cm | None close | Open-plan rooms, the biggest standard size |
| 2'6" × 6' | 76 × 183 cm | 80 × 180 cm | Runner: hallway, kitchen, beside a bed |
| 2'6" × 8' | 76 × 244 cm | 80 × 240 cm | Runner: hallway, kitchen, beside a bed |
| 2'6" × 10' | 76 × 305 cm | 80 × 310 cm | Runner: hallway, kitchen, beside a bed |
| 2'6" × 12' | 76 × 366 cm | 80 × 370 cm | Runner: hallway, kitchen, beside a bed |
Before you buy
Tape the outline on the floor with painter's tape and live with it for a day. Walk around it, pull the chairs out, get out of bed on both sides. It costs nothing and it catches the too-small rug before the return label does. Then check the real size on the listing, not just the name: plenty of "8 × 10" rugs are a couple of inches short each way.
Once you know the size, my budget area rug picks have 8 × 10s that don't cost a fortune. At that size, skip anything that looks thin in the photos or curls at the corners in the reviews.
Questions people ask
What size rug do I need for a queen bed?
An 8' × 10', laid across the lower two-thirds of the bed. It shows about 30 inches of rug on each side, so you step out of bed onto it. A 6' × 9' is too small: you'd land on bare floor at the foot.
What size rug do I need for a king bed?
A 9' × 12' if the room can take it. An 8' × 10' works under a king too, but it only shows about 22 inches on each side, so it reads a little tight. In a narrow room, two runners, one on each side, look better than a rug that's too small.
What size rug for a living room?
For most living rooms, an 8' × 10'. The front legs of the sofa and the chairs should sit on it, and with an 84-inch sofa it runs about 18 inches past each end. A 5' × 7' only works under the coffee table, with no legs on it at all.
How much bigger than the dining table should a rug be?
About 24 inches past every edge, 30 if your chairs have arms. That's what keeps the back legs on the rug when someone pulls a chair out. For a 72 × 38 inch table, that means a 9' × 12'.
How far should a rug be from the wall?
Leave 12 to 18 inches of bare floor between the rug and the walls. Less than 8 inches and the rug starts to look like wall-to-wall carpet that didn't quite fit.
How big is an 8 × 10 rug in centimeters?
Exactly 244 × 305 cm. In practice most 8 × 10 rugs measure a little less, often 7'10" × 9'10" (239 × 300 cm), so check the listing's real dimensions. Outside the US, the closest common size is 240 × 300 cm.
Writing about rugs? You're welcome to link to this calculator. Every setting lives in the address, so a link can open on a worked example, like a queen bed or a 48-inch round table.
