Almost every fit complaint in this category traces back to a dimension somebody took from a brochure rather than a tape measure.

Measure the actual table

Length, width and height for a rectangular table; diameter and height for a round one. Take them from the table you will have on the day.

Trestle heights vary by a few centimetres between hire companies and poseur diameters vary more. On a fitted cloth those centimetres are the difference between crisp and baggy.

Then decide the drop

The drop is how far the cloth hangs below the table edge. Full drop means it just clears the floor, which hides legs and storage. A mid drop of roughly half the table height suits buffets and working tables.

Cut size is table dimension plus twice the drop, plus hem. We do that arithmetic and put the result on the quote so it can be checked.

Fitted cloths need the height most

A draped cloth forgives a centimetre or two because the excess simply hangs. A fitted throw or a stretch cover does not: the height determines where the seam sits, and a seam in the wrong place is obvious.

If you are ordering fitted linen for tables you have not seen, ask the venue to measure one and send the numbers.

Write the sizes down

Record the dimensions and which cloth went to which table. For a venue or a hire company this turns every reorder into a spreadsheet rather than an afternoon with a tape.

We keep your dimensions on file too, so a repeat order is one line of email.