Nearly every dining light hung in Britain is too small. Not by a little: by twenty centimetres or more.
It happens because we choose a fitting on a screen, where a 30cm shade and a 60cm shade look identical, and because a light looks enormous in the hand and modest on a ceiling. The fix is arithmetic, and it takes one measurement.
On this page
- The rule, in one line
- Sizes by table, in centimetres
- Round and oval tables
- The room-size sanity check
- When to use two or three instead of one
- How high, and how it changes the size
- Shape matters as much as width
- Bulbs, dimming and glare
- Five mistakes worth avoiding
- In short
- Common questions
The rule, in one line
The shade should be half to two thirds of the table's narrow side, and never come within 30cm of the table edge.
A standard British dining table is 90cm across. Half to two thirds of 90 is 45 to 60cm. That is the band, and almost nobody buys inside it.
The 30cm rule is the safety net. Measure the width of your table, subtract 60cm, and you have the absolute maximum diameter. On a 90cm table that is 30cm — so where the two rules disagree, the table is narrow and you should be looking at a long fitting rather than a wide one. More on that below.
Sizes by table, in centimetres
Find your table, take the size, stop worrying.
- 120 x 80cm, seats four. One pendant, 35 to 45cm. The Butterfly Bamboo Pendant at 50cm is the generous end; the Wabi-Sabi Pendant at 30 to 50cm covers the middle.
- 150 x 90cm, seats six. One pendant, 45 to 55cm, or two smaller ones. The Fabric Chandelier at 40 or 50cm and the Nordic Chandelier at 50cm both land here.
- 180 x 90cm, seats six to eight. One fitting of 55 to 65cm, or a row of two or three. The Iron Chandelier at 58cm, the 5-Light LED Chandelier at 60cm, or the Frosted 5 Glass Ball Chandelier at 67cm.
- 200 to 240 x 100cm, seats eight to ten. A single fitting of 65 to 80cm, or a linear bar. The Wrought Iron 6-Light at 81cm and the Wood Linear Pendant at 100cm both suit.
- Over 240cm. One fitting will not do it. Use a 105cm chandelier such as the 8-Light Wrought Iron, the two-tier 12-Light, or a 120cm linear fitting.
Round and oval tables
A round table takes a round light, and the maths is different: one third to one half of the table's diameter.
- 90cm round, seats four. A 30 to 45cm fitting. The Round Crystal Chandelier or the Crystal Flush Chandelier at 40cm.
- 120cm round, seats six. A 40 to 60cm fitting. The 3-Light LED Chandelier at 50cm, or the Ribbed Glass Round Cluster.
- 140cm round or larger. 55 to 70cm, and this is where a cluster earns its place: the Rattan Cluster in the 60cm three-head version fills the space without one enormous shade.
An oval table behaves like a rectangle. Take the narrow measurement and use the table above.
The room-size sanity check
One more check, borrowed from interior designers, for when the table is small but the room is not.
Add the room's length and width in metres, then multiply by 10. That is a sensible fitting diameter in centimetres.
A 4m by 3.5m dining room gives 7.5 x 10 = 75cm. If your table maths said 50cm and the room maths says 75cm, split the difference and go to 60cm. Large rooms swallow small lights, and the ceiling is the only place where being timid is visible from every seat.
When to use two or three instead of one
A long table is better served by a row than by one enormous shade. The logic is the same as an island: several sources spread the light evenly along the length instead of pooling it in the middle.
Use a row when the table is over 180cm, or narrower than 85cm, or when the ceiling is too low for a deep fitting.
- Two or three shades of 25 to 35cm each.
- 75cm between centres.
- At least 30cm between the end shade and the end of the table.
The Industrial Glass Globe at 25cm and the Scalloped Copper Shade at 24cm are the right scale for a row. If you would rather have one fixing than three, a linear fitting does the same job: the Ribbed Glass Linear Bar, the Linear LED Pendant at 90 or 120cm, or the 4-Bulb Dining Cluster.
The full spacing method, with the pencil-marks trick, is in our guide to how many pendants over a kitchen island. A dining table follows the same rules at a different height.
How high, and how it changes the size
Hang the bottom of the shade 70 to 80cm above the table top — measured from the table, never from the floor. On a 75cm table with a 240cm ceiling, that puts the bottom of the shade around 150cm from the floor.
Height and diameter are linked. Hang a wide shade higher and it stops lighting the table; hang a narrow one lower and it lights a dinner plate. If you have a high Victorian ceiling, add roughly 7.5cm of drop for every extra 30cm of height, and go one size wider while you are at it — the extra distance makes any fitting read smaller.
Every height in the house, room by room, is in our guide to how high a pendant light should hang.
Shape matters as much as width
Two 50cm fittings can behave completely differently over the same table.
- Open and airy — a wire frame, a sputnik, a cluster of small globes. These read smaller than their diameter and suit low ceilings, because you see through them. The Sputnik Chandelier is 70cm across and feels lighter than a 50cm drum.
- Solid and opaque — a fabric drum, a woven shade, a metal dome. These read at full size and anchor a room. The Pebble Pendant at 40, 50 or 60cm is the example.
- Tall — measure the drop, not just the width. The Farmhouse Chandelier is 42cm across and 30cm deep, which is a different proposition on a 2.3m ceiling than a flat disc.
In a room with a low ceiling, a semi-flush chandelier avoids the problem entirely. The Crystal Flush Chandelier and the Circular LED Chandelier both sit close to the ceiling. Browse the full range in chandeliers and pendant lights.
Bulbs, dimming and glare
2700K, always, over a table. A dining table is used after dark and warm light is what the eye expects; 4000K turns dinner into a meeting.
Dim it. A dining light at full output is a work lamp. On a dimmer, the same fitting takes the room from homework at six to dinner at eight. If your fitting is not dimmable, a pair of table lamps on a sideboard will do the same job: see what size table lamp do I need. In an open-plan room, give it its own switch: see open-plan lighting.
Mind the glare. At 150cm from the floor, a bare bulb sits close to the eye line of a seated adult. Either choose a shade that conceals the source — fabric, rattan, opal glass — or use a low-output warm bulb in clear glass. The reasoning, including CRI and why food looks better at 90+, is in our guide to choosing colour temperature.
Five mistakes worth avoiding
- Buying too small. The single commonest error. When in doubt, go one size up.
- Centring on the room instead of the table. The light belongs to the table, and tables move. Decide where the table lives before the electrician drills.
- Measuring from the floor. Every number here starts at the table top.
- Ignoring the depth. A tall fitting on a 2.3m ceiling blocks the view across the table even when its diameter is right.
- One fitting on a 240cm table. Past that length, use a row or a linear bar.
In short
- Rectangular table: shade = half to two thirds of the narrow side.
- Round table: one third to one half of the diameter.
- Never within 30cm of the table edge.
- Room check: (length m + width m) x 10 = diameter in cm.
- Over 180cm of table: a row of two or three, 75cm apart, or a linear bar.
- Height: 70 to 80cm above the table top.
- Bulb: 2700K, dimmable, CRI 90+.
Common questions
What size pendant light for a dining table ?
Between a half and two thirds of the table's narrow side. For a standard 90cm wide table that is 45 to 60cm, and the shade should never come within 30cm of the table edge.
What size chandelier for a round dining table ?
One third to one half of the table's diameter. A 120cm round table takes a 40 to 60cm fitting; a 90cm table takes 30 to 45cm.
How high should a dining room light hang ?
70 to 80cm from the table top to the bottom of the shade, not from the floor. Take the lower end if you eat by low light, the higher end if the table doubles as a desk.
Should a dining light be as wide as the table ?
No. A fitting as wide as the table blocks the view across it and gets knocked when people stand up. Leave at least 30cm of clear table on each side.
How many pendants over a dining table ?
One up to about 180cm of table length. Beyond that, two or three shades of 25 to 35cm spaced 75cm apart, or a single linear fitting, spread the light more evenly.
What size light for a small dining room ?
Add the room's length and width in metres and multiply by 10 for a diameter in centimetres. A 3m by 3m room suggests about 60cm, which you then check against the table measurement and take the smaller of the two.
Can a chandelier be too big for a dining table ?
Yes, but it is rare. The limits are the 30cm clearance at each edge and the drop: a tall fitting on a low ceiling blocks the sightline across the table even when its width is correct.
One measurement, then choose
Measure the narrow side of your table. Halve it, then take two thirds of it. Everything between those two numbers will look right, and everything below them is the mistake most people make.
Send us your table dimensions and your ceiling height at contact@thelightheritage.com and we will tell you the size to buy. We answer every message ourselves.
Browse chandeliers, pendant lights and kitchen and dining lighting, or see what other people are choosing in our bestsellers.
