The seating maths
| Guests | 10-seater rounds | Trestle tables | Chairs to order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 3 | 4–5 | 32 |
| 50 | 5 | 7–8 | 53 |
| 100 | 10 | 13–16 | 105 |
| 150 | 15 | 19–25 | 158 |
| 200 | 20 | 25–33 | 210 |
The five percent overflow is not padding. Chairs break, extra family arrive, and a function that runs out of seating stalls in a way it never recovers from.
Seating drives the structure as much as the guest list does — ten rounds need noticeably more floor than the same hundred guests on trestles, so confirm the layout before booking a size on types of tents for hire.
Table sizes and what they seat
A 1.8m round seats ten comfortably and eight generously. A 1.5m round seats eight. A standard trestle is 1.8m by 0.75m and seats six along the sides, or eight with a person at each end — though end seats are tight once the table is dressed. Cocktail tables seat nobody and are there for standing functions, at roughly one per six to eight guests.
Beyond guest seating, budget separate tables for the buffet line (two trestles per hundred guests), the gift and cake table, the DJ, and the bar. These are the tables people forget, and they are why a hire comes up short on the day.
What furniture costs
| Item | Typical rate each |
|---|---|
| Plastic chair | R7–R12 |
| Phoenix chair | R15–R25 |
| Wimbledon chair | R25–R45 |
| Tiffany chair | R35–R60 |
| Trestle table | R60–R120 |
| Round table (10-seat) | R90–R160 |
| Linen per table | R35–R80 |
Full furniture options, couch lounges and draping for the East London metro are on tables and chairs for hire in East London, and the tent to put them under is sized on what size tent do I need.
Common questions
How many chairs do I need for 100 guests?
Order about 105 chairs for 100 guests — the guest count plus roughly five percent for breakages, late arrivals and overflow seating.
How many people fit at a trestle table?
A standard 1.8m trestle seats six along the sides, or eight with one person at each end, though the end seats get tight once the table is dressed.
Do I need a tablecloth for every table?
Yes for guest tables and the buffet, and it is worth it for the gift and cake tables. Bare trestles read as unfinished in photographs even when everything else is dressed.
Can I hire chairs and tables without a tent?
Yes. Hall and indoor functions hire furniture on its own, delivered to a floor plan, with no structure involved.