Chandelier Size Calculator

The short answer

Over a dining table, choose a chandelier about half to two-thirds as wide as the table: 20 to 26 in for a 40 in wide table. Hang it with its bottom 30 to 36 in above the tabletop under an 8 ft ceiling, 3 in higher for every extra foot. For a room without a table, add the room’s length and width in feet: that’s the diameter in inches, so a 12 by 14 ft room takes about 26 in.

For the fixture’s height, allow 2.5 to 3 in for every foot of ceiling. The calculator works all of it out from your table or room and your ceiling.

How to measure

1. Over a table: measure the tabletop’s width (the short side), and its length if it’s long. For a round table, measure across.
2. For a room: measure the room wall to wall, both ways, in feet.
3. Measure the ceiling height from the floor to the ceiling where the fixture will hang.
4. Check the fixture’s numbers on the product page: the width (diameter) is its widest point, and the height is the fixture’s body without the chain.

How to use the calculator

1. Choose where it hangs: over a table, or in the room (an entryway, a living room or a bedroom).
2. Enter the table or the room, and the ceiling height. The result updates as you type.
3. Read the result: the diameter to shop for, the fixture’s height, how high to hang it and which store size groups hold your size.
4. Save or share it. Copy link keeps your numbers in the address. Coming from the dining table calculator, your table is already filled in.

How we calculate

Start from the diameters and heights below, then let the room and the fixture’s style settle the final size.

• Over a table: a diameter of one-half to two-thirds of the table’s width (its diameter, for a round table). For a quick check, about 12 in narrower than the table.
• Long tables: a linear chandelier a third to half the table’s length, as an alternative to a round fixture.
• Hanging height over a table: the bottom of the fixture 30 to 36 in above the tabletop with an 8 ft ceiling, and 3 in higher for each foot of ceiling above that.
• In a room: the room’s length plus its width, in feet, gives the diameter in inches. With a ceiling of 10 ft or more, a fixture up to 20 percent larger suits the taller space. Where people walk under it, its bottom stays at least 7 ft above the floor.
• Fixture height: about 2.5 to 3 in of fixture for every foot of ceiling height.
• Store sizes: chandeliers aren’t sold in fixed sizes, so the calculator names the size groups you’ll see when you shop (Mini, Small, Medium and Large, up to 34 in wide) and marks the ones that hold your range.

Worked examples

Worked example

A 72 × 40 in dining table under a 9 ft ceiling

What we know

• Table: 72 in by 40 in
• Ceiling: 9 ft

How it works out

1. Diameter: half to two-thirds of the table's 40 in width = 20 to 26 in.
2. Height: 9 ft of ceiling × 2.5 to 3 in = 23 to 27 in.
3. Hanging height: 33 to 39 in from the tabletop to the bottom of the fixture.
4. Or a linear fixture a third to half the table's length: 24 to 36 in long.

A chandelier 20 to 26 in across and about 23 to 27 in tall suits this table. Hang it with its bottom 33 to 39 in above the tabletop.

Worked example

A 60 in round table under an 8 ft ceiling

What we know

• Round table: 60 in across
• Ceiling: 8 ft

How it works out

1. Diameter: half to two-thirds of the table's 60 in width = 30 to 40 in.
2. Height: 8 ft of ceiling × 2.5 to 3 in = 20 to 24 in.
3. Hanging height: 30 to 36 in from the tabletop to the bottom of the fixture.

A chandelier 30 to 40 in across and about 20 to 24 in tall suits this table. Hang it with its bottom 30 to 36 in above the tabletop.

Worked example

A 12 × 15 ft living room with a 9 ft ceiling

What we know

• Room: 12 ft by 15 ft
• Ceiling: 9 ft

How it works out

1. Diameter: 12 ft + 15 ft = 27, so about 27 in across.
2. Height: 9 ft of ceiling × 2.5 to 3 in = 23 to 27 in.

A chandelier about 27 in across and 23 to 27 in tall suits this room. Where people walk under it, keep its bottom at least 7 ft above the floor: no more than 24 in below the ceiling, chain included.

Chandelier size by room size

The room rule for common rooms with 8 to 9 ft ceilings. With a ceiling of 10 ft or more, go up to 20 percent larger.

Chandelier size by table

Half to two-thirds of the table’s width, for common dining table widths and round tables.

How high to hang it over the table

From the tabletop to the bottom of the fixture, by ceiling height.

Before you buy

Between two sizes, let the room decide: an open, high-ceilinged room carries the bigger fixture, a small room with a low ceiling the smaller one. A chandelier with an open frame or a lot of glass can look lighter than a solid drum of the same width.

Check how the height is adjusted, too: most chandeliers hang from a chain or a set of stems, so look at how much drop the fixture allows before you rely on it to reach the height the calculator gives you.