Restaurant and cafe bar stools

Two inches too tall and a customer's knees hit the ledge; two inches too short and the elbows hang. Bar height is about 40 to 42 inches and counter height 34 to 36. These 325 bar stools list their seat heights, so you can match them to the ledge, the pickup shelf, or the espresso bar before you look at anything else.

Match the seat to the ledge

Bar-height tops of 40 to 42 inches want stools of about 29 to 31 inches. Counters of 34 to 36 inches want 24 to 26. Seat heights shown most often are 31 inches, 30 inches, 29 3/4, and 29 1/2, so most of this shelf is bar territory. Working with a lower ledge? Start with counter stools.

Pull a tape from floor to ledge top and subtract 10 to 12 inches for the gap above the seat. What's left is the seat height to hunt for. Do it before the first coffee of the day and any mistake stays a measurement, not an order.

Frames, seats, and backs

Metal frames lead with 205, plus 13 finished to look like wood. Wood frames come to 69, resin to 13, and aluminum to 10. The full runs are on metal bar stools and wood bar stools. Seats are vinyl on 210 stools, wood on 118, and fabric on 84.

Back shapes sort the shelf faster than materials do. Bucket backs are on 67 stools, upholstered backs on 39, curved backs on 36, tolix-style frames on 30, interchangeable backs on 18, and ladder backs on 16. Padded backs appear on 105 in all.

Turn, tuck, or stay put

Swivel is on 82 stools. Give each one 24 to 30 inches center to center, or the neighbors bump at the first rush. Backless stools slide fully under the ledge, which keeps the queue moving; backless bar stools has them. Arms are on 27, and only 18 stools stack.

A counter 10 feet long runs to 120 inches. At 30 inches apart it seats four stools, and at 24 inches apart it seats five.

Stools for the curb

48 stools are listed for patio use, and one carries a covered-patio-only note. Everything else, especially a wood frame or an upholstered seat, stays inside. The sidewalk set lives at patio bar stools.

Single stools range from $79 to $507. Draw the ledge to scale in cafe plans and count stools along it. A ladder back slatted metal bar stool takes a footprint of 17 inches by 17 and stands 42 high, which gives you one data point for a tight counter.