Standard-height table bases

Standard height is the table where you eat a sandwich, not the ledge you perch at. 30 bases here come in five different metals, indoor use listed on all of them and patio use on 8. Match the height to your chairs first.

Height before anything else

A dining table runs about 29 to 30 inches high. Seats run 17 to 19. The difference, 10 to 12 inches, is where knees and laptops live. Get the base height wrong and every guest at the table feels it by the second coffee.

Say a chair seat sits at 18 inches. A table 30 inches high leaves 12 inches between seat and top, and a 29-inch table leaves 11. Both are in range. If your ledge is 40 to 42 inches, you are shopping for bar-height table bases instead.

Knee room for accessible tables

Not every table in a shop is the same. The ones that must be accessible follow the 2010 ADA Standards: a top 28 to 34 inches off the floor, over a knee space that is 19 inches deep, 30 wide and at least 27 tall. Aim for at least 5 percent of the dining seats at tables built that way. Treat it as a starting point: the current published standard and your local code have the last word.

Bases matter here. A wide foot or a heavy column can eat the knee space, so find the footprint on the page, or ask a specialist.

Materials and price

Cast iron leads with 10 of the 30, followed by aluminum on 5, steel on 3, and chrome and stainless steel on 2 each. Prices range from $43 to $222. All are listed for indoor use, and 8 also list patio use.

Three examples help. A standard-height round metal table base names its height. An aluminum support lists various dimensions, and a square steel table support is another shape to compare.

Other shapes

For a round foot, round table bases are the alternative. For four feet, see X-prong table bases. Everything is under table bases.

Reusing a top you already own? Measure it first and compare it with the base footprint on the page. Then ask a specialist to confirm the exact pairing rather than trusting a matching finish.

Request a metal finish swatch if the base will stand next to bases you already own. Once the base is chosen, set a few tables into a cafe plan and check every chair for knee room.