Card tables have a very specific job to do (unless you’re in a dorm or craft room, in which they become multipurpose, or at grandma’s house for Thanksgiving where it becomes the default dining table for the kiddies).
For the most part, though, a card table’s job is to make it easy to play games.
Card games, yes, but other games too (at least today).
That’s why card tables come in several different sizes.
They have specific jobs to do, and they need to be the right size for those jobs.
Standard Card Table Dimensions (Square Tables)
“Card table” card tables, the ones that stem from the original idea of the card table and are meant to play actual cards on, are square.
Which makes sense.
All players need to be able to reach to the center of the table, and a square table makes it equidistant all around.
To play cards effectively on a card table, the center of the table also has to be easy for players to reach, so the table can’t be too large.
Because to this, the average size for card tables is right around three-foot square (36×36 inches).
Though, many tables are 34×34 inches or 38×38 inches.
Square card table best gaming uses: Cards and square board games
Round Card Table Dimensions
Though square card tables are the norm, there are a couple of other card table shapes that keep things equidistant for all players.
One of those shapes is a circle.
Circular card tables, even when a similar size to square tables, typically fit more chairs and more people.
Like square tables, 36 inches (in this case in diameter) is a common size for round card tables.
But they go up in size significantly, commonly up to 72 inches.
Circular card table best gaming uses: Cards, square board games, RPGs, puzzles
Octagonal Card Table Dimensions
Octagonal card tables, which are unsurprisingly shaped like octagons with eight equal sides, are the other common card table shape where all sides are equidistant from the center.
The most common size for an octagonal card table is 48 inches across.
Octagonal card table best gaming uses: Cards, RPGs, puzzles
Rectangular Card Table Dimensions
Rectangular card tables are where card table shapes start to diverge from the original purpose of the card table.
It’s hard to play cards on a table where some players have to reach further than others.
These tables can be useful, however, for larger board games, especially those with rectangular-shaped boards, and for seating more people.
A common size for rectangular-shaped card tables is 36”x72” (3’x6’). (Though 48”x92” – 4’x7.7’ – is also fairly common.)
Just watch out when shopping for rectangular tables.
There are many smaller folding tables (often as narrow as 2’ across) and these are not large enough for the typical board game or puzzle.
Rectangular card table best gaming uses: Board games, puzzles
Oval Card Table Dimensions
And up last on our card table dimension list, we have the round card table’s weird sister, the oval.
Like a rectangular table, oval tables are not ideal for games that require an easy reach for all players, but are good for fitting a lot of people.
The standard dimension of an oval card table is 84-96” in length and 42-48” in width.
Oval card table best gaming uses: Cards
Card Table Height
The average height of a card table is 30”, which is the same average height as a typical dining room table.
To sum up, here are the standard sizes of card tables in every shape:
- Square: 36x36x30
- Circular: 36x36x30
- Octagonal: 48x48x30
- Rectangular: 36x72x30
- Oval: 84x42x30 – 96x48x30