Tablecloth Size Calculator — I built it because I was tired of guessing

A few weeks ago I needed to buy a tablecloth for a 6‑foot foldable table I use for board game nights. I didn’t want a “fitted” look – just a casual drop of about 6 inches each side. But when I opened the website of a big retailer, the size chart gave me “rectangular: 60×120” and nothing else. No idea what drop that would give me on my table. I ended up ordering a cloth that turned out to be a little too long, dragging on the floor. That’s minor, but it got me thinking: this is a very simple geometry problem that many online calculators overcomplicate or bury under ads and pop‑ups.

I spent an evening checking the “tablecloth calculators” that already exist. Some ask you to pick a “shape” then give you a preset drop (which is not what I wanted). Others calculate based on a “drop percentage” – I just wanted to see, in inches, what I need to add to each side of my table. And many of them are hidden inside a 5‑page article about napkins. So I decided to make a small page that does exactly one thing: you type your table’s dimensions, choose your shape, enter your desired drop — and it tells you the exact cloth size you should look for.

The tool is deliberately bare. It works for round, square, rectangle, and oval tables. You give it:
– table length/width (or diameter if round/oval – you can measure the widest point for oval)
– your desired drop (the overhang from table edge to cloth edge, in inches)
– it adds the drop twice (left + right, or both ends) for each dimension.
For round/oval it computes the diameter plus twice the drop, and gives you a recommended cloth size using the nearest common sizing (e.g., 70″ round, 70×120″ oval, etc.). But it always shows the exact number first, because sometimes you’ll sew your own or order custom.

I tried to make it as transparent as possible. No “we’ll email you the result”, no hidden formula. On the page, you’ll see a small note explaining exactly how the math works: “we simply add twice your drop to each dimension, for a standard straight‑hanging cloth.” That’s it. That’s the whole trick.

Why bother making this public? Honestly, it’s a tiny tool, but I want to use it again when I get a round dining table later this year. And I suspect other people are in the same spot – you have a table, you want a cloth that fits, not a drape that puddles on the floor. I also kept the page completely free of affiliate links or upsells. (Well, I rely on a simple coffee tip jar, but only if you feel like it.)

A quick example: my 6‑ft foldable table (72″ long × 30″ wide) with a 6″ drop needs a cloth of 84″ × 42″. But I have an oval table that is 42″ wide and 60″ long – the calculator suggests a 54″ × 72″ oval cloth. That’s exactly what I needed.

If you’ve ever squinted at a tape measure while trying to figure out what size to buy, I think this might help. It’s not a fancy piece of software — it’s a calculator, just without the clutter.