Rug Size Guide UK & US: Every Room, Every Sofa, in cm and Feet

This guide gives you the exact dimensions in both centimeters and feet that work in real homes across the UK, US, and Europe. We ship to all three, so every size below includes the conversion you need. By the end you'll know exactly which standard rug size to buy for every room in your house.

What this guide covers

• The three golden rules of rug sizing
• Standard rug sizes in cm and feet
• Living room rug size by sofa type
• Bedroom rug size by bed size (UK & US)
• Dining room rug size by table seating
• Hallway runner size
• Kitchen, home office, and outdoor rugs
• The painter's tape trick (do this before you buy)
• Common rug sizing mistakes
• Frequently asked questions

The three golden rules of rug sizing

Before we get into specific rooms, these three rules will save you from 90% of the mistakes people make.

1. Bigger is almost always better

If you're choosing between two sizes and you genuinely can't decide, pick the larger one. A slightly-too-big rug anchors the room and makes it feel intentional. A slightly-too-small rug looks like an accident. Designers repeat this on day one of any interiors course for a reason.

2. The front legs rule

In a living room, the rug should be large enough that at least the front legs of your sofa and armchairs sit on it. This ties the furniture together and creates a single, defined seating area. A rug that stops before the sofa makes the furniture look like it's floating on a desert island.

3. Leave a visible border

Aim for 25–45 cm (10–18 inches) of bare floor between the edge of your rug and the walls. It gives the rug space to breathe and makes the room feel larger, not smaller. Wall-to-wall rugs belong in bedrooms and nowhere else.

Standard rug sizes in cm and feet

Rug retailers stock a small number of standard sizes. Knowing them upfront makes shopping faster because you can match your room to a size rather than measuring from scratch.

If the rug you love only comes in an odd size, there's nothing wrong with that — just use painter's tape to check it works in the space before you commit (the trick is further down).

Living room rug size — by sofa type

Your living room rug is usually the biggest and most visible rug in your home, so this is the one to get right. The size depends almost entirely on your sofa and the layout.

Loveseat / 2-seater sofa

Best rug size: 160 × 230 cm (5'3" × 7'7")

A 2-seater sofa is typically around 160–180 cm (5'3"–5'11") wide. A 160×230 cm rug sits neatly in front of it with enough width for a coffee table and enough length to reach beyond the sofa's arms. In a small living room, this often makes the room feel larger rather than smaller, because it pulls the eye across the floor.

3-seater sofa (the most common size)

Best rug size: 200 × 290 cm (6'7" × 9'6") preferred, or 160 × 230 cm minimum

A standard 3-seater is 200–220 cm (6'7"–7'3") wide. For the front legs of the sofa and at least one armchair to sit on the rug, you need a minimum of 200 × 290 cm. If you go smaller, the rug will stop short of the armchairs and the seating group will look disconnected. This is the single most common rug-size mistake we see.

Sectional / corner sofa / L-shape

Best rug size: 240 × 340 cm (7'10" × 11'2") or larger — custom sizes worth considering

A sectional or corner sofa needs a rug that extends beyond both legs of the L. 240 × 340 cm is the starting point for most corner sofas. If your corner is unusually long (over 280 cm / 9'2" on one side), it's worth looking at a 300 × 400 cm (10' × 13') custom piece — the rug will be doing serious work in defining the whole seating zone.

Open-plan living rooms

In an open-plan space, the rug's job is to mark where the 'living room' ends and the 'dining' or 'kitchen' starts. Go big — 240 × 340 cm (7'10" × 11'2") minimum. Think of it as drawing a line on the floor. A rug that's too small in an open-plan space simply looks lost.

Bedroom rug size — by bed size

Bedrooms are the one room where a rug can be partly hidden under furniture. The goal is simple: warm feet when you step out of bed, and visual balance around the bed itself.

Three ways to position a bedroom rug

• Under the lower two-thirds of the bed (our favorite): the rug starts roughly at the foot of the bedside tables and extends past the foot of the bed. This is the most cost-effective layout because the rug you can't see doesn't need to be rug.
• Fully under the bed: a bigger rug that frames the whole bed with 45–60 cm (18–24 inches) showing on each side and at the foot. Feels luxurious, costs more.
• Runners either side: two smaller runners flanking the bed. Perfect for small bedrooms, works beautifully with handmade kilim runners.

Dining room rug size — by table seating

The dining room rule is the strictest of any room: the rug must extend at least 60 cm (24 inches) past every edge of the table. This is so that when a chair is pulled out, its back legs are still on the rug. A chair that rocks onto and off the rug edge every time you stand up is an annoyance you'll regret for years.

Hallway runner size

Hallway runners are the easiest rug to size because the rules are simple: narrower than your hallway by about 20 cm (8 inches) on each side, and stopping 20–30 cm (8–12 inches) before the end wall.

Measure the full length of your hallway, subtract 40 cm (16 inches) total to leave a gap at each end, and that's the runner length to buy. If your hallway length falls between standard sizes, go for the shorter option — a runner that stops 30 cm (12 inches) short of a wall looks intentional, but one that bunches against a doorway does not.

Browse our full collection of [LINK: /collections/runners → "hallway and stair runners"] in both UK and US sizing.

Kitchen, home office, and outdoor rugs

Kitchen

Two options that both work: a small 60 × 120 cm (2' × 4') rug in front of the sink (the spot where you stand longest), or a runner along the main work aisle in galley kitchens, usually 70 × 240 cm (2'4" × 8'). Washable rugs are the right choice here without exception — cooking splashes, coffee spills, and muddy paw prints are the reality of a kitchen floor. Browse our washable kitchen rugs.

Home office

If your office has a proper desk chair, you need a flat-weave rug or you'll hate trying to wheel across it. 160 × 230 cm (5'3" × 7'7") is the right size if the chair's front wheels roll onto the rug; 200 × 290 cm (6'7" × 9'6") if you want the whole chair-and-desk setup to sit on it.

Outdoor patio and decks

Outdoor rugs should leave at least 30 cm (12 inches) of paving or decking visible on all sides. For a 4-seat patio set, 160 × 230 cm (5'3" × 7'7") is the standard. For a 6-seat set, upgrade to 200 × 290 cm (6'7" × 9'6"). Always choose a rug explicitly made for outdoor use so it handles rain and doesn't mould underneath.

The painter's tape trick — do this before you buy

Leave the tape there for 24 hours. Walk through the room in the morning, after work, with the lights on, with the lights off. Move a chair onto it. Watch where you actually walk.

You'll learn two things: whether the size feels right (it usually does, or it obviously doesn't), and whether the path you walk most often crosses the rug in a way that makes sense. This single step has saved more homeowners from bad rug decisions than any other advice in this guide.

The five most common rug-sizing mistakes

1. Buying a 120 × 170 cm (4' × 5'7") rug for a 3-seater sofa. It's the single most frequent mistake. It makes the sofa look like it's floating and the rug look like a bathmat. Always size to the sofa, not the coffee table.
2. Matching the rug to the exact shape of a small room. A tiny rug for a tiny room actually makes the room feel smaller. Counter-intuitively, going a size up often opens the space up.
3. Ignoring chair-pullout in dining rooms. If the back legs come off the rug when a diner sits down, the rug is too small. Remeasure with a chair pulled out before you buy.
4. Centering a hallway runner. Runners should not be dead-centered lengthways — they should stop 20–30 cm (8–12 inches) from the far wall, not reach it. A runner pressed against a skirting board looks awkward.
5. Buying for the furniture you have now, not the furniture you'll have next. Planning a new sofa in six months? Size the rug for that sofa, not the current one. Rugs are the long-term piece; furniture rotates around them.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular rug size?

The two most commonly sold sizes are 160 × 230 cm (5'3" × 7'7") and 200 × 290 cm (6'7" × 9'6"). The smaller suits average living rooms with a 2- or 3-seater sofa; the larger works better for bigger living rooms, king beds, and 6-seat dining tables. Together these two sizes account for roughly two-thirds of all rug purchases in the UK and US.

Should a rug be bigger than the sofa?

Yes, in most cases. A rug should extend at least 15–20 cm (6–8 inches) past each end of your sofa, and be wide enough for the front legs of any armchairs in the seating group to sit on it. The only exception is a very small living room where the sofa is pushed against a wall and the rug sits in front of it like a frame.

How much space should be between the rug and the wall?

Aim for 25–45 cm (10–18 inches) of exposed floor between the edge of the rug and the walls. In smaller rooms you can reduce this to 20 cm / 8 inches; in bigger rooms you can go up to 60 cm / 24 inches. The goal is a visible border of flooring on all sides wall-to-wall rugs only belong in bedrooms.

Can I put a rug on top of carpet?

Yes. Layering a rug over fitted carpet is a growing trend, especially in period properties. Use a rug pad designed for carpet (not hard floors) to stop the rug wrinkling and migrating. Flat-weave rugs and kilims work especially well layered over carpet the thinner profile stops the layering from feeling bulky.

What size rug do I need for a king size bed?

A UK king size bed (150 × 200 cm / 59" × 79") works well with a 200 × 290 cm (6'7" × 9'6") rug. A US king size bed (193 × 203 cm / 76" × 80") is larger and needs a 240 × 340 cm (7'10" × 11'2") rug for the same balanced look. Place the rug under the lower two-thirds of the bed so the rug shows on each side and at the foot.

What size rug fits under a 6-seat dining table?

A 6-seat rectangular dining table typically measures 180–200 cm (71"–79") long. You need a rug at least 240 × 340 cm (7'10" × 11'2") so that chairs can be pulled out and all four legs remain on the rug. If your table extends, size for the longest setting.