Specifying commercial furniture involves a lot of numbers that nobody writes down anywhere useful: seat heights, double rub ratings, stack counts, how much bar run a stool needs. These guides collect the answers we give over the phone most often. They are written for operators, designers and purchasing agents specifying for real projects, not for shoppers.
Sizing and layout
Bar vs. Counter Stool Height
The one measurement that decides everything, plus clearances and how to measure a bar correctly.
How Many Bar Stools Fit?
A spacing chart for 4- to 30-foot bars, plus corners, ends and L-shaped bars.
How Much Space Per Seat?
Table edge per guest, aisle clearances and seat counts by table size.
Table Seating Chart (Free PDF)
How many guests fit at every square, rectangular and round table size, with a printable one-page chart.
Table Base Sizing Guide
Which base spread carries each top size, from 24" bistro tops to 42" x 120" communal tables.
Commercial Restaurant Tables: Sizing, Heights and Bases
Dining, counter and bar heights, and how to match a base to a heavy top so tables do not wobble.
Matching Chairs and Bar Stools
Specifying one frame family across a dining room and bar so the room reads as one space.
ADA Seating: Heights and Clearances
Dining surface heights, knee clearance, the 5% rule, and why the table base decides whether it works.
Types of Restaurant Chairs
Side chair, arm chair, stool, lounge: the vocabulary, the heights, and what each type is good for.
Restaurant Chair Dimensions
Typical seat height, width and depth, measured across hundreds of commercial chairs and stools.
Table Top Materials Compared
Sintered stone, quartz, laminate, butcher block, stainless and more, and which survives your room.
Materials and durability
Commercial Upholstered Chairs: Fabric, Vinyl and Leather
Double rubs explained in practical terms, plus CAL TB 117-2013, COM and foam density.
Double Rubs Explained
What the abrasion rating actually measures and where the commercial threshold sits.
What BIFMA Certification Means
What the standards test, what a weight rating tells you, and what to ask any manufacturer.
Wood Restaurant Chairs
Beech, oak, ash and walnut compared, and why joinery matters more than the wood.
Metal Restaurant Chairs: Steel vs. Aluminum
Which metal for which room, powder coat finishes, and seat comfort trade-offs.
Wood Bar Stools
Frame hardwoods, the parts that wear first, and seat choices for long sits.
Metal Bar Stools
Heights, frame materials, back styles, and why the footrest fails before anything else.
Upholstered Bar Stools for Commercial Bars
Swivel or fixed, backless or full back, and why vinyl wins at a service bar.
Swivel and Bolt-Down Bar Stools
360° vs. auto-return swivels, and when to bolt stools to the floor.
COM and COL: Your Own Fabric or Leather
Yardage, swatch approval, contract-grade requirements, and the delay that catches everyone out.
Senior Living and Healthcare Seating
Rise-assist arm geometry, bariatric frames, bleach-cleanable vinyl and moisture-barrier seats.
Commercial vs. Residential Furniture
What the extra cost actually buys: load testing, joinery, double rubs, flammability and warranty.
Outdoor
Outdoor Restaurant Furniture Materials
Aluminum, polymer, synthetic rattan, teak and steel – what actually survives a patio.
Outdoor Furniture Care and Maintenance
The routine by material, the two habits that matter most, and what the warranty actually requires.
By venue
Brewery and Taproom Furniture
Stackable seating, communal table bases, bar heights and beer garden materials for a room that moves.
Hotel and Resort Furniture
Specifying a whole property zone by zone: lobby, outlets, pool deck, rooftop and event space.
Events, storage and lead times
Stackable Chairs for Banquets and Events
Real stack counts, how much storage a room needs, and protecting chairs from each other.
Quick Ship Restaurant Furniture
What ships in 2-3 days, what does not, and how to check stock before you plan a floor.
Quick Ship Outdoor Furniture
In-stock patio seating for an opening date that moved or a patio season that started early.
Lead Times: Planning Backwards
14-20 weeks standard, 8-10 week rush, 2-3 day quick ship, and what those weeks do not include.
Restaurant Furniture Checklist
What to decide, and when, so seating arrives in time for opening day.
Still deciding?
Tell us what you are furnishing. Your local Designform rep can walk a list with you, send finish samples and get a real chair in front of you before you commit.
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