Table hire is about more than seats: the table sets how many guests fit in the room, where the food goes and how the event looks. A 1.8 m trestle seats 6 to 8 and works for a funeral lunch or a church bazaar; a 1.5 m round seats 8 to 10 at a wedding; a long wooden table suits a farm reception without a cloth. Tell us the event, the guest count and the venue, and we pass your request to independent hire firms near you. They quote you directly, free and with no obligation.
Types of table you can hire
- Trestle tables: about 1.8 m long and 75 cm wide, folding legs, the workhorse for buffets, long family tables and registration desks
- Round tables: 1.5 m for 8 to 10 or 1.8 m for 10 to 12, for weddings and gala dinners; they usually need a tablecloth
- Wooden or harvest tables: solid timber tops left bare for rustic weddings, often paired with cross back chairs
- Picnic tables with benches for outdoor fun days, and cocktail tables for standing guests
- Kiddies tables at child height for parties
Choosing sizes and layouts
Standard table height is about 75 cm, so any normal chair fits. Rounds feel social but use more floor: allow about 1.2 to 1.5 m² per seated guest. Long trestles fit more people into a narrow hall or marquee, at roughly 1 m² a guest. Leave at least a chair's width plus a walkway between tables so waiters can pass. Remember the extras: a top table, a cake table, a gift table, a DJ table and two or three trestles for the buffet line.
Delivery, ground and care
Tables usually arrive folded or with the legs off, and setting them out may be extra. Check each one for wobble and damaged tops on delivery and note it on the delivery note. On a lawn, legs sink into soft ground after rain and tables tilt, so ask for boards or set them on paving where you can. Wooden tops mark easily: use placemats under hot dishes, keep candle wax off, and do not stand on tables to hang decor.
What affects table hire prices
Trestles are usually the lowest cost; rounds sit in the middle; solid wood and specialty tables cost more. Price also depends on the number, the hire period, transport distance and whether cloths and set-up are included. Ask:
- Exact sizes, and how many each table seats
- Is there a price for tables with chairs?
- What is charged for damage to a top?
What to include in your request
- Table type and how many
- How many guests they must seat
- Indoors, on grass or on paving
- Whether you need cloths with them
- Delivery or collection, and the date
Table Hire for different events
- Families and home celebrations: a few trestles for the food and gifts at a birthday, baby shower or braai
- Weddings and engagements: rounds for the reception plus a long top table and a cake table
- Funerals, memorials and unveilings: trestles for the meal after the service and for the after-tears at home
- Companies, conferences and functions: registration trestles and rounds for a training day, launch or year-end lunch
- Churches and faith gatherings: long trestles for a church bazaar, a fellowship lunch or a festival meal
- Schools, colleges and universities: trestles for exam halls, market days and rounds for a matric farewell
- Municipalities, clubs and communities: picnic tables and trestles for a market, a sports day or a stokvel meeting
- Venues, caterers, decorators and planners: extra rounds and trestles for caterers and planners when their own stock runs short
Frequently asked questions
How much does table hire cost?
How many people fit at a trestle table?
Can I hire folding tables for a small party?
Can tables stand on grass?
Table Hire by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg