How Do You Measure for Dining Room Chair Covers?

To measure for dining room chair covers, you need five figures: the seat width at its widest point, the seat depth from the front edge to the backrest, the height of the backrest from the seat to the top edge, the width of the backrest at its widest point, and the drop from the seat to the floor if you want a skirted cover. Measure with a fabric tape, keep the tape flat rather than pulled tight, and always record the largest measurement on any curved or flared part of the chair. Those five numbers will tell you whether a standard size will fit or whether you need a made to measure cover.

Most covers that arrive too small or bag awkwardly at the back have been ordered from a guess rather than a measurement. Chairs vary far more than people expect, even within the same style family, so it is worth spending ten minutes with a tape before ordering anything.

What You Need Before You Start

A soft fabric tape measure is the only essential tool. A metal builder’s tape will not follow the curve of a scroll back or a rounded seat, and it tends to lift away from the upholstery, which adds a centimetre or two of error. If you only have a rigid tape, use a length of string, mark it with a pen and then measure the string against the rule.

Have a notepad to hand and write everything down as you go. If you have more than one chair shape in the room, and many UK homes do once a carver chair or a spare kitchen chair has joined the set, label each set of measurements clearly. It is also worth photographing each chair from the front, the side and the back. Those photos are useful later when you are comparing cover styles and trying to remember whether a chair has open arms or a solid frame.

Measuring the Seat

Start with the seat width. Sit the tape across the seat at its widest point, which on most chairs is the front edge rather than the back. Many dining seats taper towards the rear, so the front measurement is the one that governs fit. Keep the tape level and note the figure.

Next, measure the seat depth. Run the tape from the very front edge of the seat back to the point where the seat meets the backrest. If the chair has a slight gap between the seat and the back frame, measure to the back of the seat pad itself, not into the gap.

For a seat pad cover or a tie on cover, those two figures are often all you need. For a full cover, you also need the seat height, taken from the floor to the top surface of the seat at the front. This determines how far the cover will hang and whether it will pool on the floor.

Measuring the Back

Backrest measurements catch people out more than seat measurements. Take the back height from the top surface of the seat, where the cushion meets the frame, up to the highest point of the backrest. Do not measure from the floor unless the cover instructions specifically ask for a total height.

Then take the back width at the widest point. On a straight sided chair this is simple. On a chair with a flared or waisted back you may need two figures: the width at the top and the width where the back meets the seat. Note both, because a cover cut for a rectangular back will strain across a wide shoulder or hang loose on a narrow one.

Finally, measure the depth of the backrest, meaning the thickness of the frame from front to back. A slim wooden back might be two centimetres thick, while a fully upholstered back can be ten or more. Covers designed to slip over the back need to accommodate that thickness, and this is the figure most often forgotten.

Different Chair Styles Need Different Approaches

A plain wooden chair with a drop in seat pad is the simplest case. You measure the pad and little else. If you are looking at replacements rather than covers, our range of wooden dining chairs UK sale shows how much the seat shapes vary between designs, which is exactly why a universal cover rarely sits neatly on every chair.

Fully upholstered chairs need the most care. The padding compresses, so measure without pressing the tape into the foam. A cover sized to a compressed measurement will feel tight when the chair is at rest and will pull at the seams. Chairs from our modern fabric dining chairs UK selection often have a curved back and a slightly rounded seat, both of which reward a measurement taken at the widest point rather than an average.

Chairs with arms are the trickiest. You need the inside width between the arms, the outside width across them, and the height from the seat to the top of the arm. Not all cover styles accommodate arms at all, so check before you order.

Allowing for Ease

Once you have your figures, resist the urge to order the exact size. Fabric covers need a small amount of ease so they can be pulled on and tucked in. For a stretch cover, the chair measurement should sit comfortably within the middle of the size range quoted rather than at the very top of it. Stretch fabric that is working at its limit will thin out, show the chair colour underneath and lose its shape within weeks.

For a non stretch cover, allow roughly two to three centimetres of ease on the width and depth. That extra allows the cover to sit smoothly rather than stretching flat across the padding.

If you are ordering a made to measure cover, the maker will normally add ease themselves, so supply the raw chair measurements and say clearly that you have not added anything.

Getting the Skirt Length Right

Skirted covers are measured from the top of the seat down. Decide whether you want the skirt to end just below the seat frame, to fall to mid leg, or to reach the floor. A floor length skirt looks formal but collects dust and tangles with feet, which is worth thinking about in a busy family kitchen.

Where the skirt stops also affects how the chairs look around the table. If your table has a deep apron or a chunky pedestal, a long skirt can make the whole arrangement look heavy. Shorter skirts keep the leg line visible and the room feeling more open, which matters in the smaller dining spaces common in UK terraces and flats.

Checking the Fit Once the Covers Arrive

Fit one cover before washing or unpacking the rest. Pull it fully into position, work the fabric into the seat crevice and check the back for pulling at the seams. Sit on it. A cover that looks correct on an empty chair can ride up as soon as it takes weight.

If there is loose fabric at the sides, most covers include foam grip strips or ties. Push the strips deep into the gap between the seat and the back rather than resting them near the surface, which is where they tend to work loose.

When Covers Are Not the Answer

Covers work well for protecting good chairs, refreshing a colour scheme or hiding light wear. They are less successful on chairs with damaged frames, broken webbing or seats that have collapsed, because a cover will follow the shape of the problem rather than hide it.

If the frames are tired, replacing the chairs is often the more sensible route, and a new set can lift the whole room. Our dining chairs UK sale range covers everything from slim upholstered designs for compact rooms to broader seats for family tables. Where the table has also had its day, a complete modern dining table and chairs sets UK sale takes the guesswork out of matching proportions, since the chairs are already scaled to the table.

At Furniture in Fashion we list full dimensions for every chair we sell, which makes it straightforward to compare a new chair against the space you already have.

Keeping a Record

Once you have measured, save the figures somewhere you can find them again: a note on your phone works well. Covers wear out, colour schemes change, and having the numbers to hand means the next order takes minutes rather than an afternoon. It also helps if you ever want to add a matching chair or order a spare cover for the one that always seems to take the spills.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I measure the chair with the cushion compressed or at rest?

Measure at rest, with the tape resting lightly on the surface. Compressing the padding gives you a smaller figure and produces a cover that feels strained as soon as the chair is empty.

Do stretch covers really fit any chair?

No. Stretch covers accommodate a range of sizes, but every cover has an upper and lower limit. Aim for the middle of the quoted range so the fabric is not working at full stretch.

How do I measure a chair with a curved backrest?

Take the width at the widest point and, if the back tapers noticeably, take a second measurement where the back meets the seat. Supply both figures if you are ordering made to measure.

Can one cover style suit mismatched chairs?

Sometimes. If the chairs share a similar seat size and back shape, a single cover style in one fabric can unify them. If the shapes differ significantly, measure each chair separately and expect to order more than one size.

How much ease should I add to my measurements?

For non stretch covers, two to three centimetres on width and depth is a reasonable allowance. For stretch covers and made to measure orders, supply the raw measurements and let the sizing chart or the maker handle the ease.