Rug size by room size
Subtract the floor border you want from each wall: with the common 18 in border, take 3 ft off the room's length and width, then pick the largest standard rug that fits. A 12 × 15 ft room with 18 in borders fits up to a 9 × 12.[1 · Oct 29, 2026]
The border rule
Bed Bath & Beyond suggests leaving about 18 in of bare floor around the rug, or about 8 in in a smaller room, and allowing about 2 in of margin.[1 · Oct 29, 2026] The Home Depot suggests 18 to 24 in for a front-legs-on living room and 12 to 18 in for a room-size rug, equal on all sides where possible.[2 · Oct 29, 2026] Lowe's says not to let a rug touch the baseboards.[3 · Oct 29, 2026] The Home Depot also stresses that the furniture layout should decide the size, not the room size alone, so treat this page as the upper limit and check the room pages below.[2 · Oct 29, 2026]
Largest rug that fits, by room size
Our arithmetic: the largest size in our standard sizes chart that leaves at least the stated border on every side (within the 2 in margin). In brackets: the actual floor left at each end and along each side.
| Room | 8 in border | 12 in border | 18 in border |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 × 12 ft | 7 × 10 ft (1 ft / 1 ft) | 7 × 10 ft (1 ft / 1 ft) | 6 × 9 ft (1 ft 6 in / 1 ft 6 in) |
| 10 × 12 ft | 8 × 10 ft (1 ft / 1 ft) | 8 × 10 ft (1 ft / 1 ft) | 6 × 9 ft (1 ft 6 in / 2 ft) |
| 10 × 14 ft | 8 × 11 ft (1 ft 6 in / 1 ft) | 8 × 11 ft (1 ft 6 in / 1 ft) | 7 × 10 ft (2 ft / 1 ft 6 in) |
| 11 × 13 ft | 8 × 11 ft (1 ft / 1 ft 6 in) | 8 × 11 ft (1 ft / 1 ft 6 in) | 8 × 10 ft (1 ft 6 in / 1 ft 6 in) |
| 12 × 14 ft | 9 × 12 ft (1 ft / 1 ft 6 in) | 9 × 12 ft (1 ft / 1 ft 6 in) | 8 × 11 ft (1 ft 6 in / 2 ft) |
| 12 × 15 ft | 10 × 13 ft (1 ft / 1 ft) | 10 × 13 ft (1 ft / 1 ft) | 9 × 12 ft (1 ft 6 in / 1 ft 6 in) |
| 12 × 18 ft | 10 × 14 ft (2 ft / 1 ft) | 10 × 14 ft (2 ft / 1 ft) | 9 × 12 ft (3 ft / 1 ft 6 in) |
| 13 × 16 ft | 10 × 14 ft (1 ft / 1 ft 6 in) | 10 × 14 ft (1 ft / 1 ft 6 in) | 10 × 13 ft (1 ft 6 in / 1 ft 6 in) |
| 14 × 16 ft | 10 × 14 ft (1 ft / 2 ft) | 10 × 14 ft (1 ft / 2 ft) | 10 × 13 ft (1 ft 6 in / 2 ft) |
| 15 × 20 ft | 12 × 15 ft (2 ft 6 in / 1 ft 6 in) | 12 × 15 ft (2 ft 6 in / 1 ft 6 in) | 12 × 15 ft (2 ft 6 in / 1 ft 6 in) |
| 16 × 20 ft | 12 × 15 ft (2 ft 6 in / 2 ft) | 12 × 15 ft (2 ft 6 in / 2 ft) | 12 × 15 ft (2 ft 6 in / 2 ft) |
A retailer's room-to-rug chart
Bed Bath & Beyond publishes this pairing of room size and rug size. Our column shows the floor each pairing leaves at the ends and the sides. Most leave about 12 in, tighter than the same guide's 18 in rule, so use it as a starting point rather than a rule.[1 · Oct 29, 2026]
| Room | Suggested rug | Floor left at ends and sides |
|---|---|---|
| 5 × 7 ft | 3 × 5 ft | 1 ft and 1 ft |
| 7 × 10 ft | 5 × 8 ft | 1 ft and 1 ft |
| 10 × 12 ft | 8 × 10 ft | 1 ft and 1 ft |
| 11 × 14 ft | 9 × 12 ft | 1 ft and 1 ft |
| 14 × 17 ft | 10 × 14 ft | 1 ft 6 in and 2 ft |
By room
- Living room: depends on whether all the furniture, the front legs or only the coffee table sits on the rug.[2 · Oct 29, 2026]
- Dining room: at least 24 in past the table on every side so chairs stay on the rug when pulled out.[1 · Oct 29, 2026][4 · Oct 29, 2026]
- Bedroom: 18 to 24 in beyond each side of the bed.[1 · Oct 29, 2026]
- Hallways and kitchens: a few inches of floor on each side of a runner.[5 · Oct 29, 2026][6 · Oct 29, 2026]
- Patios and decks: 12 to 24 in of visible floor.[7 · Oct 29, 2026]
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Sources: 1. Bed Bath & Beyond, The ultimate area rug size and placement guide. 2. The Home Depot, Selecting proper rug size (PDF). 3. Lowe's, Area rug and patio rug sizing guide (PDF, product document). 4. Wayfair, Your guide to finding the right dining room rug size. 5. Wayfair, How to choose the right runner rug sizes. 6. Sisal Rugs Direct, How to measure a hallway runner rug. 7. Lowe's, Outdoor rug buying guide (updated June 30, 2026). Checked Oct 29, 2026. Border widths, metric conversions and size picks are our own arithmetic from those rules. Trademarks belong to their owners; figures are restated in our own words and tables, not reproduced.