How to Choose a Conference Table Base

The short answer: choose a conference table base by what happens under the table, not by looks alone. On most tables, panel, pedestal and cylinder bases all stand about 18 inches from each end of the top, so the end seats get about the same knee room with any of them. What changes is how much room each base takes from the chairs beside it, and a panel takes the least. Most of these bases are hollow, so cords can hide inside. Metal legs keep the floor open and feel lighter, and they can take around 4 weeks to ship instead of 2 to 3. At OfficeSimpli, every base that fits your top size shows up in the builder, in 3-D, with the price. Below: how each base behaves, how many a long table needs, and the four questions to ask before you decide.

What does a conference table base actually do?

A base does three jobs. It holds the top level and still. It decides where people can put their legs. And it gives cords a way down to the floor.

Most buyers pick a base on looks. The first two jobs decide how the table feels every day. A heavy base at each end looks solid in a photo, then crowds the two end seats. Thin legs look light, then leave a tangle of cords in view unless you plan for them.

The tops in our builder are engineered wood with a laminate surface. TFL (a laminate fused to the board) is standard, and HPL (a thicker, harder laminate) is an option. Panel and pedestal bases are laminate too, and the builder lets you match the top or pick another finish. Cylinders are wrapped in HPL, and the metal styles are powder-coated steel. Our materials page has the details.

Which base gives the most legroom?

The seats at the two ends are the ones a base can crowd. On most tables in our builder, the end base stands about 18 inches from each end of the top, whether you pick a panel, a rectangular or square pedestal, or a cylinder. Whoever sits at the head of the table gets that much knee room, then meets the base. For the end seats, the laminate base styles are about the same.

There are exceptions. On 14 and 15 ft tops, the builder spreads the slim panel bases (5 inches or 2 3/8 inches thick) evenly, so the end panel sits about 15 to 16 inches in. If the head seat matters on a 14 ft table, a pedestal or cylinder keeps the 18 inches. Some open-frame legs and the A-frame legs stand about 15 inches in on 14, 15 and 18 ft tops, and on 6 ft tops the laminate bases stand 12 to 16 inches in. Corner legs, on tops up to 8 feet, stand at the corners and leave the middle of each end free. On round and square tops, a single disc base or X-base in the middle leaves the whole edge open.

Middle supports matter too. A long table needs a base part way along, and the people on each side sit next to it. On the same top, a panel, a rectangular pedestal and a square pedestal are all the same width across the table (24 inches on a 48-inch-deep top). Along the table the panel is the thinnest, so it takes the least room from the chairs beside it; a rectangular pedestal is 12 inches, and square pedestals and cylinders are 18 to 30 inches. Open-frame metal legs are about 2 1/2 inches.

If someone on your team uses a wheelchair, the 2010 ADA Standards give the figures for a seat they can pull up to (section 306). Knee space is clear up to 27 inches from the floor and at least 30 inches wide. It is at least 11 inches deep at 9 inches up and 8 inches deep at 27 inches up, and toe room is at least 17 inches deep. The top sits 28 to 34 inches from the floor (section 902). Our seated-height tables stand about 29 to 30 inches; the 42-inch standing height is above that range.

The end seat on most tables clears those 17 inches of toe room. A side seat right in front of a base does not: a 24-inch base on a 48-inch top sits about 12 inches from the edge. Put that seat where the 3-D view shows at least 30 inches clear between two bases.

How many bases does a long conference table need?

More than you might think. Most tops longer than 8 feet get a third support, and the longest tables get four or five. Count the supports before you fall for a base style. Each one lands near a seat.

Here is how it works in our builder for the slim panel bases and the rectangular and square pedestals:

Metal legs follow a similar pattern, with a pair of legs at each support point. The builder only shows bases that fit your top size and draws every support, so you can spin the table and see where each one lands. Our size guide covers how many people fit at each length, and our guide to designing a custom conference table walks through each step of the builder.

Panel base or pedestal: which one hides cords better?

Both hide cords well, and in a similar way, with one exception. The 5-inch panel base and both pedestals in our builder are hollow. Power and data cords drop through a power unit in the top and run down inside the base to a floor outlet. Nothing shows from a seat. The 2 3/8-inch panel base is solid, so cords cannot run through it.

Cylinder bases are hollow too. The hollow panel and pedestal bases come with a swing door on one side, so someone can reach the plugs without crawling under the table; on cylinders the door is an option. Plan where the floor outlet is before you place the base. The cord comes out at the bottom of a base, so the base should stand near the outlet. An odd number of supports (3 pedestals on a 14 ft top) puts a base at the middle of the table, over a center outlet; an even number (4 slim panels on the same top) does not.

One detail many people miss: if a power unit lands on the solid top of a laminate base, not over its wire opening, that base gets notched for it, and the builder adds a notch charge per base. It works this out for you and says so in the power step. Our power options post explains the units themselves.

Are metal legs a good idea for a conference table?

Yes, if you like the open look and can wait a little longer. Metal legs keep the floor clear, make a long table feel lighter, and suit rooms with a lot of glass or concrete. In our builder, the metal conference table legs come in four kinds: A-frame legs (a steel frame that is narrower at the top than at the floor), Y-legs, open-frame legs (a rectangular loop of steel at each support) and slim corner legs.

Metal legs take longer to ship. The builder puts it this way: “Made to order. Ships in 2 to 3 weeks (tables with metal legs can take around 4 weeks).” If you have a move-in date, that extra time matters.

A few things to know. Some metal styles have a low bar running between the legs under the table, so check where feet go. Most metal styles come in silver, black or white; some colors cost more, and the builder shows the price as you click. For cords, the open-frame and A-frame legs come in a wire-management version, with a laminate pedestal and hinged doors at each middle support. A wire basket can also hang under the top wherever one fits between the supports.

Which bases work on a round or square table?

A round or square top usually gets one base in the middle. In our builder that can be a laminate cylinder (round tops), a laminate X-base, a metal X-base, or a metal disc base (a flat round or square plate on the floor with a column rising from it). Square tops from 36 to 54 inches can also stand on a single square laminate pedestal.

A center base leaves every seat open. That is the main reason small meeting rooms do well with round tables. Nobody gets a leg between their feet. The builder shows round tops from 30 to 60 inches across and square tops from 30 to 54 inches, and only the bases that suit each size.

How do you choose?

Four questions settle it for most rooms.

1. Who sits at the ends? On most tables every laminate base leaves about the same knee room at the end seats; on a 14 ft table, a pedestal or cylinder keeps more. On tops up to 8 feet, corner legs leave the middle of each end open.
2. How long is the top? Over 8 feet, count the supports in the builder and check where each one lands against your chairs.
3. Where is the floor outlet? Hollow bases hide cords, but only if a base stands near the power. With metal legs, plan the wire-management version, a wire basket or a cable spine.
4. When do you need it? Tables on laminate bases ship in 2 to 3 weeks. Tables with metal legs can take around 4 weeks.

Then pick the look. A panel base reads as solid and formal. Pedestals and cylinders are quieter. Metal legs are the lightest and most modern. Finishes come in 15 laminate colors and wood looks, and the base can match the top or contrast with it. The laminate colors page shows them all. Our guide on how to choose a conference table finish helps you pick one. Silver metal side panels are an option on some bases if you want a two-tone look.

Worth knowing: a base near each end of a long table crowds the end seats, and a middle base sits in front of whoever is at the center of each side. No base is free of trade-offs. The builder shows every support in 3-D, so look at the table from floor level before you order.

Questions about conference table bases, answered

Panel base or pedestal base: which is better?

A panel base looks more formal, and it is thinner along the table than a pedestal, so it crowds the side seats next to it less. A pedestal base looks quieter. On most tables both stand about 18 inches in from each end, so neither one frees the end seats; on a 14 ft table the pedestal keeps more room at the head. Pick the look you like.

Can I get a conference table with metal legs?

Yes. The builder offers A-frame, Y-leg, open-frame and corner legs for rectangular, boat, bow-end and racetrack tops, and metal X-bases and disc bases for round and square tops.

Do round conference tables need a pedestal?

Most do, because a single center support leaves the whole edge free for chairs. In our builder a round top can stand on a cylinder, a laminate or metal X-base, or a metal disc base. A round top also sits well on a set of slim corner legs if you prefer that look.

How many bases does a 12 ft conference table need?

Three supports with a panel base or a pedestal base, one near each end and one in the middle. With metal legs, three pairs. The builder places them for you.

What is a cylinder base on a conference table?

A round laminate column, hollow inside so cords can run down to the floor. One cylinder holds a round top. Two to four hold a long top, sometimes with half-cylinders at the ends to save space. Any cylinder can take a wire access door so you can reach the plugs.

Jeremy M. built OfficeSimpli's Build Your Own Conference Table; the base positions in this guide come from the builder's own layout.