Rug Size Guide: Standard Sizes in Feet and Centimetres, and Where Each Fits
A rug size guide is only useful if it tells you what each size is for, so this one does both. Rugs are sold in a handful of standard sizes, named in feet in North America and in centimetres almost everywhere else, and the two systems do not line up neatly. A European 200 by 300 is not quite a 6x9 and not quite an 8x10. Below are the standard sizes with their metric equivalents, the job each one does, and a note on why a hand-knotted rug will always differ from the chart by an inch or two.
From the Atelier
Currently in our collection
Small sizes: 2x3 to 4x6
A 2x3 measures 61 by 91 centimetres and is a mat: by a door, in front of a sink, beside a bath. A 3x5, or 91 by 152 centimetres, is the first real rug size. It suits an entry, the side of a bed, a spot in front of a dresser or under a single armchair. In metric markets the nearest size is 100 by 150.
A 4x6 is 122 by 183 centimetres. It works in a small bedroom beside a twin bed, in a reading corner, or under a small desk. None of these sizes is a living room rug. Placed alone in front of a sofa they look like something that was meant for another room. Their strength is in defining a small place within a larger one.
Medium sizes: 5x8 and 6x9
A 5x8 is 152 by 244 centimetres, close to the metric 160 by 230. It fits a loveseat, a small apartment living room, a home office with the desk and chair on it, or a full bed in a compact bedroom. It is the size most often bought for rooms that needed the next one up.
A 6x9 is 183 by 274 centimetres. It suits a queen bed in an average bedroom, a compact sofa with one chair, or a dining table for four. The metric 200 by 300, which is 6 ft 7 in by 9 ft 10 in, sits between this and the next size and does the work of either in most rooms.
Large sizes: 8x10 to 10x14
An 8x10 is 244 by 305 centimetres, near the metric 250 by 300. It is the standard living room rug: right for a three-seat sofa with chairs, for a dining table of six, and the minimum under a king bed. A 9x12 is 274 by 366 centimetres. It holds a sectional, a table for eight, or a king bed with room to spare at the sides.
A 10x14 is 305 by 427 centimetres, close to the metric 300 by 400. It is for large rooms where all the furniture stands on the rug, and for long dining tables. Above that, at 12x15 and beyond, rugs are usually commissioned. The larger the rug, the more it matters to measure doors, radiators and floor vents before ordering.
Runners, rounds and squares
Runners are named by width and length. The common widths are 2 ft 6 in and 3 ft, or 76 and 91 centimetres, and lengths run from 6 to 14 feet. Choose a runner four to six inches narrower than the hall on each side, and a foot or so shorter than the hall at each end.
Round rugs are named by diameter: 4, 6 and 8 feet are usual. Under a round table, add four feet to the table's diameter. Square rugs follow the same logic, 6x6, 8x8 and 10x10. In hand-knotted wool, rounds and squares are rare as finished stock and are generally made to order.
Why a hand-knotted rug never matches the chart
A machine cuts a rug to the inch. A weaver builds one knot by knot on a loom, and the finished piece comes out as it comes out: 8 ft 2 in instead of 8 ft, a touch wider at one end than the other. Our rugs are knotted in Morocco and measured in centimetres after they are finished. That measured size, not a nominal one, is what appears on each listing.
In practice an inch or two either way makes no difference to how a rug sits in a room. It only matters when the rug must fit exactly between two fixed points, such as wall to wall in a hallway. Then measure twice and compare with the listed dimensions. Each rug is one of a kind, with its exact measurements on its own page. Delivery is free worldwide, duties and taxes included.
What you can verify about us
- Origin
- Made in MoroccoHand-knotted Berber rugs from the Atlas regions. Every rug is a one-off.
- Construction
- Hand-knotted woolVerified at every stage — never machine-tufted.
- Delivery
- Duties includedFree shipping; import duties and taxes are included in the price.
- Returns
- 14 daysIn condition received, full refund of the purchase price.
Frequently Asked
Questions
- What are the standard rug sizes?
- In feet: 2x3, 3x5, 4x6, 5x8, 6x9, 8x10, 9x12 and 10x14, plus runners and rounds. In centimetres the usual sizes are 160 × 230, 200 × 300, 250 × 350 and 300 × 400.
- What is 200 × 300 cm in feet?
- About 6 ft 7 in by 9 ft 10 in. It sits between a 6x9 and an 8x10.
- What is the most common rug size?
- For living rooms, 8x10. In metric markets the equivalent everyday size is 200 × 300 cm.
- Why is my rug not exactly the size listed on the chart?
- Hand-knotted rugs are measured after weaving and vary by an inch or two from nominal sizes. Go by the measured dimensions on the listing.
The person behind the piece
“Before you buy, I’ll send you a video of the actual rug in natural light — not a stock photo. I answer the messages myself.”
I’m Youssef. I started ARINID because this market is full of middlemen and machine-made imitations sold as the real thing — and I grew up close enough to the looms to know the difference.
Every piece we list is a one-off, hand-knotted in Morocco. If you want to talk through sizing for your room, I’m on the other end of the message. A rug at this level is a thirty-year decision. You should be able to look the person selling it to you in the eye.
Youssef
Founder, ARINID
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Each piece is hand-knotted in Morocco and delivered to your door, with shipping, duties and taxes included.