Event Venue Capacity Calculator
How many people fit each layout, next to the building code’s occupant load.
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- Free preview: the capacity of the layout you choose in full, with the first rows of the table (up to 3) and the first step of the working; every other figure is hidden.
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An estimate, not a professional design: the venue’s licence and the fire authority set the legal limit, which also depends on the exits and their widths, the fire safety of the building and the layout as it is set up. Ask the venue for its licensed capacity.
Every layout
How this was calculated
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For general information only, not legal advice. Templates are generic starting points — have a qualified lawyer review anything you rely on.
How this tool is checked
- Based on
- the method set out under ‘How the capacity is worked out’.
- Sources
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This guide cites 2 sources:
- Tests
- 8 automated tests check its results.
- Found an error?
- Report a problem or write to support@mysmartcopilot.com, with what you entered and the result you expected.
About the Event Venue Capacity Calculator
Estimate how many people a room holds for each layout — theatre, classroom, banquet rounds, cabaret, boardroom, U-shape and standing reception — from its usable floor area (the room less the stage, dance floor, buffet and bar) and the space per person each layout needs, which you can change. Next to it the calculator works out the occupant load a building code allows for the same use — chairs only, tables and chairs, or standing — from its floor area per occupant, and shows the lower of the two.
Two codes are built in: England’s Approved Document B and the New York City Building Code; for anywhere else, enter your own code’s figures. It is an estimate — not a professional design: the venue’s licence and the fire authority set the legal limit. Without a pass the free preview shows the capacity of the layout you choose in full, with the first rows of the table; the other figures, the copy and the CSV need a Pro pass.
How to use it
- Choose metres or feet, and enter the room’s length and width or its floor area — the room the guests use, without corridors, stairs, toilets, kitchens or storage.
- Enter the floor taken by the stage, dance floor, buffet, bar and anything else that is not for guests.
- Check the space per person for each layout: the starting figures are rules of thumb, so change them to your furniture and aisles.
- Pick the building code to compare with, or enter your own code’s floor area per occupant for chairs only, tables and chairs, and standing; set the seats at a round table.
- Read the capacity of the layout you chose and the table of every layout. Copy the table or download the CSV with a Pro pass or after unlocking this result; the free preview shows the capacity.
Examples
360 m² less a 24 m² stage, a 36 m² dance floor, a 12 m² buffet and an 8 m² bar · theatre 0.9 m², banquet 1.1 m², reception 0.7 m² a person · rounds of 10
280 m² usable · theatre 311 (the code allows 560) · banquet 254 on 26 tables (code 280) · standing reception 400 (code 560)
Tables and chairs at 15 net sq ft (1.39 m²) per occupant
Banquet: 200 people on 20 tables — here the code, not the layout, sets the limit
No stage or bar · theatre 10, banquet 12, reception 8 sq ft a person · New York City code
Theatre 400 · banquet 266 (the layout fits 333) · standing reception 500
Common uses
- Checking whether a venue fits the guest list before booking it.
- Choosing between theatre and classroom seating for a conference in a given room.
- Working out how many round tables a banquet hall takes with a stage and a dance floor.
- Comparing a planner’s layout with the building code’s occupant load for the same room.
How the capacity is worked out
- usable area = floor area − stage − dance floor − buffet − bar − other areas
- by layout = usable area ÷ space per person, rounded down
- by the code = usable area ÷ the code’s floor area per occupant for the same use, rounded down
- estimate = the lower of the two
Theatre seating is chairs only; classroom, banquet, cabaret, boardroom and U-shape are tables and chairs; a reception is standing. Banquet and cabaret also show the round tables needed: the estimate ÷ the seats at a table, rounded up. Boardroom and U-shape capacities depend on the length of the tables more than on the floor, so check them against the table plan.
The building codes’ figures
Building codes size a room’s exits for the number of people its floor area allows, so their figures are the most a room is designed for — not a comfortable layout.
- England, Approved Document B (fire safety, volume 2), Table D1 floor space factors: 0.5 m² a person for an assembly hall or general purpose place of assembly, a club, a dance hall and bar areas without fixed seating — the figure used here for a function room with chairs only and for a standing reception — and 1.0 m² for a conference, meeting or dining room or a restaurant (Approved Document B). The table’s 0.3 m² is for standing spectator areas and the area within 2 m of a bar’s serving point, not for a whole room, so the preset does not use it. Counters and display units are part of the area; stair enclosures, lifts, toilets and the building’s fixed structure are not.
- New York City Building Code, Table 1004.1.3, maximum floor area allowances per occupant for assembly without fixed seats: 7 net sq ft for chairs only, 15 net sq ft for tables and chairs and 5 net sq ft of standing space. Net floor area is the occupied area without corridors, stairways, toilet rooms, mechanical rooms and closets (NYC construction codes).
Other places have their own code and their own figures, and a fire authority may set a lower number for a particular room: choose “My local code” and enter them.
Space per person by layout
The starting figures are rules of thumb: 0.9 m² (10 sq ft) a person for theatre rows, 1.8 m² (20 sq ft) for classroom tables, 1.1 m² (12 sq ft) for banquet rounds, 1.5 m² (16 sq ft) for cabaret, 2.8 m² (30 sq ft) around a boardroom table, 3.0 m² (32 sq ft) for a U-shape and 0.7 m² (8 sq ft) standing. Wider aisles, larger tables, accessible spaces and room for service need more; a tightly packed reception needs less, but never below what the code allows.
Limitations
- It does not check exits, their widths or travel distances, which often set a lower limit than the floor area.
- The space per person is an average: columns, odd room shapes and fixed furniture lower the real number.
- Only England’s Approved Document B and New York City’s code are built in; their figures change only with the codes themselves, so check the edition your authority uses.
- An estimate, not a professional design: the venue’s licence and the fire authority decide the legal capacity.
Privacy
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Frequently asked questions
What do I get without a pass?
Without a pass, Event Venue Capacity Calculator shows the capacity of the layout you choose in full, with the first rows of the table (up to 3) and the first step of the working; every other figure is hidden. Until you unlock it, the result can’t be downloaded or copied. A Pro, Premium or Ultimate pass, a one-time payment that never renews, unlocks the full result. The pricing page lists the passes and their prices.
How many people can a room hold?
Divide its usable floor area by the space each person needs in the layout: 280 m² at 0.9 m² a person seats 311 in theatre rows, and at 1.1 m² a person 254 at banquet rounds. Then check it against the building code’s occupant load and the venue’s licensed capacity, and use the lowest.
How much space does each guest need?
It depends on the layout. The starting figures here are about 0.9 m² (10 sq ft) for theatre seating, 1.1 m² (12 sq ft) for banquet rounds, 1.8 m² (20 sq ft) for classroom tables and 0.7 m² (8 sq ft) for a standing reception — rules of thumb to adjust to your furniture.
What is an occupant load?
The number of people a building code designs a space for: its floor area divided by the code’s floor area per occupant for that use. In New York City’s code that is 7 net sq ft a person for chairs only, 15 for tables and chairs and 5 standing; in England’s Approved Document B, 0.5 m² for an assembly hall with chairs only or people standing, and 1.0 m² for tables and chairs.
Who sets the legal capacity of a venue?
The fire authority or building control where the venue is, often written on the venue’s licence or certificate. It depends on the exits and fire safety as well as the floor area, so ask the venue for it; this page gives an estimate only.
How many round tables fit?
Divide the banquet estimate by the seats at a table and round up: 254 guests at tables of 10 need 26 tables. For cabaret, count only the seats used — usually about 7 of 10 — because the side facing the stage stays open.