Ceiling Fan, Chandelier & Pendant Size Calculator

How to use the calculator

1. Pick what you are hanging: a ceiling fan, a chandelier, or pendants over a kitchen island.
2. Measure the room (or the island) and the ceiling, floor to ceiling. Feet and inches like 8′6″ work, as do meters.
3. For a chandelier over a table, add the table’s width: over a table the table decides the size. The answer shows the size to buy and how high to hang it, drawn to scale. Copy link keeps it.

Ceiling fan size chart

Fans are sold by blade span: the circle the blade tips sweep. The chart fan makers publish, by the floor the fan has to move air across:

How high to hang a ceiling fan

Fan blades move the most air 8–9′ (2.4–2.7 m) above the floor, and should never be lower than 7′ (2.1 m). On taller ceilings a downrod brings the fan down to that height: (ceiling height − 8′) × 6″.

Under an 8′ ceiling, choose a flush-mount (“hugger”) fan, which sits against the ceiling with no rod.

Chandelier size and height

• Width by the room: add the room’s length and width in feet and read the total as inches. A 12′ × 16′ room takes a chandelier about 28″ across.
• Width over a table: ½ to ⅔ of the table’s width, so it never overhangs the edge. A 42″-wide table takes a 21–28″ chandelier.
• Fixture height: 2½–3″ per foot of ceiling: 20–24″ tall under an 8′ ceiling, 25–30″ under 10′.
• Hanging height: the bottom 30–36″ above the tabletop on an 8′ ceiling, 3″ higher for every foot above that. With no table under it, at least 7′ above the floor.

Pendants over a kitchen island

Hang pendants with their bottoms 30–36″ above the counter: 66–72″ from the floor on a standard 36″ counter, whatever the ceiling height. Give each pendant an equal share of the island at least 30″ wide and hang it in the middle of its share, so the spacing is even and the ends are not crowded.

Three worked examples

A 12′ × 15′ bedroom with a 9′ ceiling. 180 sq ft takes a 44–52″ fan, on a 6″ downrod.

A dining room, 12′ × 14′, with an 8′ ceiling and a 42″-wide table. The table decides: a chandelier 21–28″ across and 20–24″ tall, its bottom 30–36″ above the table.

An 8′ kitchen island. 3 medium pendants, their centres 32″ apart and 16″ in from each end, the bottoms 30–36″ above the counter.

Common mistakes

• One big fan for a long room. A 72″ fan in the middle of a 30′ room leaves both ends still. Two fans, one over each half, move air more evenly.
• A chandelier sized to the room over a small table. Over a table, the table wins: a fixture wider than two-thirds of it looks top-heavy and catches heads.
• Hanging it for standing people. Over a table, the chandelier is seen from a chair. Hung too high it shines in the eyes of everyone seated.
• Forgetting the blades on a low ceiling. Under 8′, a fan with a downrod puts the blades within reach. Use a flush mount.

Choosing the table first? The dining table size calculator gives the table for your room, and the kitchen island size calculator the island.

Read next

• Chandeliers for stylish dining rooms
• Dining room light fixtures
• Pendant lighting ideas for the kitchen island
• Foyer chandeliers
• Mid-century modern light fixtures

Ceiling fan and chandelier size questions

What size ceiling fan do I need?

Multiply the room’s length by its width. Up to 75 sq ft takes a 29–36″ fan, up to 144 sq ft 36–44″, up to 225 sq ft 44–52″, up to 400 sq ft 52–60″, and a bigger room 60″ or more, or two fans.

How are ceiling fans measured?

By blade span: from the tip of one blade across the centre to the tip of the opposite blade. For a fan with three or five blades, measure from the centre to one tip and double it.

What is the standard ceiling fan size?

52″ is the size sold most. It suits rooms of about 12′ × 15′ to 15′ × 20′ (180–300 sq ft), the size of most living rooms and main bedrooms.

How high should a ceiling fan be?

With the blades 8–9′ above the floor, and never less than 7′. On an 8′ ceiling that means a flush mount or the short rod in the box; above that, a downrod of (ceiling height − 8′) × 6″: 12″ for a 10′ ceiling, 24″ for 12′.

How high should a chandelier be above a table?

30–36″ from the tabletop to the bottom of the chandelier on an 8′ ceiling, and 3″ higher for every extra foot of ceiling: 36–42″ under a 10′ ceiling.

What size chandelier for a dining room?

½ to ⅔ of the table’s width: 18–24″ over a 36″ table, 21–28″ over a 42″ one. The room rule (length + width in feet, as inches) is for a chandelier that is not over a table.

How high to hang pendant lights over an island?

With their bottoms 30–36″ above the countertop, which is 66–72″ from the floor on a standard 36″ counter. Space them evenly, about 30″ or more apart.

How big should a chandelier be?

Add the room’s length and width in feet and use that many inches for its width: a 12′ × 16′ room takes about 28″. Its height: 2½–3″ per foot of ceiling, so 20–24″ under an 8′ ceiling.