Linens & tableware hire
Cloths, runners and napkins, laundered and counted to your table plan. Delivered, set up and collected by suppliers who cover your patch.
Linen hire typically costs £8 to £15 per 90-inch round tablecloth and 80p to £1.50 per napkin, laundered and pressed. Count one cloth per table and one napkin per guest plus 10 percent spares. Return dirty: laundering is included in the price.
Linen hire is a laundering service with fabric attached: the price includes professional washing and pressing, which is why hiring beats buying for anything above a garden party. Get the drop right (a 90-inch cloth on a 5ft 6in round reaches about halfway to the floor; 120-inch reaches the floor) and order napkins in guest count plus 10 percent, because napkins vanish.
PLANNING RATIOOne cloth per table, one napkin per guest plus 10 percent, one runner per two metres of trestle.
What it costs
| Item | Typical guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 90in round cloth (half drop) | £8–£15 | |
| 120in round cloth (floor length) | £14–£22 | |
| Trestle cloth 70×108in (6ft table, mid drop) | £8–£14 | |
| Trestle cloth 70×144in (8ft table, full drop) | £9–£16 | |
| Napkin, cotton | £0.80–£1.50 | |
| Runner / overlay | £4–£9 | |
| Coloured or black cloth (vs. white/ivory) | +£2–£5 | typical premium, subject to stock |
Guide prices exclude VAT and vary with season, region and site access. Quotes from suppliers are always the real number.
Linens & tableware hire across the launch corridor
Local pages for every corridor town, with the same honest ratios and local site knowledge.
Linens & tableware hire: questions organisers ask
What size tablecloth fits a 5ft 6in round table?
A 90-inch cloth gives a smart half drop; a 120-inch cloth reaches the floor for the formal look. For 6ft rounds, step up to 108-inch and 130-inch respectively.
Do I have to wash hire linen before returning it?
No: laundering is the product. Shake off debris, bag it dry (mildew from wet-bagged linen is the one thing that gets charged), and send it back as it is.
What size tablecloth do I need for a 6ft trestle table?
A standard 6ft trestle table is roughly 183cm by 76cm. A 70×108in cloth gives a smart mid drop of about 20 inches down each long side; step up to 83×126in for a fuller drop that brushes the floor. Longer 8ft trestle tables usually take a 70×144in cloth for a similar full drop.
What happens if hired linen gets stained or damaged?
Ordinary food, wine and general-use marks are covered by the hire price: laundering is what you are paying for, and most suppliers do not charge for normal stains. What is chargeable is permanent damage, burns, candle wax holes, cigarette burns, rips and mildew from linen bagged up wet. Check the specific damage terms before you book if you are hiring for a big candlelit table plan.
