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Table setting diagram maker

Pick how formal the meal is and what you are serving, and get the place setting for it: every fork, knife, spoon, plate and glass drawn in its place, numbered and explained. Print it or share the link. No sign-up.

How formal?
What are you serving? In the order it comes out.
Glasses
Napkin
Dessert spoon and fork

Informal place setting

A informal place setting seen from above, built on the dinner plate; on the left, salad fork, dinner fork; on the right, dinner knife, soup spoon; dessert spoon and fork above the plate; bread plate with butter knife at the upper left; water glass, red wine glass at the upper right.table edge, about 1 in (2.5 cm) below the setting1523467891011
  1. Bread plate and butter knifebutter knife across the plate, handle to the right
  2. Napkinfolded on the plate
  3. Salad forkfor the starter or salad
  4. Dinner forkfor the main course
  5. Dinner platethe hub of the setting
  6. Dinner knifefor the main course, and any course that needs a knife, blade facing the plate
  7. Soup spoonfor the soup
  8. Dessert spoonfor dessert, laid across the top of the plate
  9. Dessert forkfor dessert, laid across the top of the plate
  10. Water glassfor the whole meal, just above the knife
  11. Red wine glasswith the main course
  • At an informal meal the dinner knife does for every course, so the starter gets a fork only.
  • Dessert spoon above the dessert fork, spoon handle to the right and fork handle to the left: the traditional order.

Course by course

  1. Soupsoup spoon
  2. Starter or salad firstsalad fork
  3. Main coursedinner fork, dinner knife
  4. Dessertdessert spoon, dessert fork

Work from the outside in: each course takes the outermost piece left on each side, and the plate's neighbours go last.

For 8 guests

Table length
8 ft (244 cm)
6 ft (183 cm) with a guest at each end

Plates

  • Soup bowls8
  • Salad or starter plates8
  • Dinner plates8
  • Dessert plates8
  • Bread plates8

Flatware

  • Salad forks8
  • Dinner forks8
  • Dinner knives8
  • Soup spoons8
  • Dessert spoons8
  • Dessert forks8
  • Butter knives8

Glasses

  • Water glasses8
  • Red wine glasses8

Linens

  • Napkins8

Table length allows about 24 in (61 cm) from the centre of one setting to the next. Counts include the cutlery that arrives with its course, since it still has to be in the drawer.

Quick reference

Basic, informal and formal place setting diagrams

The three standard settings, each drawn for a typical menu. Numbers match the list under each diagram.

A basic place setting seen from above, built on the dinner plate; on the left, dinner fork; on the right, dinner knife; water glass at the upper right.table edge, about 1 in (2.5 cm) below the setting31245
Basic. Everyday: fork on the napkin to the left, knife (blade in) to the right, water glass above the knife.
  1. Napkin
  2. Dinner fork
  3. Dinner plate
  4. Dinner knife
  5. Water glass
A informal place setting seen from above, built on the dinner plate; on the left, salad fork, dinner fork; on the right, dinner knife, soup spoon; dessert spoon and fork above the plate; bread plate with butter knife at the upper left; water glass, red wine glass at the upper right.table edge, about 1 in (2.5 cm) below the setting1523467891011
Informal. A dinner party of soup, starter, main and dessert: two forks left, knife and two spoons right, dessert cutlery above, bread plate upper left.
  1. Bread plate and butter knife
  2. Napkin
  3. Salad fork
  4. Dinner fork
  5. Dinner plate
  6. Dinner knife
  7. Soup spoon
  8. Dessert spoon
  9. Dessert fork
  10. Water glass
  11. Red wine glass
A formal place setting seen from above, built on a charger; on the left, fish fork, dinner fork, salad fork; on the right, salad knife, dinner knife, fish knife, soup spoon; bread plate with butter knife at the upper left; water glass, red wine glass, white wine glass at the upper right.table edge, about 1 in (2.5 cm) below the setting16234578910111213
Formal. Soup, fish, main and salad: napkin on the charger, three forks and three knives at most, three glasses, dessert cutlery brought with dessert.
  1. Bread plate and butter knife
  2. Napkin
  3. Fish fork
  4. Dinner fork
  5. Salad fork
  6. Charger (service plate)
  7. Salad knife
  8. Dinner knife
  9. Fish knife
  10. Soup spoon
  11. Water glass
  12. Red wine glass
  13. White wine glass

The rules behind the diagram

Outside in. Cutlery is laid in the order it will be used, starting from the outside, so a guest never has to guess: take the outermost fork and knife for each course. Forks go to the left of the plate and knives and spoons to the right. The one exception is the oyster fork, which sits on the far right, outside the spoons. Knife blades face the plate.

Only what the menu needs. Set a soup spoon only if there is soup, and never more than three of any implement at once. If there are more courses than that, the extra course's cutlery comes with the food. At an informal dinner one knife does for every course.

Bread left, drinks right. The bread plate goes above the forks with the butter knife across it, and the glasses go above the knives. The water glass sits above the tip of the dinner knife, or a little to its right, with the wine glasses to its right. At a formal table there can be up to five glasses, and the smaller ones stand in front.

The charger never touches food. At a formal dinner the charger (or service plate) holds the plates of the early courses and is swapped for the hot dinner plate when the main course arrives. Our guide to plate types covers the charger and every other plate in a setting, with sizes.

Spacing. Line up the bottoms of the plate and the cutlery about an inch (2.5 cm) from the table edge, with about an inch between the plate and the first piece. Allow roughly 24 inches (61 cm) from the centre of one setting to the next.

The placement rules are the Emily Post Institute's, from its basic, informal and formal setting pages and its table setting overview. Where Emily Post notes that both orders are seen, we use the traditional one: dessert spoon above the dessert fork. The spacing figures are from Etiquette Scholar. The glass order for a formal table (water, red, white, then the flute and the sherry glass) follows the same outside-in logic and is our reading of those sources. Hosts set tables differently all over the world; these are the American conventions.

The reasons behind each rule, the British and French differences and the glass layouts are in our full guide to how to set a table.

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FAQ

Table setting questions, answered

What is the proper way to set a table?

Put the plate in the middle, about an inch (2.5 cm) from the table edge. Forks go to its left and knives and spoons to its right, in the order they will be used, from the outside in. Knife blades face the plate. The bread plate goes above the forks, and the glasses go above the knives with the water glass nearest. Only set what the menu needs: no soup, no soup spoon. Those are the Emily Post Institute's rules, and the diagram maker above applies them to your menu.

Where does the napkin go?

On the plate, or to the left of the forks. Both are correct. For an everyday table the fork can rest on top of the napkin, and at a formal dinner the napkin sits on the charger until guests sit down. Some hosts avoid putting cutlery on the napkin, because the guest has to move the fork to get to it.

Which side do the forks go on?

The left, every one of them except the oyster fork, which is the only fork ever set on the right, outside the spoons. The fork for the first course sits furthest out. If the salad comes after the main course, as it does at many formal dinners, the salad fork moves inside the dinner fork, next to the plate.

Which way does the knife blade face?

Toward the plate, always. The butter knife lies across the top of the bread plate, blade down and handle to the right. When everything is laid on the napkin at an everyday table, the knife blade faces the fork.

Where do the dessert spoon and fork go?

Across the top of the plate, spoon above the fork: the spoon's handle points right and the fork's handle points left. At an informal meal they can also go beside the plate (fork nearest the plate on the left, spoon next to the knife on the right), and at a formal dinner they usually come to the table on the dessert plate.

Where does the bread plate go?

Above the forks, to the upper left of the plate. The trick for remembering it: make a lowercase b with your left hand and a d with your right, finger and thumb touching. Bread on the left, drinks on the right.

How far apart should place settings be?

About 24 inches (61 cm) from the centre of one setting to the centre of the next, which leaves at least 15 inches (38 cm) of elbow room between them. For eight guests with nobody at the ends, that is a table at least 8 ft (244 cm) long, or 6 ft (183 cm) with one guest at each end.

How many forks and knives can be on the table?

No more than three of any implement at once. The exception is the oyster fork, which can join three other forks. If the menu has more courses than that, the cutlery for the extra course comes to the table with the food. The salad fork and knife are the usual ones to bring in.

What is the difference between a formal and an informal table setting?

An informal setting is for a three-course dinner: the dinner plate, two forks, one knife that does for every course, a spoon or two, a water glass and a wine glass. A formal setting is for more than three courses. It adds a charger under the early courses, a knife for each course that needs one, up to five glasses, and it brings the dessert cutlery with dessert.

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