Winter arrives and the round setting on the deck stops getting used. It sits there through June and July collecting leaves, bird mess and whatever the wind carries in. A round outdoor table cover is the cheapest thing you can do about that. Round settings are also the ones people most often size wrong.
Rectangular settings are easy to cover: length, width, done. A round one has no long side to line up and no corners to pull against, so a cover that measures right on paper can still sit badly. This guide covers how the 9-piece round cover is sized, what to do with the chairs, and the tuck-and-strap detail that decides whether it lasts a wet winter. Everything mentioned comes from the outdoor furniture covers range.
Why round settings are harder to cover than rectangular ones
Three things make a round setting awkward. The first is that fabric cut for a box does not want to sit on a circle. It bunches at the sides, and those loose folds are the first part of any cover to wear through.
The second is orientation. With a rectangular setting you line the cover up along the long axis and adjust from there. A round one has no axis, so if the fit is slightly out there is nothing to correct.
The third is the chairs. Around a rectangular table they sit in two neat rows; around a round table they radiate outwards like spokes. The widest point of the setting is therefore never the table itself. It is whatever the chairs do at their outer corners, and that is the measurement most people skip.
How the 9-piece round outdoor table cover is sized
The Cover 9pc Round Setting ($142) measures L 260 x W 260 x H 80 cm and is made for a nine-piece round setting: a table plus eight chairs. It is grey, with a PVC inner coating, breathable mesh panels to let condensation escape and a pull string at the base.
Read those numbers as a box the whole setting has to fit inside, not as a table size. The 260 cm is the footprint of table and chairs together. The 80 cm is the height the cover crests at, and that number does more work than most buyers expect.
Round outdoor dining tables mostly sit between 72 and 76 cm high. The Atlanta Table ($615) is 120 cm across at 72 cm high; the round teak tables in the range run 76 cm. An 80 cm cover clears a table top with room to spare. It does not clear a dining chair back, which normally stands closer to a metre. That is why the chairs have to go under the table rather than beside it.
The three measurements to take before you order
Take these with the setting arranged the way it will sit under the cover, not the way it sits at dinner. Measure across two different diameters and use the larger number.
| Measurement | How to take it | Check it against |
|---|---|---|
| Widest point, chairs in | Push every chair fully under, then measure chair corner to chair corner | Inside 260 cm, with a few centimetres spare |
| Table top height | Floor to the top surface of the table | Under 80 cm |
| Tallest chair back | Floor to the top of the highest chair back | Over 80 cm means the chairs must tuck under |
A cover pulled to its limit still fits. It just leaves less hem to draw in underneath.
What to do with the chairs
Push them all the way in. That one step is the difference between a cover sitting like a dome over the table and one stretched across eight chair backs with no slack left at the base.
Some tables will not allow it. A pedestal base with a wide foot, or a deep apron under the top, can stop a chair sliding far enough under. If yours is like that, angle the chairs so the backs sit closest to the table, or stack the ones that stack.
An umbrella through the centre has to come out first. The Atlanta has a removable centre plug for a centrepost umbrella, and no umbrella fits under an 80 cm cover anyway. Drop the plug back in, cover the setting, and deal with the umbrella separately.
The tuck-and-strap detail that decides the winter
Covers fail at the base, not the top. Wind gets under the hem, lifts it, works it loose, and after that it flogs against the frame all night. On an exposed deck in June and July, that is most nights.
The pull string on the 9-piece cover draws the hem in underneath the setting. Tighten it as you walk around the setting rather than from one spot, because a round cover needs its tension spread evenly or one side stays baggy. The Odie Home Premium Round Dining Setting Cover ($139) does the same job with adjustable drawstrings, in 420 gsm waterproof and breathable fabric with a UV-resistant coating and a 2 year UV warranty.
Fit it when the setting is dry. Shutting a soaking timber top under a cover for a fortnight of a Hobart or Melbourne winter is how mould gets started. Mesh panels let condensation out, but they will not dry a table that went under wet. For fabrics, closures and what separates a cover that lasts from one that shreds, read our guide to outdoor furniture covers that actually fit.
Coastal households have one extra job. Salt settles on the outside of the cover as well as underneath, so hose it down every few weeks through winter. In the humid north, lift it on a dry day and let air move across the setting.
Small round tables are a different problem
Not every round table needs a 260 cm cover. The Idris Table ($249) is 75 cm across and 70 cm high, a small round balcony table with a 5 mm tempered glass top over UV-treated PE wicker on an aluminium frame.
On a balcony it is the armchair beside it that needs protecting, not the table. A single armchair cover goes on in seconds, and under a breathable one the cushions can stay in place. Two small covers that get used weekly beat one large cover that stays in the shed.
Round outdoor table covers: frequently asked questions
Will a rectangular cover work on a round setting?
It will go on, but it will not fit properly. The corners hang loose with nothing to pull against, and loose fabric is what wind gets into and what wears first. A cover cut for a round setting holds its tension evenly around the whole hem.
What size round table does the 9-piece round cover suit?
It suits any nine-piece round setting whose footprint fits inside 260 x 260 cm with the chairs pushed in. That is the table plus eight chairs at the widest point, not the diameter of the table on its own. Measure the setting rather than working back from the table size.
Can I leave the cushions on underneath?
Yes, provided the cover is breathable and the cushions are dry when you fit it. Both covers here are built to let condensation escape rather than hold it against the fabric. If the cushions are damp, dry them first or bring them inside for the season.
How do I stop the cover blowing off?
Draw the pull string or drawstrings in fully at the base, working right around the setting so the tension is even. An unevenly tightened round cover leaves one baggy side, and that is where the wind gets in. On an exposed site, tuck the hem under a chair leg on the windward side as well.
Shop the range
Covers here run from a single Odie Home Premium Armchair Lounge Cover ($87) up to full round, oval and corner lounge sizes. If the setting underneath is the part that is past it, start with the outdoor dining tables or the wider outdoor dining settings collection. We deliver Australia-wide, delivery is free over $100, and most orders are dispatched in 3 to 10 business days.
