Oak logo coasters, 100mm round and 90mm square, with a white stemmed glass standing on one

Coaster Size Guide: What Size Is a Standard Coaster? UK Sizes in mm

A standard drinks coaster is 90 to 100mm across, round or square: roughly 3.5 to 4 inches. UK beer mats are usually 93 or 94mm square, or 94 to 107mm round. Either size clears the base of a pint glass (about 67mm) or an everyday mug (about 80mm across) with room to spare. Choose 110mm or more for wide cups.

No official standard fixes coaster sizes. The figures here come from the sizes UK beer mat printers list, the dimensions glassware and crockery makers publish, and the coasters we engrave in our workshop in Buckley, North Wales. We make wooden, bamboo and slate coasters. We don't print paper beer mats.

Coaster sizes at a glance

Type Common sizes Material and thickness
Pub beer mat (UK printers) 93 or 94mm square with rounded corners; 94, 103 or 107mm round Wood-pulp board, 1.4 to 2mm
Drinks coaster, US sizing 4in (101.6mm) round; 3.5 to 4in (89 to 102mm) square Varies by material
Our oak and bamboo coasters 90mm square; 100mm round; 110mm round with a patterned border; 115mm leaf 4mm FSC-certified oak veneered MDF, Danish oiled, or FSC-certified Moso bamboo (certificate BV-COC-190523)
Our slate coasters Approximately 100 x 100mm, natural edges Natural slate, much heavier than wood

What size coaster do you need? Measure the base, not the rim

What touches the coaster is the base of the glass or the foot ring of the cup, and that is usually narrower than the top. Here is what three common pieces of hospitality drinkware measure, from the makers' published dimensions:

Drinkware Published size What it means for the coaster
Nonic pint glass, 20oz (Arcoroc) About 67mm at the base, 87mm at the bulge A 90mm coaster clears the base by more than 11mm all round; a 100mm coaster by more than 16mm
Everyday mug, 340ml (Churchill Profile) 80mm across, 110mm tall A 90mm coaster leaves 5mm all round; a 100mm coaster leaves 10mm
Cappuccino cup, 340ml (Churchill Monochrome) 110mm across the top, 65mm tall The rim is wider than a 100mm coaster. Measure the foot ring; for a wide, low cup like this, a 110mm or 115mm coaster gives more margin

For a stemmed wine glass, measure the foot, not the bowl.

A coaster needs a margin beyond the base rather than an exact fit. Condensation runs down the outside of a cold glass and spreads where the glass meets the coaster, and drips from the rim of a mug land just outside its base. To choose a size:

  1. Measure the base of the widest glass or cup the coaster will hold.
  2. Add a margin all round. Our suggestion is at least 5 to 10mm each side, more for cold drinks that run with condensation.
  3. Check the space you have. A small side table, a bedside table or a busy bar top may suit a 90mm square better than a 110mm round.
  4. Choose the shape to suit the design and the table (see below).

Round or square: the same surface, a different shape

A 90mm square coaster has 8,100mm² of surface. A 100mm round coaster has about 7,854mm². So the space you have for a design is almost the same; what changes is its shape.

  • Square keeps its full width from top to bottom, so it suits wide logos, wordmarks and two or three lines of text.
  • Round suits circular logos, crests and badges. If your logo is square, the largest square that fits inside a 100mm circle is about 71mm across, before any margin at the edge.
  • Leaf and other shapes make the outline part of the design. Our leaf coaster is 115mm, and the wording sits in the middle of the leaf.

Two 100mm round bamboo coasters, one engraved with a blossom design and one laid out with a logo and two lines of text

Sizing a logo or QR code coaster for a business

  • Logo and text. A logo plus one or two short lines, such as a web address or an event name and date, sits comfortably on a 100mm round coaster. A wide logo with more text suits a 90mm square.
  • QR codes. Our guide to QR codes on wood treats a code of around 45mm square as comfortable for scanning at arm's length. A 90mm or 100mm coaster has room for a code that size with a logo or a short line beside it. Each coaster carries one code; to offer Instagram, Facebook and a menu from one scan, point the code at a Linktree-style page.
  • Short web addresses. A shorter address makes a simpler code, which engraves more cleanly and scans more reliably on a small surface.
  • Slate. Slate engraves pale grey on dark stone, and its textured surface means we keep QR codes on slate a little larger than on wood.
  • Different text on each coaster. Table numbers or guest names can differ from coaster to coaster: list the wording for each in the personalisation box, numbered in order.

Natural slate coaster, about 100 x 100mm, engraved in pale grey with the Cherry Grove Craft logo, held in a hand for scale

For choosing between oak, bamboo and slate for a business, see our guide to logo coasters for business.

Thickness: beer mats compared with wood, bamboo and slate

A pub beer mat is wood-pulp board 1.4 to 2mm thick. It is made to soak up drips and is replaced once it is worn or soggy. Wooden, bamboo and slate coasters don't soak up drips the way pulp board does; they are wiped and reused.

  • Oak: our oak coasters are 4mm FSC-certified oak veneered MDF with a Danish oil finish. Our article is Danish oil food-safe? explains the finish.
  • Bamboo: FSC-certified Moso bamboo (certificate BV-COC-190523), paler than oak, with a natural finish.
  • Slate: natural slate, much heavier than wood or bamboo, with natural edges that vary slightly from piece to piece.

Beer mat or coaster: what's the difference?

In the UK, "beer mat" usually means the absorbent pulp-board mat found in pubs; "coaster" covers a drinks mat in any material, including wood, bamboo, cork and slate.

The pulp-board mat started in Germany: Robert Sputh of Dresden patented a wood-pulp beer mat in 1892. Beer writers Boak & Bailey trace the first British beer mats to Watney, Combe, Reid & Co. in the early 1920s, advertising Watney's Pale Ale and Reid's Stout (sources give dates from 1920 to 1925), and say mats became common in Britain from the 1950s.

Coasters we make, by size

Leaf-shaped oak coaster, 115mm, engraved with three lines of script text, held in a hand in front of potted plants

There is no minimum order, so you can order one coaster to check the size and the engraving before a larger order. Bulk discounts apply automatically at checkout, per product: 10% off 20 or more, rising to 35% off 1,000 or more. Where a coaster is sold in packs, each pack counts as one item. For indoor use only.

All items are made to order. Dispatch time is shown at checkout. UK orders via Royal Mail Tracked 24. International via Royal Mail International Tracked.

See all branded coasters for business or personalised coasters for gifts.

Frequently asked questions

What is the standard size of a coaster?
Most drinks coasters are 90 to 100mm across, round or square, which is about 3.5 to 4 inches. No official standard sets the size. UK pub beer mats are usually 93 or 94mm square, or 94 to 107mm round.

What size is a beer mat in the UK?
UK printers most often list beer mats at 93 or 94mm square with rounded corners, or 94, 103 or 107mm round, on wood-pulp board 1.4 to 2mm thick.

Is a 90mm coaster big enough for a mug?
For an everyday mug about 80mm across, yes: it leaves about 5mm all round. For a wider margin, or for wide cappuccino cups, choose 100mm or 110mm.

What size coaster fits a pint glass?
A 20oz nonic pint glass is about 67mm across at the base, so any coaster of 90mm or more clears it by more than 11mm all round.

How big should a QR code be on a coaster?
On wood, a code of around 45mm square is comfortable for scanning at arm's length, and it fits on a 90mm or 100mm coaster with room for a logo or a short line. A short web address keeps the code simple, so it engraves cleanly and scans reliably.

Also see: oak, bamboo or slate logo coasters, QR codes on wood, branded coasters for business and personalised coasters.

Sources

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