Easy Epoxy Calc

How much epoxy for a 36 inch round table top?

Short answer

A 36 inch round table top needs about 0.7 gallons of tabletop epoxy for one 1/8 inch flood coat over 7.07 square feet, including 11.8 fluid ounces of drips off the rim — one 1-gallon kit covers it.

How to work it out

  1. Top: π × (36 in ÷ 2)² = 1,018 sq in (7.07 sq ft)
  2. 7.07 sq ft × 1/8 in × 1 coat = 127 cu in = 0.55 gal
  3. Edge length: π × diameter = 113 in (9.42 ft)
  4. Drips: 9.42 ft × 1.25 fl oz/ft × 1 coat = 11.8 fl oz
  5. Film on the sides: 113 in × 1.5 in × 1/32 in × 1 coat = 2.94 fl oz
  6. (0.55 gal + 11.8 fl oz + 2.94 fl oz) × (1 + 5% bucket/other) = 0.7 gal
  7. Total: 0.7 gal → 1 × 1 gal kit
  8. Batches: 0.7 gal per coat ÷ 1 gal → 1 per coat, each A 1.4 qt (3.35 lb) + B 1.4 qt (2.77 lb)
  9. Mix ratio 1 : 1 by volume, SG A 1.15 / B 0.95 (typical, not published by the maker — type your data sheet’s SGs for exact weights) → Part A 0.35 gal (3.35 lb) + Part B 0.35 gal (2.77 lb)

A 36 in round is a bistro or breakfast table for two to four. Its top is only about 7.07 sq ft — less than a 48 × 24 coffee table — so one 1-gallon kit covers the flood coat with about 0.3 gallons to spare, enough for a closed-grain seal coat as well.

Adjust for your project

in
Straight across the widest part.
Leave at 1/8 in unless your epoxy’s label says otherwise.
1 is normal. Use 2 for extra depth or to bury bottle caps or photos.
A thin first coat brushed or scraped into bare wood, so air in the grain doesn’t bubble up into the clear coat.
gal
Total of both bottles together. Most “1 gallon kits” are ½ gal resin + ½ gal hardener — enter 1. If the listing says 1 gal of EACH, enter 2.
More options: edges · edge · waste …
Most tops are poured so the epoxy runs over and coats the sides. A tape dam keeps it on the top only.
in
How tall the edge is — usually the thickness of the top.
%
Bucket and cup residue and other small losses. Edge drips are worked out separately from the edge length.
Fills in the mix ratio, weights and depth limits from the maker’s published data. Always check the data sheet that comes with your batch.
Only changes the Part A / Part B split — it’s printed on the kit. Tabletop and art resins are usually 1:1; deep pour often 2:1.
From the TDS, in g/ml. Leave blank for 1.15 (typical, not published by the maker).
From the TDS, in g/ml. Leave blank for 0.95 on 1:1 kits or 0.97 on other ratios (typical, not published by the maker).
gal
Resin + hardener mixed in one bucket. Big batches heat up and thicken sooner, so pros mix the next one while the last is being poured.
$
Optional — your kit price, for a cost estimate
Tabletop epoxy to buy0.7 gal2.8 qt · 2.65 L
Kits to buy
1 kit
Clear coat(s) on the top
0.55 gal (2.2 qt · 2.08 L)
Runs off the edges (drips)
11.8 fl oz (0.37 qt · 0.35 L)
Film left on the sides
2.94 fl oz (0.0918 qt · 0.0869 L)
Surface area
7.07 sq ft
Batches to mix (clear coats)
1 batch
Per batch (volume, then weight)
A 1.4 qt (3.35 lb) + B 1.4 qt (2.77 lb)
When mixing — Part A (resin)
0.35 gal (1.4 qt · 1.32 L)
When mixing — Part B (hardener)
0.35 gal (1.4 qt · 1.32 L)
Part A by weight
3.35 lb (53.7 oz · 1.52 kg)
Part B by weight
2.77 lb (44.3 oz · 1.26 kg)
Left over from the last kit
0.3 gal (1.2 qt · 1.14 L)
  • What to buy: 1 × 1 gal tabletop epoxy kit. Each kit has both bottles (resin + hardener) — you don’t buy them separately. Looking at a different kit size? Change Kit size above.
  • Pouring onto bare wood? Pick a seal coat above — it stops air in the grain bubbling up into the clear coat.

For this job · affiliate link
Tabletop / bar top epoxy kitOne 1 gal kit covers the 0.7 gal with 0.3 gal to spare. Self-leveling tabletop epoxy is made for 1/8 in coats; a deep-pour resin would run off the edges for days.
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Epoxy by number of coats (starting from a 36 in round)

Epoxy by number of coats (starting from a 36 in round)
Flood coatsTabletop epoxy to buyKits to buyLeft over from the last kit
10.7 gal1 kit0.3 gal
21.4 gal2 kits0.6 gal
32.1 gal3 kits0.9 gal

What to know about a 36 inch round table

Diameter is misleading at this size. A 36 in round sounds close to a coffee table, but π × 18² is 1,018 square inches, about 7.07 sq ft, against the 8 sq ft on How much epoxy for a 48 x 24 coffee table. It is also barely more than half a 48 in round — see How much epoxy for a 48 inch round table — which is why one kit covers this top while that one needs two.

With a closed-grain seal coat added the total is 0.77 gallons, so a 1-gallon kit still does both, with about 29.9 fl oz spare. Don’t be tempted by a 2-quart (half-gallon) kit: the flood coat alone is more than that, and a kit that runs out partway means mixing a second batch in a hurry.

Small round tops drip the most for their size: about 113 inches of rim for 7 sq ft of surface, which sheds around 11.8 fl oz against 0.55 gallons on the top. Spread from the centre, let the resin run over the rim by itself, and brush the edge band as it goes. Café and bistro tables are often metal-framed or on a single post; mask the frame and the post, because cured drips on powder coat are hard to remove cleanly.

Seating six or more? Jump to How much epoxy for a 60 inch round table.

Different size? Use the full Tabletop Epoxy Calculator.

What you’ll need

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Frequently asked questions

How much epoxy for a 36 inch round table with a seal coat?

About 0.77 gallons on closed-grained wood: 8.66 fluid ounces for the seal coat and the rest for the flood coat and drips — still 1 kit of 1 gallon, with 29.9 fluid ounces spare.

How much epoxy for two coats on a 36 inch round table?

About 1.4 gallons for two 1/8 inch flood coats — 2 kits of 1 gallon.

How many 2-quart epoxy kits for a 36 inch round table?

2 kits of 2 quarts: the flood coat needs about 0.7 gallons, which is more than one half-gallon kit holds.

Other common sizes

Sources