Easy Epoxy Calc

How much epoxy for a 48 inch round table?

Short answer

A 48 inch round table needs about 1.19 gallons of tabletop epoxy for one 1/8 inch flood coat — the top is 12.6 square feet, and that includes 15.7 fluid ounces of drips off the rim.

How to work it out

  1. Top: π × (48 in ÷ 2)² = 1,810 sq in (12.6 sq ft)
  2. 12.6 sq ft × 1/8 in × 1 coat = 226 cu in = 0.98 gal
  3. Edge length: π × diameter = 151 in (12.6 ft)
  4. Drips: 12.6 ft × 1.25 fl oz/ft × 1 coat = 15.7 fl oz
  5. Film on the sides: 151 in × 1.5 in × 1/32 in × 1 coat = 3.92 fl oz
  6. (0.98 gal + 15.7 fl oz + 3.92 fl oz) × (1 + 5% bucket/other) = 1.19 gal
  7. Total: 1.19 gal → 2 × 1 gal kits
  8. Batches: 1.19 gal per coat ÷ 1 gal → 2 per coat, each A 1.19 qt (2.85 lb) + B 1.19 qt (2.36 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 0.59 gal (5.71 lb) + Part B 0.59 gal (4.71 lb)

Round tops are measured by diameter, but the area grows with the square of the radius — a 48 in round is almost exactly 1.8 times the area of a 36 in round (see How much epoxy for a 36 inch round table). At about 1.19 gallons, a single 1-gallon kit won’t cover it.

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 buy1.19 gal4.76 qt · 4.5 L
Kits to buy
2 kits
Clear coat(s) on the top
0.98 gal (3.92 qt · 3.71 L)
Runs off the edges (drips)
15.7 fl oz (0.49 qt · 0.46 L)
Film left on the sides
3.92 fl oz (0.12 qt · 0.12 L)
Surface area
12.6 sq ft
Batches to mix (clear coats)
2 batches
Per batch (volume, then weight)
A 1.19 qt (2.85 lb) + B 1.19 qt (2.36 lb)
When mixing — Part A (resin)
0.59 gal (2.38 qt · 2.25 L)
When mixing — Part B (hardener)
0.59 gal (2.38 qt · 2.25 L)
Part A by weight
5.71 lb (91.3 oz · 2.59 kg)
Part B by weight
4.71 lb (75.4 oz · 2.14 kg)
Left over from the last kit
0.81 gal (3.24 qt · 3.07 L)
  • What to buy: 2 × 1 gal tabletop epoxy kits. 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.
  • Each coat is 2 batches. Mix the next one while the last is being spread and pour them back to back, so the wet edges merge before they start to thicken.

For this job · affiliate link
Tabletop / bar top epoxy kitYou need 1.19 gal; 2 × 1 gal kits leaves 0.81 gal over, so topping up with a smaller kit may be cheaper — compare kit sizes. 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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Flood coat epoxy for round tables by diameter (your thickness and coats)

Flood coat epoxy for round tables by diameter (your thickness and coats)
DiameterSurface areaTabletop epoxy to buyKits to buy
36 in7.07 sq ft0.7 gal1 kit
42 in9.62 sq ft0.93 gal1 kit
48 in12.6 sq ft1.19 gal2 kits
54 in15.9 sq ft1.48 gal2 kits
60 in19.6 sq ft1.81 gal2 kits

What to know about a 48 inch round table

A 48 in round is the usual kitchen table for four, sometimes squeezing in six. Its surface works out to π × 24² = 1,810 square inches, or 12.6 sq ft — almost exactly what one gallon covers at 1/8 in before drips. That is the trap: the flood coat is 0.98 gallons before a drop goes over the edge, and the rim sheds about 15.7 fl oz more, so one 1-gallon kit won’t do. Buy two 1-gallon kits, or one 2-gallon kit, and use the spare for a seal coat.

The rim is about 151 inches around, with no corners to catch on, so the drip is even all the way round. Pour in the middle and push outward in a spiral with a spreader; stop an inch short of the edge and let the epoxy creep over by itself, then brush the sides as it runs.

Most 48 in rounds sit on a pedestal or a central base. Wrap it in plastic, because drips run down a pedestal and cure in the foot. A table with a centre leaf needs the same care as any extension table: coat the parts separately.

The next size up, which seats six to eight, is on 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 48 inch round table with a seal coat?

About 1.42 gallons on open-grained wood such as oak: 29.7 fluid ounces for the seal coat and the rest for the flood coat and drips — 2 kits of 1 gallon.

How much epoxy for two coats on a 48 inch round table?

About 2.38 gallons for two 1/8 inch flood coats — 3 kits of 1 gallon.

How much epoxy for a 42 inch round table?

About 0.93 gallons for a 1/8 inch flood coat on 9.62 square feet. 1 kit of 1 gallon covers it with only 9.21 fluid ounces spare — a tight fit, so buy a second kit if the wood is bare or this is your first pour.

Other common sizes

Sources