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Garden side table or trestle table

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a balcony chair that needs a place for a glass, or extra guests and nowhere for the plates. A garden side table and a trestle table are not the same object. In the [garden table comparison](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-table) the small tables are about 46 to 50 cm, while the trestles run from 120 cm to 180 cm at about 73 cm. Peter F. compared those amazon.co.uk listings on 21 October 2026. There was no laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a balcony chair that needs a place for a glass, or extra guests and nowhere for the plates. A garden side table and a trestle table are not the same object.

Our top picks

Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 4-foot folding table

Best overall

Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 4-foot folding table
9.6/10about £27.99
View offer
PHI VILLA PHI VILLA glass side table

Rank 2

PHI VILLA PHI VILLA glass side table
9.4/10about £31.99
View offer
Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares 120 cm trestle

Best value

Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares 120 cm trestle
9.4/10about £29.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The small tables
  2. 2.The long tables
  3. 3.The bar table is a third object
  4. 4.What the seat counts do not prove

The small tables

PHI VILLA is 46 x 46 x 48 cm, 3.5 kg, about £31.99, tempered glass, 4.6 from 2,109 reviews. You unfold it. There is no stated load. It sits beside one seat. Scratches and rim rust after rain are on the glass garden table page. Taylor & Brown is about 50 cm square, about £24.99, six LEDs, 4.5 from 30 reviews. No IP rating is printed. Helios & Hestia does not fold. The bullet height is about 38 cm, about £49.99, 4.1 from 46 reviews. It is a low coffee table, not the 48 cm side table. The check order is on the garden table buying guide.

The long tables

Harbour’s 120 cm trestle is 120 x 60 cm, about £29.99, three heights from 50 cm to 73.5 cm, stated load 110 kg, 4.6 from 860 reviews. The folded bullet is about 60 x 7 x 60 cm. A UK review describes a bent hinge that would not lock. The lock sequence is on how to set up a folding garden table. The white 180 cm bullet is 180 x 74 cm at about 73 cm, about £32.99. Another row says 10 x 67 x 99 cm. The black bullet is 180 x 70 x 73.5 cm, about £35.99. Another row says 180 x 180 cm. Both print 4.5 from 1,797 and the same sentences, including a leg that caved. Amazon Basics is 121.4 x 60.7 cm but 86.1 cm high. Choose 120 cm on a short patio. Choose 180 cm when length is the point.
Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 4-foot folding table

Testsieger

Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 4-foot folding table
9.6/10about £27.99
View offer

The bar table is a third object

Byliable is 70 x 70 x 110 cm, about £51.99, HDPE, stated load 100 kg, 4.7 from 286 reviews. Only three UK texts are written out. You lock detachable poles. The height is for standing drinks. It is neither the lounger-side table nor the long top for plates. Open, 70 cm round uses more floor than PHI VILLA and less length than a 180 cm trestle. The collapsed length is a minimum of 70 cm. Weather-resistant is not an IP rating.

What the seat counts do not prove

The 120 cm listing says four seats. The 180 cm listing says six. Those are seller lines. A rule of thumb allows about 60 cm of edge per person, so 120 cm is about two places, and 60 cm of depth is tight for plates opposite. On 180 x 74 cm, one side is about three places. BBC Gardeners’ World uses about a metre of clear space when people sit, as an aisle rule of thumb, not a measurement of these ASINs. A folded 180 cm trestle still needs about 90 x 74 cm of storage. A 46 cm side table does not. Buy the small table for one glass. Buy the trestle for several people, then check the depth.

Common questions

Will a 46 cm table work for a meal?
Not for people sitting opposite. PHI VILLA is 46 x 46 x 48 cm, a surface for a drink beside one seat. A rule of thumb of about 60 cm of edge per person already uses more edge than the whole top. Use a 120 cm or 180 cm trestle for plates, and still expect 60 to 74 cm of depth to feel tight.
Is 180 cm too long for a balcony?
Often, yes. The open bullets are 180 cm, and you also need space to walk. A furniture guide uses about a metre of clear space when people sit, as a rule of thumb. The folded white Harbour bullet is about 90 x 74 x 8.5 cm. One chair needs a 46 or 50 cm side table.
Can two people sit opposite on a 60 cm deep trestle?
They can sit. The Harbour 120 cm top is 60 cm deep, and the Amazon Basics top is 60.7 cm. The white 180 cm bullet is 74 cm. A 60 cm depth leaves little room for plates on both sides. Opposite seating here is a drinks compromise.
Where does the 110 cm bar table sit in this choice?
Byliable is in neither group. It is about 110 cm high and 70 cm round, for standing drinks, at about £51.99. A side table here is about 48 to 50 cm. A dining trestle is about 73 cm. Skip the bar height if you need a chair at the table.
Which trestle is height-adjustable?
Only the Harbour 120 cm trestle states three heights, from 50 cm to 73.5 cm. The 180 cm models are fixed near 73 cm in the bullets. Amazon Basics claims adjustable height, but the rows say four positions and three, and the listed height is 86.1 cm. Measure after you set the 120 cm frame.
How much floor does the folded 180 cm table need?
The white Harbour bullet gives about 90 x 74 x 8.5 cm. The black bullet gives 90 cm wide and 7.5 cm deep, and leaves the folded height blank. The 120 cm bullet is about 60 x 7 x 60 cm. Confirm the catch before you carry either one.

Related pages

Best garden table

Garden table

Garden table buying guide: job, height and the lock

Glass garden table: what the listing says about glass

How to set up a folding garden table before guests

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison, last checked on 22 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved for this set. There is no laboratory test.

  1. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. OPSS notice 0111/25 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. BS EN 581-3:2026 outdoor tables (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. General product safety regulations, Northern Ireland (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. FIRA table testing (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Which? garden furniture (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. ManoMano UK garden table buying guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)