Trade show booth sizes
US booth space comes in 10 ft steps, from a 10 × 10 inline booth to islands of 40 × 40 and more. Every standard size with its floor area, staff, booth type and price, and a calculator for the size you need.
By the Exhivo team · Updated 26 October 2026
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Standard sizes
Every standard US booth size
Staff is the most the floor holds at one staffer per 50 sq ft, before furniture and displays. Prices are published 2026 ranges.
| Size | Floor | Usual type | Staff at most | Rent a show | Custom build | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft | 100 sq ft | Inline or corner | 2 | $3,500 to $6,500 | $8,000 to $20,000 | Steadfast Displays |
| 10 × 20 ft | 200 sq ft | Inline, corner or end-cap | 4 | $7,500 to $14,000 | $15,000 to $40,000 | Steadfast Displays |
| 10 × 30 ft | 300 sq ft | Inline | 6 | Quoted per show | $30,000 to $75,000Worked out at $100 to $250 per sq ft for custom builds | Steadfast Displays |
| 20 × 20 ft | 400 sq ft | Peninsula or island | 8 | $16,000 to $40,000 | $50,000 to $120,000 | Steadfast Displays |
| 20 × 30 ft | 600 sq ft | Peninsula or island | 12 | Quoted per show | $60,000 to $150,000Worked out at $100 to $250 per sq ft for custom builds | Steadfast Displays |
| 20 × 40 ft | 800 sq ft | Peninsula or island | 16 | Quoted per show | $80,000 to $200,000Worked out at $100 to $250 per sq ft for custom builds | Steadfast Displays |
| 30 × 30 ft | 900 sq ft | Peninsula or island | 18 | Quoted per show | $90,000 to $225,000Worked out at $100 to $250 per sq ft for custom builds | Steadfast Displays |
| 30 × 40 ft | 1,200 sq ft | Peninsula or island | 24 | Quoted per show | $120,000 to $300,000Worked out at $100 to $250 per sq ft for custom builds | Steadfast Displays |
| 40 × 40 ft | 1,600 sq ft | Peninsula or island | 32 | Quoted per show | $160,000 to $400,000Worked out at $100 to $250 per sq ft for custom builds | Steadfast Displays |
Staff: Competitive Edge. Island minimum 400 sq ft: IAEE. Height and line of sight rules by type: types of trade show booths. Full price tables: booth cost guide.
Calculator
What size trade show booth do I need?
Size the booth to the conversations you want, not the budget left over. Enter the attendees who match your buyers (the show's audience profile has them) and the exhibit hours.
Method: interaction capacity (Jefferson Davis, Competitive Edge), 50 sq ft of open floor per staffer, and the 45% average attraction rate (Exhibit Surveys). Furniture, counters and displays take floor too, so size up when they are large.
The method
How to size a booth to your goals
- 01
Count your buyers at the show
From the show's attendee profile, the number who match your ideal customer.
- 02
Set the conversations to plan for
The average exhibitor draws 45% of the attendees who match its profile. Exhibit Surveys, via Competitive Edge
- 03
Work out staff on duty
Show hours × staff × conversations per staffer per hour gives capacity; plan 3, 4 or 5 an hour. SHRM24 kit Worked example: 18 hours × 6 staff × 4 an hour = 432 conversations. Competitive Edge
- 04
Turn staff into floor
Allow 50 sq ft of open floor per staffer, then add the floor your counters, demos and displays take. Competitive Edge
More exhibitors are sizing up: 16% planned to buy more space in 2024 (Freeman, via Event Marketer). Booth types and their height rules: IAEE 2023.
Sources
Sources for this guide
What each source says, in its own words where we could quote it, with its date. Older research is marked by its year.
| What the source says | Source | Dated |
|---|---|---|
| Standard US increment: "floor plan design in increments of 10ft (3.05m) has become the de facto standard in the United States." "Linear Booths are most commonly 10ft (3.05m) wide and 10ft (3.05m) deep." Peninsula and island booths are usually 20ft by 20ft or larger. | IAEE | 2023 |
| IAEE guidance: island booths should not be allowed at less than 400 sq ft (the equivalent of 20ft by 20ft). | IAEE | 2023 |
| Staffing rule of thumb: "The exhibit staffing rule of thumb is one staffer per fifty square feet of unoccupied exhibit space." "So a 10x10 booth should have a maximum of two exhibit staffers on duty." "A 20x20 might have up to eight staffers." "Always be sure to consider the total amount of space, less exhibit properties, furnishings and displays." | Jefferson Davis | Undated |
| Interactions per staffer per hour for capacity planning: "3 conservative/ 4 moderate / 5 aggressive"; and "Rule of thumb: 50 sq. feet per staffer". | SHRM exhibitor resource | 2024 |
| Capacity formula for sizing a booth: Exhibit Interaction Capacity = "Number of show hours x Number of exhibit staff on duty x Number of interactions/hour/staffer." Worked example: 18 exhibit hours x 6 staff on duty x 4 interactions per hour per staffer = 432 interactions. Compare capacity with the number of attendees matching your ideal visitor profile. | Jefferson Davis | Undated |
| Benchmark for sizing to the audience: "the average exhibitor studied attracts 45% of their profile match to their exhibit" (the Exhibit Attraction Efficiency benchmark, attributed to Exhibit Surveys). | Jefferson Davis | Undated |
| 16 percent of exhibitors planned to buy additional square footage in 2024. | Event Marketer | 2024-04-17 |
Real booths
Booths built by vetted builders
From the portfolios of builders listed on Exhivo. Open a builder to see more of its work, then brief the ones you like.
Photos belong to the builders who built them. A brand is named only where the builder's own portfolio names it.
Questions
Common questions
What is the standard trade show booth size?
10 × 10 ft. IAEE calls 10 ft increments the de facto US standard, and linear (inline) booths are most commonly 10 ft wide and 10 ft deep.
What size trade show booth do I need?
Work back from the people you want to meet: count the attendees who match your buyers, plan to talk to about 45% of them (the average exhibitor's rate, per Exhibit Surveys), divide by show hours and 3 to 5 conversations per staffer per hour to get your staff, then allow 50 sq ft of open floor per staffer. The calculator on this page does the sums.
How many people can staff a 10x10 booth?
Two at most, by the rule of thumb of one staffer per 50 sq ft of open floor; a 20 × 20 can take up to eight (Competitive Edge).
What is the smallest island booth?
IAEE suggests shows should not allow island booths under 400 sq ft, the area of a 20 × 20.
More on trade show booths
Booth types
Booth sizes
Rentals and prices
- 10 × 10 booth rentals
- 10 × 20 booth rentals
- 20 × 20 booth rentals
- Trade show booth cost
- Trade show booth ideas
- Types of trade show booths
- Rent or buy a trade show booth
- Trade show checklist
- How to choose a booth builder
- Trade show ROI
- How to set up a trade show booth
- Booth cost calculator
- Trade show RFP template
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