Top pick: Office Star Products Center Fold Resin Table
Top pick
Why it’s great
It’s a cinch to set up and break down. Most other center-folding models lock the tabletop shut with clamps inside, so you need to use a lot of force to open it; this is annoying regardless of your strength. In contrast, the Office Star Products Center Fold Resin Table uses an exterior latch to lock the two halves shut. Unhook the latch, and the table pops open. Thanks to this design, one person of reasonable strength can set up the table in around 30 seconds. The Office Star Products table was also one of only two models we tried with a center latch underneath the tabletop that automatically locks it open during setup. Once you flip it upright, two gravity lock rings automatically drop down to hold the leg hinges in place.
It’s the sturdiest center-folding table we tested. The Office Star Products table’s wide-set, wishbone-shaped legs create a stronger foundation than the tables with narrower legs. The company says the table can handle around 300 pounds of distributed weight. We tested it with 200 pounds overnight, and it didn’t bow. You can bump into it with reasonable force without wobbling it or knocking over beverages on top. However, you’ll see a bit of flexing if you put a lot of weight on the ends. You can also lean on the edge of the Office Star Products table without flipping the table, something at least one of our other contenders couldn’t handle.
It doesn’t scratch hardwood floors. That’s because it has durable plastic cups on the ends of the legs — and those cups didn’t show signs of breaking or falling off during our tests (unlike those on other tables we tested).
Its surface camouflages blemishes. When we threw keys and utensils on top of the Office Star Products table, the gray, textured tabletop hid the scratches better than tables with black or white tops. A rubber mallet made a few small dents in the plastic, which was true of every model we tested, but the texture of the tabletop did a great job of hiding those blemishes. In our stain test, grape juice left overnight didn’t stain the tabletop (though the same held true for every model we tested).
Thoughtful features make it easy to take with you. Its exterior locking feature means it won’t pop open during transport. What’s more, the durable handle on the Office Star Products table is the best one we carried. Whereas other tables use a flimsy piece of plastic and thin straps, this table’s stronger plastic handle allows for a firm grip and connects to the table with a thick strap. This was also the only model we tried that allows you to hide the handle; a small piece of Velcro secures it to the underside of the table when it is set up.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The center seam of the table we tested didn’t sit flush. It’s barely noticeable at a glance and won’t affect anyone’s dinner, but it’s obvious when you place a cup on the seam or roll a ball across the table. To be fair, this is a problem with nearly every center-folding table, based on reviews. Even within one specific model, it seems that some samples arrive sitting perfectly flat while others have either a small peak in the center or a gap between the two halves.
It arrived with scratches or dents. But this was the case with every other table we tried — those we purchased in store and those we had shipped to us. Digging through buyer reviews, this seems par for the course for these types of tables. Many people mentioned they use tablecloths to cover the inevitable damage.
Key specs
Dimensions: 29.5 by 72 by 28.75 inches (DWH)
Weight capacity: 350 pounds
Warranty: 10 years, for manufacturing defects
Upgrade pick: National Public Seating Heavy Duty Folding Table
Upgrade pick
Why it’s great
Setup is a breeze. The National Public Seating Heavy Duty Folding Table is one solid piece. The legs simply lock into the underside of the table with clamps, and the gravity locks, made from chain link, were easier to use and slid into place more reliably than the Office Star Products Center Fold Resin Table’s wider loops.
The clamps, locks, and hinges are strikingly sturdy. The hardware found on most other large solid-tabletop competitors showed signs of wear over the course of testing, especially on the clamps, but not so with this model. We popped the legs out and slammed them back in at least 40 times over the course of testing, and they held strong.
The tabletop stands firm. Once set up, the National Public Seating table wobbles only slightly when you bump into it, and it easily handled the 200 pounds we stacked on it overnight (National Public Seating lists its maximum weight at 1,000 pounds). You can lean on the edge of the table, and it won’t flip. Unlike many tables we tried, this table didn’t bow at all when we sat on the ends.
The plastic cups on the feet stayed put. After we tossed around the table for the day, those plastic caps were still just as secure as they were when it arrived.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It is heavy and requires space. Picking up and moving the table around is more difficult than picking up any of our other picks. Where most people should be able to lug the Office Star Products table around one-handed, you’ll need two for our upgrade pick from National Public Seating. If you don’t have a garage or shed, you’ll probably be hard-pressed to find enough room for it in your house, and you’ll need a pickup truck or larger SUV to transport it. But that’s typical of large tables that don’t fold.
It may dent with blunt force. The National Public Seating model’s tabletop has a similar texture and off-white color to the Office Star Products table. It hid scratches and scuffs just as well, but our rubber mallet left small dents a little more noticeably on the National Public Seating table than it did on the Office Star Products table.
Key specs
Dimensions: 30 by 72 by 29.5 inches (DWH)
Weight capacity: 1,000 pounds
Warranty: 10 years, for manufacturing defects
Best for kids or crafts: Lifetime 4-Foot Adjustable Height Table
Best for…
Why it’s great
It’s compact. If you don’t need a 6-foot table like our other picks, the Lifetime 4-Foot Adjustable Height Table is less wide (by 2 feet) and also narrower (by about 6 inches). It’s a table you’d use at a barbecue for holding condiments or for serving, or for crafts or a workspace in a small area. Since it doesn’t fold in half like the other 4-foot model we tested, the Office Star Products Resin Multipurpose Rectangle Table, you don’t need to worry about the center of the table sitting flush — or pinching any fingers.
You can customize the height. The adjustable legs allow you to raise or lower the tabletop to 24 inches, 29 inches (standard seated height), and 36 inches (counter height). At its lowest height, the Lifetime table is very stable — more so than the 4-foot Office Star Products table — and is the perfect kid-size table for crafts or dinner.
The legs really hold up. Designed as wide, upside-down-T-shaped bars, the legs felt balanced and sturdy. Setting them up was easy and intuitive, and adjusting their height was easier to do than with the 4-foot Office Star Products table.
The tabletop’s finish acts as camouflage. Off-white and speckled, the Lifetime table’s surface hides and deflects scratches as well as the Office Star Product’s tabletop does, but it feels thicker and stronger. The rubber mallet didn’t make large dents in the tabletop, and as with our other picks, we cleaned up the overnight grape juice spill without any issues.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It’s not great as a dining table for grown-ups. Most adults won’t be able to sit comfortably across from each other without knocking their knees together. It can fit up to four kids, though.
We wouldn’t use it as a countertop. As with the other small folding table we tested, the wobbling at its maximum height was noticeable enough that we wouldn’t risk stacking food or breakables on it during a barbecue.
Key specs
Dimensions 24 by 48 by 24 inches (DWH)
Weight capacity: 350 pounds
Warranty: 10 years, for manufacturing defects
How we picked and tested
At a glance, many folding tables seem the same. Look a little closer, and you’ll find a number of small details that make or break a table:
Price: Most 6-foot, solid-top tables are around $90. 4-foot tables usually cost $40 to $50. When you pay less, you end up with cheap hardware or a weak tabletop. If you pay more, you’re entering commercial-grade territory, where tables are made to withstand more abuse than most people will put them through.
Size: We looked for tables that had enough surface area and seating but wouldn’t take up too much storage space. 8-foot folding tables are available, but 6-foot tables were most popular with our staffers — they should seat six to eight adults. The 4-foot tables we tested were narrower, so they were less comfortable for adult seating but perfect for kids.
Hardware: Regardless of the style of table you buy, the folding hardware — hinges, locks, and latches — should move smoothly and easily. The best tables feature automatic locks to hold the open table secure and, for tables that fold in half, exterior latches to keep the table shut while in transport.
Stability: Folding tables should feel sturdy and not wobbly. If the table is jostled, drinks shouldn’t fall over. It also shouldn’t flip over if you lean on it, and if it folds in half, bumping into it shouldn’t cause the middle to bow.
Portability: A good table should be light enough for one person of average strength to move and set up. Most 6-foot tables weigh between 30 and 40 pounds, while 4-foot tables weigh 20 to 25 pounds. We were especially interested in tables with comfortable, easy-to-grip handles. Solid tabletops are much more cumbersome to move around than tabletops that fold in half; they also usually don’t have a handle.
Weight limit: The vast majority of the tables we tested have weight limits that vary from 300 to 1,000 pounds. These limits are for distributed weight, though, which means heavy objects, like a bulky sewing machine, may still dent the tabletop. Increased weight limits don’t seem to affect price in a meaningful way, but not all table makers list a limit. If you’re storing a lot of heavy objects, like power tools or computer monitors on the table, factor in the weight limit. Otherwise, you probably won’t notice the difference between a table rated for 300 pounds and one rated for 1,000 pounds.
Durable top: The tabletop should stand up to heavy use and be easy to clean. Some folding tables have a textured top, and others are smooth. In our tests, we discovered that smooth tables show more scratches. We left grape juice on all of the tables overnight, but neither type of surface was particularly prone to staining.
Warranty: Warranties on folding tables vary, sometimes even within a manufacturer’s own line. Every table we looked at offers at least a one-year warranty and some offer two or even 10-year warranties.
Leg design: The design of the legs determines a table’s stability. In our tests, the tables that used a wishbone-shaped leg design tended to be the most stable. The gravity locks — the metal rings that secure the open leg hinges and prevent the table from folding back up accidentally — should descend automatically (but sometimes, even with our picks, you will still need to manually slide them into place). For height-adjustable models, we looked for legs that adjust smoothly and lock securely at each height. All legs should also have plastic caps on the bottom so they don’t scratch up hardwood floors.
We’ve been testing folding tables since 2017 and have continued assessing additional models over the years. We considered tables sold at Amazon, Walmart, Target, Office Depot, Staples, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sears, and IKEA. We are currently testing a couple of smaller folding tables from REI and Muji for a forthcoming update.
To create a testing plan for folding tables, we spoke with Christy Bareijsza, event planner and founder of Events by Red Carpet, who gave us a list of the variety of ways folding tables tend to break, annoy, and wear over time.
For the initial round of tests, we set up and broke down each table several times, keeping an eye out for any issues with the hinges, locks, latches, or other hardware. We leaned on each one to see if the ends bent or if the whole thing was likely to flip.
We made sure each table was level and checked if the gravity locks slid into place automatically or required finagling. With our adjustable options, we also raised and lowered the tabletop to see how the legs worked.
Then we set cups on the tables and bumped into the tables to test for wobbling. We paid close attention to the feet of each table to make sure the plastic caps on the ends stayed in place and didn’t scratch the floor, and we threw keys and utensils on each tabletop to test for scratching.
We stacked each model with weights close to the maximum capacity advertised (in most cases, by placing other tables, averaging a total of 200 pounds, on top) and left the weight on overnight. We then spilled grape juice on the contenders and left it overnight to determine if it tended to stain and how easy it was to clean. Finally, we took a rubber mallet to each tabletop to test for denting.
Care and maintenance
For cleaning, use regular soap and water. These tables have high-density plastic tops that repel stains, but if something does manage to make a stain, use a soft-bristle brush and nonabrasive cleaner to remove it. Avoid putting anything extremely hot — like a casserole dish straight out of the oven or a small grill — on the table, as it could melt or warp the surface. These tables can’t handle direct heat, so don’t set yours right next to a campfire or barbecue pit.
Pretty much every model we tested was a scratch magnet. Most of them can handle a mild beating, which we simulated with a rubber mallet, but hitting these tabletops with anything tougher, like a steel hammer, will dent them. Don’t use them as work tables in a garage if you care about the appearance. You may also see denting if you drop them at the wrong angle.
What to look forward to
We are currently testing the Snow Peak Single Action Table and the Muji Steel Pipe Table. We are also about to test the Plastic Development Group Round Folding Multipurpose Banquet Table.
The competition
This isn’t a comprehensive list of the tables that we’ve tested — just the models that are still available for purchase.
The Cosco Molded Folding Banquet Table with Handle is available at Amazon and other retailers, including Walmart. The top is flimsy and bows with even a small amount of weight, and the gravity locks are awkward to handle. The model in black showed scratches more than any of our other tables and got uncomfortably hot when left in the sun for a few minutes.
Lifetime 6-Foot Fold-in-Half Table was close in quality to our top pick from Office Star Products, but it wobbled more when loaded up, and the legs didn’t feel as stable as those of other tables we tried. Reviewers cited issues with dents on arrival, although the one we received was in good condition.
Lifetime 25011 Fold-in-Half Commercial Table (6 feet) feels flimsy compared with the Office Star Products table. The legs are closer together — which, while it looks sleeker, also makes it susceptible to tipping over. The caps on the feet of the legs were already showing signs of cracking after a couple of setups.
The solid-tabletop Office Star Products Multipurpose Resin Rectangle Folding Table was less sturdy than the one we recommend from National Public Seating, and the gravity locks were more difficult to use. As far as complaints go, those are minor, and the solid 6-foot tabletop Office Star Products model is still a good choice if our pick isn’t available.
Office Star Products Resin Multipurpose Rectangle Table seemed like a great option for smaller apartments because it was the only 4-foot table we tried with a tabletop that folds in half. Unfortunately, that means it bows, and the pinch point in the middle is hazardous for kids (and for us, when we weren’t paying attention). This table also has an awkward height-adjustment system, and its legs are wobbly and more difficult to break down than the Lifetime table.
The Plastic Development Group Banquet Table was a budget pick (it’s sturdy and a good value, despite scratching up more easily and being harder to set up than others we’ve tested). But inventory has been sparse. It does come as a round table, which we’ll test soon and update this guide accordingly.
The Realspace Molded Plastic Top Folding Table felt like it was made of flimsy plastic, and it wasn’t as thick or well-molded as the National Public Seating Heavy Duty Folding Table. This 6-foot table’s top wasn’t as textured as that of our Office Star Products pick, either, and showed scratches more easily. It also wobbled around when we sat on it and jiggled it.
This article was edited by Joanne Chen and Daniela Gorny.
