Lampshade Size Guide – Shades at Grays

Lampshade Size Guide

Lamp Shades | Choice of 18 Sizes

I stock a range of 18 lamp shades. There are 10 straight sided barrel or drum style sizes and 8 tapered styles. These make up my standard stock. Please see the pictures below where you can see the dimensions for each shade size.

I also have a small number of 'Extra Large Tapered' light shades, see below for the dimensions.

Standard stock

Refer to the size charts in the photos below to determine the perfect dimensions for your lampshade. All sizes are numbered for easy selection; for instance, 'Straight sided 15'.

All of these dimensions are available on each of the separate lamp shade pages, from where you can choose your favourite fabric.

Floor stands

If you have a floor stand I recommend choosing a lampshade from the following:

Tapered 38; Tapered 43; Tapered 46; Large Conical; Straight side 38; Straight sided 40; Straight sided 45. Or, an extra large shade (see below).

Much of your choice is subjective and whether you prefer a tapered or straight sided look. It is also good to think about how much space you have for the stand and shade, and how dominant you want it to look in your room.

Below is a lineup of different sized shades that shows the (approximate) comparison of how they look on a floor stand.

Comparison of lamp shade sizes for floor stands

Extra large shade

The extra large tapered lamp shade is great for tall floor stands, particularly traditional wooden standard lamps, over 145 cm tall, or floor stands that are wide (stout). It is quite an imposing size lamp shade and is perfect if you want a real statement piece. The best fabric for this style of shade is one that does not have a vertical pattern that needs to remain vertical to make sense - eg trees. This is because as the pattern wraps around the tapered shade the vertical shapes 'bend' and in extreme cases end up more horizontal than vertical! Definitely not what you want for birds or trees!

Tripod Floor Stands

Tripod floor stands are great if you like a contemporary or scandi style look. They often also double up as a table lamp if their legs can retract, making the base shorter. 

Generally for this style of floor stand I would recommend a 'Tapered 46" lamp shade. This style provides a good width, but has less height than some of the other larger lightshade stock that I carry, making them a good proportion for many tripod bases.

 Ceiling or pendant lamp shades

If you are looking for a ceiling lampshade I recommend choosing a Straight sided style.

Most of the tapered lampshades are not suitable to hang from the ceiling because of their type of frame.

Range and dimensions of straight sided barrel and drum bespoke lamp shades, stocked by Shades at Grays

Range and dimensions of tapered bespoke lamp shades, stocked by Shades at Grays

 Extra large light shade for tall floor stands