Murphy Tables: Cabinet-Style Fold-Down Dining Tables and What Amazon Actually Sells

What a Murphy table is

A Murphy table is a wall-mounted folding table built for meals. Open, it is a dining or kitchen table fixed to the wall; closed, it folds up into a shallow cabinet or against a flat panel and leaves the floor free. In the search results and on the pages of the furniture makers who build them, the term means exactly this: a fold-down dining or multipurpose table.

The name comes from the Murphy bed. William Lawrence Murphy, president of the Murphy Bed and Door Company, applied for his first patents around 1900 for a bed that folds into the wall. In 1989 the Second Circuit held that “Murphy bed” is a generic term (874 F.2d 95). “Murphy table” follows the same logic: it describes a type of furniture. One maker, murphytable.com, labels its fold-down table kit with a trademark symbol. We found no registration, but we did not search the USPTO database directly, so we use the term only descriptively.

Three neighbors are often mixed up with it:

• Murphy desk: a wall cabinet whose front folds down into a work surface, often with shelves behind it. If that is what you need, see wall-mounted folding desks.
• Murphy bed with table: a fold-down bed whose cabinet includes a table. A different, much larger product, not covered here.
• Drop-leaf wall table: a narrow fixed strip on the wall plus a hinged leaf. No cabinet, but the same job. The drop-leaf wall table page explains the design.

Our pick: a drop-leaf table instead of a cabinet

Our pick for twoCOSTWAY

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COSTWAY Drop-Leaf 31.5 x 23.5

A drop-leaf top deep enough for two place settings that folds to 3 inches against the wall.

Why here: No cabinet, but it does what most people want from a Murphy table: a dining top for two that folds to 3.0 inches against the wall, with size and load stated by the maker.

Best for: Small kitchens and studios where two people eat or work at the wall

• +23.5 in deep when open – room for two plates facing each other
• +Folded size 31.5 x 21 x 3.0 in according to Costway
• +Two ways to fold: drop one leaf or both
• +Maker states a 66 lb maximum load

• –Costway does not say which wall or fasteners the 66 lb rating assumes
• –The supplied expansion screws are generic – plan your own fasteners for studs or masonry
• –MDF top: wipe spills, do not leave it wet

Type

Drop-leaf top on a wooden support

Top size

31.5 x 23.5 in (open)

Folded depth

3.0 in (Costway)

Load rating

66 lb max (Costway)

Mounting

Hinges and screws; studs not mentioned

Material

P2 MDF, pine, metal hinges

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A cabinet-style Murphy dining table is hard to buy on Amazon (more on that below). The COSTWAY drop-leaf table is the closest ready-to-mount substitute in our comparison. Costway lists it at 31.5 x 23.5 inches open and 31.5 x 21 x 3.0 inches folded, with a 66 lb maximum load. At 23.5 inches deep, two people can sit facing each other, which most 15- to 16-inch fold-down tops do not allow. You can open one leaf or both.

What you give up: there is no cabinet and no panel that hides the table, and no shelves behind it. And Costway does not say which wall or fasteners its 66 lb figure assumes, so plan your own fasteners for studs or masonry.

What Amazon sells under “Murphy table”

When we searched Amazon.com for “murphy table” on 22 October 2026, the results were mostly Murphy desks, extendable console tables and sideboards. The few true cabinet-style Murphy dining tables were new listings without maker data we could read. So we cannot recommend one of them.

A typical example is the Tangkula “Murphy Table” desk^*. It is sold with “Murphy table” in its name, but by its own title it is a foldable wall-mounted desk. That is fine if you want a desk; it is the wrong product if you want to eat at it.

Which table for which wall

Pick by situation

1. 01

   If you two people want to eat at a kitchen or dining wall → COSTWAY Drop-Leaf 31.5 x 23.5

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2. 02

   If you want a long bar-style ledge where people sit side by side for light meals → Mount-It! Drop Down 45 x 15

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3. 03

   If you actually need a desk with storage

   Wall desks
4. 04

   If you want to see every table side by side

   All tables compared

The options compared

Comparison: COSTWAY Drop-Leaf 31.5 x 23.5, Mount-It! Drop Down 45 x 15, Need 47 x 20, Tangkula “Murphy Table” Desk

Comparison	Our pick for twoCOSTWAY Drop-Leaf 31.5 x 23.5	45-inch topMount-It! Drop Down 45 x 15	Seller data onlyNeed 47 x 20	Seller data onlyTangkula “Murphy Table” Desk
Type	Drop-leaf top on a wooden support	Top on folding steel brackets	Fold-down wall table	Foldable wall desk (listing)
Top size	31.5 x 23.5 in (open)	45 x 15 in or 30 x 15 in	47 x 20 in (listing title; details 47.2 x 19.7 in)	–
Load rating (as stated)	66 lb max (Costway)	33 lb (Mount-It! page)	100 lb (listing)	–
Mounting (as stated)	Hinges and screws; studs not mentioned	Hardware included; wall type not specified	Wall studs required (listing)	–
Folded depth	3.0 in (Costway)	–	1 3/4 in (listing)	–
Best for	Small kitchens and studios where two people eat or work at the wall	Long, light-duty surfaces: folding laundry, a bar ledge or a hobby shelf	Long walls where two people sit side by side or laundry is folded	Anyone who searched “Murphy table” but actually needs a small desk
	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon

COSTWAY drop-leaf 31.5 x 23.5 in

The best fit for a kitchen Murphy table without the cabinet. MDF top on a pine support, metal hinges, two ways to fold. Costway also suggests it as a computer table, so the same wall can serve as a breakfast spot and a laptop desk. Strengths: depth for two, maker data for size, folded depth and load. Weaknesses: no storage, no wall type named for the load rating, MDF that should be wiped dry. For seating and table depth in small kitchens, read the kitchen and dining guide.

Mount-It! MI-7993, 30 or 45 x 15 in

A long top on steel brackets that you can set up 30 or 45 inches wide. At 15 inches deep it is a ledge, not a table for two people facing each other, but for a row of stools at a kitchen wall it works. Mount-It! states only 33 lb on its own page, so plan it for light loads such as plates and cups. Mount-It! advertises a lifetime warranty and 60-day returns.

Need 47 x 20 in

A long teak-colored top for walls where two or three people can sit side by side. We have seller data only: no maker spec sheet; the listing gives 100 lb and says mounting onto wall studs is required.

Tangkula “Murphy Table” desk

Sold as a Murphy table, but a desk. We list it here because it ranks for the search, not because it is a dining table. Seller data only.

What to check before you buy

Depth for seating. A 15- to 16-inch top holds one plate per person in a row. Two people facing each other need more; the COSTWAY's 23.5 inches is the deepest top with maker data in our comparison.

Where the chairs go. A folded table saves floor space only if the chairs, stools or benches fold or tuck away too. Plan their spot before you plan the table.

Height. For meals, the top edge belongs at about 29 to 30 inches above the floor. The 2010 ADA Standards set 28 to 34 inches for dining and work surfaces (section 902.3). The guide to mounting height shows how to work back from the top edge to the bracket position.

The wall behind it. A Murphy-style table is only as strong as its fixing. Wood studs are 16 or 24 inches on center, depending on stud size and load, so a 31.5-inch top may reach two studs or only one. Then a ledger board across the studs is the fix; the guide on how to install a wall-mounted folding table walks through it. What a load rating means for you is explained under weight capacity.

Renting. Every table in this comparison mounts with screws. Adhesive strips and tension rods are no mounting method for a table that people lean on. Ask your landlord for written permission before you drill.

Typical mistakes

1. Buying a desk by accident. Many listings with “Murphy table” in the title are desks. Check depth and photos.
2. Assuming studs are where you need them. Find and mark the studs first, then choose the table width.
3. Trusting the supplied anchors. Included screws and anchors are generic. Use fasteners that suit your wall.
4. Mounting at desk or bar height. Mark the finished top edge at about 29 to 30 inches for dining.

Verdict

If you want a true cabinet-style Murphy dining table with a panel that hides it, that is today mostly a product from furniture makers or a custom or DIY build, not something Amazon sells with reliable data. If you want what most people mean by it, a dining table for two that folds flat against the kitchen wall, the COSTWAY drop-leaf table is our pick. Mount it on studs or a ledger board, at about 29 to 30 inches to the top edge. For the broader picture, start on the homepage.