diff --git a/packages/material-ui/src/Table/Table.js b/packages/material-ui/src/Table/Table.js
index f3e59ee03643a2..b7be5c2d414429 100644
--- a/packages/material-ui/src/Table/Table.js
+++ b/packages/material-ui/src/Table/Table.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ class Table extends React.Component {
     // eslint-disable-line class-methods-use-this
     return {
       table: {},
+      padding: this.props.padding
     };
   }
 
@@ -43,6 +44,10 @@ Table.propTypes = {
    * @ignore
    */
   className: PropTypes.string,
+  /**
+   * Allows TableCells to inherit padding of the Table.
+   */
+  padding: PropTypes.string,
   /**
    * The component used for the root node.
    * Either a string to use a DOM element or a component.
@@ -52,10 +57,12 @@ Table.propTypes = {
 
 Table.defaultProps = {
   component: 'table',
+  padding: 'default'
 };
 
 Table.childContextTypes = {
   table: PropTypes.object,
+  padding: PropTypes.string
 };
 
 export default withStyles(styles, { name: 'MuiTable' })(Table);
diff --git a/packages/material-ui/src/TableCell/TableCell.js b/packages/material-ui/src/TableCell/TableCell.js
index 80507ea035b0c6..14350b63629d37 100644
--- a/packages/material-ui/src/TableCell/TableCell.js
+++ b/packages/material-ui/src/TableCell/TableCell.js
@@ -80,6 +80,9 @@ function TableCell(props, context) {
     variant,
     ...other
   } = props;
+
+  let Padding = padding === 'default' ? context.padding : padding;
+
   const { table } = context;
   let Component;
   if (component) {
@@ -100,7 +103,7 @@ function TableCell(props, context) {
       [classes.body]: variant ? variant === 'body' : table && table.body,
       [classes.footer]: variant ? variant === 'footer' : table && table.footer,
       [classes.numeric]: numeric,
-      [classes[`padding${capitalize(padding)}`]]: padding !== 'default',
+      [classes[`padding${capitalize(Padding)}`]]: Padding !== 'default',
     },
     classNameProp,
   );
@@ -166,6 +169,7 @@ TableCell.defaultProps = {
 
 TableCell.contextTypes = {
   table: PropTypes.object.isRequired,
+  padding: PropTypes.string
 };
 
 export default withStyles(styles, { name: 'MuiTableCell' })(TableCell);