Desk Height Calculator
Most desks are built for someone about six feet tall. Here is what yours should be, and what to do when it is not.
Seated desk height by body height
The table the calculator interpolates between. Standard desks sit at 72 to 76 cm, which suits roughly the top of this range.
| Your height | Seated desk height |
|---|---|
| 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) | about 66 cm (26 in) |
| 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | about 69 cm (27 in) |
| 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | about 71 cm (28 in) |
| 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | about 74 cm (29 in) |
| 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) | about 76 cm (30 in) |
Common questions
- What height should my desk be?
- About 40 percent of your standing height, which lands most people between 66 and 76 cm. Mass-market desks are built at 72 to 76 cm, tall for anyone under about 180 cm. The real check is your elbows: sitting with feet flat, your forearms should reach the keyboard level, not sloping up.
- What if my desk is too tall and cannot be adjusted?
- Raise the chair until your elbows sit level with the desktop, then put a footrest under your feet so they are flat and your thighs stay supported. A keyboard tray below the desktop is the other fix. Cutting the legs down is the permanent option if the desk is yours.
- How high should a standing desk be?
- Roughly 60 to 62 percent of your height, which is higher than most people first set it. The same elbow rule applies standing: forearms roughly parallel to the floor, shoulders down, wrists flat. Set the seated and standing heights separately rather than guessing one from the other.
- How far should a monitor be from your eyes?
- About an arm length, adjusted for screen size: 60 to 80 cm for a 24 inch, 70 to 90 cm for a 27 inch, and 80 to 100 cm for a 32 inch. If the desk is too shallow to hit those, a monitor arm buys back 10 to 15 cm by pushing the screen past the back edge.
- Where should the top of the monitor sit?
- At or just below seated eye level, so your gaze drops slightly rather than lifting. Looking up at a screen for hours is what makes necks ache. If the monitor sits on a stand that is too low, a riser or an arm fixes it; a stack of books works for testing before you buy.
Depth, width and the clearance you need behind the chair are in the desk dimensions guide. If the problem is space rather than height, start with small desk layout.