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Standing desk height chart by your height

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In short

Your desk top should sit at about your elbow height, with forearms roughly horizontal, both sitting and standing. As a rough guide, a person 170 cm tall needs a desk around 68 to 70 cm when seated and around 105 to 107 cm when standing, in shoes. Because arm and leg lengths vary, measure your own elbow heights rather than relying on a chart, and check they fall inside the desk's height range.

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From above of desk with paper and pen with glasses and tape measure near glass of water in room in soft daylight
Photo: Anete Lusina on Pexels

When you shop for a standing desk, the height range is the first spec to check, but what range do you actually need? The answer depends on your elbow height when sitting and standing, which roughly follows your overall height. This article gives a rough chart in centimetres, explains how to measure your own heights properly, and shows how to compare them with a desk's minimum and maximum. It follows the HSE display screen equipment guidance, which suggests keeping forearms roughly horizontal at the keyboard.

The principle: desk at elbow height

With your shoulders relaxed and elbows bent at about 90 degrees, your forearms should be roughly horizontal when your hands are on the keyboard. That puts the desk top, or more precisely the keyboard's home row, at about elbow height. Because a keyboard adds a little height, many people set the desk top a centimetre or two below elbow height.

This applies both sitting and standing. A good sit-stand desk has a range wide enough to reach both of your heights with some margin.

desk at maximumdesk at minimumseated elbowsets the minimumstanding elbowdesk rangee.g. 62 to 127 cm
Elbow height sets the desk height, sitting and standing. The desk's range has to cover both.

Rough height chart

The table below gives rounded desk heights based on typical body proportions, measured in everyday shoes with a standard keyboard. It is only a starting point. People of the same height can differ by several centimetres in elbow height, so measure yourself before relying on it.

Your heightSeated desk heightStanding desk height
155 cmAbout 61 to 63 cmAbout 95 to 97 cm
160 cmAbout 63 to 65 cmAbout 98 to 100 cm
165 cmAbout 65 to 67 cmAbout 101 to 103 cm
170 cmAbout 68 to 70 cmAbout 105 to 107 cm
175 cmAbout 70 to 72 cmAbout 108 to 110 cm
180 cmAbout 72 to 74 cmAbout 111 to 113 cm
185 cmAbout 74 to 76 cmAbout 114 to 116 cm
190 cmAbout 76 to 78 cmAbout 117 to 119 cm
195 cmAbout 78 to 80 cmAbout 120 to 122 cm
Rough desk top heights in cm, in shoes

How to measure your own elbow heights

Measuring takes two minutes and is far more reliable than a chart. Wear the shoes you normally work in, and set your chair up first, because seated elbow height depends on chair height.

  1. 1

    Sit in your chair, adjusted so your feet are flat and thighs roughly level.

  2. 2

    Let your arms hang, then bend your elbows to about 90 degrees with shoulders relaxed.

  3. 3

    Measure from the floor to the underside of your forearm: this is your seated elbow height.

  4. 4

    Stand up straight in your shoes and repeat for your standing elbow height.

  5. 5

    Subtract about 2 cm for a typical keyboard to get your target desk heights.

  6. 6

    Enter both in our desk height fit tool with the desk's range.

Open the desk height fit tool →

Checking a desk's range

Compare your two target heights with the desk's minimum and maximum. Your seated target should be at or above the minimum, and your standing target at or below the maximum, ideally with a few centimetres to spare. Ranges in our guides vary: three-stage frames such as the Maidesite T2 Pro Plus and Flexispot E6 MAX list 60 to 125 cm or 62 to 125 cm, while many complete desks list 72 to 118 or 120 cm.

Shorter users should watch the minimum. If your seated target is below the desk's lowest setting, the desk will be too high when sitting unless you raise the chair and add a footrest. Taller users should watch the maximum.

Compare desk height ranges →

Screen height and other factors

Desk height sets your keyboard, but your screen should sit so the top is at or slightly below eye level and about an arm's length away, as the HSE checklist suggests. On a standing desk, the screen rises with the desk, so a monitor arm or riser helps fine-tune it. Thick anti-fatigue mats or different shoes change your standing height, so re-measure if you change them. Our presets guide shows how to save both heights.

Frequently asked questions

What height should a standing desk be? At about your standing elbow height, minus a little for the keyboard. For many adults that is somewhere between about 95 and 120 cm.

What height standing desk do I need? One whose range covers both your seated and standing targets with a few centimetres to spare.

How tall should a standing desk be for someone 6 foot? About 183 cm tall usually needs roughly 113 to 115 cm standing and 73 to 75 cm seated, but measure to be sure.

Do I measure with shoes on? Yes, in the shoes you usually wear at the desk.

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