Desk height calculator
Enter your height (or measure it with your phone camera) to get the right sitting desk, standing desk, chair and monitor height for your body. It is an ergonomic desk height calculator based on average body proportions, so it works for any desk you can adjust.
Barefoot figures from average adult body proportions. If you work in shoes, add their heel height to the desk and monitor numbers.
Desk height chart
Recommended heights from the floor for every body height from 150 to 200 cm (4 ft 11 in to 6 ft 7 in).
| Your height | Chair seat | Sitting desk | Standing desk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4′ 11″ (150 cm) | 15.1 in | 23.6 in | 37.2 in |
| 5′ 1″ (155 cm) | 15.6 in | 24.3 in | 38.4 in |
| 5′ 3″ (160 cm) | 16.1 in | 25.1 in | 39.7 in |
| 5′ 5″ (165 cm) | 16.6 in | 25.9 in | 40.9 in |
| 5′ 7″ (170 cm) | 17.1 in | 26.7 in | 42.2 in |
| 5′ 9″ (175 cm) | 17.6 in | 27.5 in | 43.4 in |
| 5′ 11″ (180 cm) | 18.1 in | 28.3 in | 44.6 in |
| 6′ 1″ (185 cm) | 18.6 in | 29.1 in | 45.9 in |
| 6′ 3″ (190 cm) | 19.1 in | 29.8 in | 47.1 in |
| 6′ 5″ (195 cm) | 19.6 in | 30.6 in | 48.4 in |
| 6′ 7″ (200 cm) | 20.1 in | 31.4 in | 49.6 in |
Built by Nitin Raja ·
How to set your desk height
Good desk height comes down to one body point: your elbows. With your shoulders relaxed and your upper arms hanging by your sides, bend your elbows to about 90 degrees. The desk or keyboard should sit right there, so your forearms are level and your wrists straight.
Sitting desk
- Set the chair first. Adjust it so your feet are flat on the floor and your thighs are level. The seat is then at about the height of the back of your knees, roughly a quarter of your height.
- Match the desk to your elbows. Seated elbow height is about 40% of your height from the floor. If the desk is fixed and too high, raise the chair to your elbows and add a footrest.
- Leave room for your legs. OSHA suggests 20 to 28 inches (50 to 72 cm) of clearance under the desk.
Standing desk height
Standing, your elbows are about 63% of your height from the floor. Set the desk there, then add the heel height of your shoes. For a 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) person, the standing desk height calculator gives about 113 cm (44.5 in) before shoes. Alternate between sitting and standing through the day rather than standing for hours.
Monitor height
Put the top of the screen at or slightly below eye level, with the centre of the screen 15 to 20 degrees below your eyes and the screen 20 to 40 inches (50 to 100 cm) away, as OSHA's workstation guidance recommends. Laptop users usually need a stand plus a separate keyboard to get both the screen and the keyboard right.
Most fixed desks are 28 to 30 inches (71 to 76 cm) tall. That suits average heights, which is why shorter and taller people so often end up uncomfortable. An adjustable desk solves it for everyone.
Why we built this desk height calculator
Before building CheckMyHeight, I tested a lot of height and sizing websites to see what people actually need from them and what gets in the way. Desk height is a good example of a question that a single "standard" number cannot answer.
Most fixed desks are 28 to 30 inches (71 to 76 cm) tall, and Cornell University's ergonomics guidance describes that range as suitable for most adults. Most is not everyone: a desk that suits a 175 cm person sits several centimetres too high for someone of 155 cm, who ends up typing with raised shoulders. The order of the setup matters too. A desk height only makes sense once the chair is set so your feet are flat and your thighs level, and the monitor height depends on where your eyes end up after that. So we wanted one page that starts from your own height and gives all of it at once: chair, sitting desk, standing desk and monitor, in inches and centimetres, with the ratios behind each number written out.
How we calculate it
The only input is your height, typed in feet and inches or centimetres (any height from 100 to 230 cm), or measured with the phone camera. Everything else comes from average body proportions: the sex-averaged 50th percentile adult ratios in Pheasant and Haslegrave's Bodyspace, the standard ergonomics reference. The code uses exactly these:
- Chair seat = 0.255 x height (the back of the knee, called popliteal height).
- Sitting desk = chair seat + 0.144 x height (seated elbow height above the seat), about 0.40 x height in total.
- Standing desk = 0.63 x height (standing elbow height).
- Monitor top, sitting = chair seat + 0.46 x height (seated eye height), placed at or slightly below eye level as OSHA's computer workstation guidance recommends.
- Monitor top, standing = 0.937 x height (standing eye height).
For a 170 cm person that gives a 43.4 cm seat, a 67.8 cm sitting desk, a 107.1 cm standing desk and a sitting monitor top at 121.6 cm. All figures are barefoot, so add the heel of the shoes you work in. The ratios were last checked against the sources on 24 October 2026. What it does not measure: your own limb proportions (long legs and a short back move the numbers), how much a seat cushion sinks, the thickness of a keyboard tray, a second monitor or reading glasses, or any medical need. If those apply, sit in position and measure floor to elbow directly.
Why this desk height calculator is different
- The chair comes first. You get the seat height along with the desk, which is the step that makes the desk number work.
- Five heights from one input, sitting and standing, in both inches and centimetres.
- The method is on the page: every ratio, its source and a worked example, plus a full chart from 150 to 200 cm you can check without typing anything.
- Measure instead of guessing. If you do not know your height, the camera button measures it with live AR in the browser; the camera feed is processed on your phone and not uploaded.
- It starts empty. No sample height is filled in and no numbers appear until you enter your own.
- Free, no account, no app. The address bar keeps your height, so a copied link opens with the same result.
Setting up a living room too? See the TV mounting height calculator.
Questions
What is the right desk height for my height?
For typing while seated, the desk (or keyboard) should be at your elbow height when you sit with your feet flat and your upper arms relaxed. For an average adult that works out to about 40% of body height: around 68 cm (26.7 in) for someone 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) tall. The chart on this page lists every height from 150 to 200 cm.
How high should a standing desk be?
Set it at your elbow height when standing with your shoulders relaxed, which is about 63% of your height. For a 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) person that is about 113 cm (44.5 in). Add the heel height of the shoes you wear at work.
What is the standard desk height?
Most fixed desks are 28 to 30 inches (71 to 76 cm) tall, which Cornell University ergonomics guidance describes as suitable for most adults. Shorter people often need a lower desk or a footrest; taller people often need a taller desk or an adjustable one.
How high should my monitor be?
OSHA advises that the top of the monitor should be at or slightly below eye level, with the centre of the screen about 15 to 20 degrees below your eyes and the screen 20 to 40 inches (50 to 100 cm) away.
What chair height do I need?
The seat should be about the height of the back of your knees, so your feet sit flat and your thighs are level. That is roughly a quarter of your height: about 46 cm (18 in) for someone 180 cm tall. If your desk is too high to lower, raise the chair and use a footrest.
Are these numbers exact for me?
They are based on average body proportions and can be a few centimetres off for you. For the most accurate setting, sit or stand in position and have someone measure floor to your elbow with the camera on the measure objects page.