TV mounting height calculator
The best TV height puts the middle of the screen at your eye level when you sit down. This TV height calculator takes your height, seat and screen size and works out where the wall mount should put the screen. You can even check your current TV with your phone camera.
Eye level from your height uses average body proportions; your own may differ by a few centimetres. For the exact figure, sit down and have someone measure floor to your eyes with the camera.
TV height chart
Mounting heights by screen size with the centre at 42 in (107 cm), the common rule of thumb for a sofa. Recommended viewing distance is 1.2 to 1.6 times the screen size.
| TV size | Bottom edge | Top edge | Sit from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 in | 34 in (87 cm) | 50 in (127 cm) | 3.2-4.3 ft |
| 40 in | 32 in (82 cm) | 52 in (132 cm) | 4.0-5.4 ft |
| 43 in | 31 in (80 cm) | 53 in (133 cm) | 4.3-5.8 ft |
| 50 in | 30 in (76 cm) | 54 in (138 cm) | 5.0-6.8 ft |
| 55 in | 29 in (72 cm) | 55 in (141 cm) | 5.5-7.5 ft |
| 65 in | 26 in (66 cm) | 58 in (147 cm) | 6.5-8.8 ft |
| 75 in | 24 in (60 cm) | 60 in (153 cm) | 7.5-10.2 ft |
| 85 in | 21 in (54 cm) | 63 in (160 cm) | 8.5-11.5 ft |
Built by Nitin Raja ·
How high to mount a TV
The comfortable rule is simple: the middle of the screen should be level with your eyes when you sit where you usually watch. Looking straight ahead, or very slightly down, is easy on your neck for a whole film. Looking up at a TV mounted too high is the most common mistake.
The 42 inch rule, and why your height matters
Most guides say to put the centre of the screen 42 inches (107 cm) from the floor. That number assumes an 18 inch sofa seat and about 24 inches from the seat to your eyes, which fits a relaxed, sunk-in sofa posture. Sitting upright, your eyes are roughly 46% of your height above the seat. For a 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) person on the same sofa, that puts the eyes near 50 inches from the floor, so a TV at 42 inches would be a little low.
That is why this calculator asks for your height and how you sit. If several people watch, use the height of whoever watches most, or the average.
Working out the bottom and top of the screen
A 16:9 TV is about 0.49 times its diagonal tall. A 55 inch TV is about 27 inches tall, so with its centre at 42 inches the bottom edge is at about 29 inches and the top at about 55 inches. Mount brackets are rarely in the middle of the TV, so measure from the bracket holes on the back of your TV to its centre before drilling.
Viewing distance
For a sharp, immersive picture, sit between about 1.2 and 1.6 times the screen size away. That gives a 40 to 30 degree field of view, the range THX and SMPTE guidance use. The further back you sit, the less the exact mounting height matters.
Why we built this TV mounting height calculator
Before building CheckMyHeight, I tested a lot of height and sizing websites to see what people need and what gets in the way. TV height advice is a good example of a rule that gets repeated without its assumptions. Most guides give one number, a screen centre 42 inches from the floor, and some only give a chart by screen size. That number quietly assumes an 18 inch sofa seat and a relaxed, sunk-in posture. It does not change with how tall you are or how you sit, yet sitting upright your eyes are roughly 46% of your height above the seat, so for many adults the 42 inch screen ends up below eye level.
We already measure height on this site, so the calculator starts from the viewer: your height, your seat and how you sit, then the screen size. And because most people asking already have a TV on the wall, it can check where yours hangs now with the phone camera.
What this TV mounting height calculator measures
Inputs: your height (typed, or measured with the camera button), the TV size in inches, the seat height (low sofa 16 in, standard 18 in, firm chair 20 in), how you sit, and your viewing distance in feet. The code then works out:
- Eye level, upright = seat height + 0.46 × your height, from the average seated eye height in Pheasant and Haslegrave's Bodyspace.
- Eye level, relaxed = the 42 inch (107 cm) rule, moved up or down by the difference between your seat and an 18 inch seat.
- Screen centre = that eye level. Bottom and top edges = centre minus and plus half the screen height, taking a 16:9 screen as 0.49 × its diagonal.
- Viewing distance = 1.2 to 1.63 × the diagonal, the 40 to 30 degree field of view in THX and SMPTE guidance, with a note if you sit closer than 1.2 or further than 2 times the diagonal.
- Camera check (optional): tap the floor under the TV and aim at the middle of the screen; the measured centre is compared with the recommendation.
The ratios were last checked on 24 October 2026. What it does not measure: where the bracket holes sit on the back of your TV (measure that before drilling), the wall's structure, glare, or screens that are not 16:9. Eye level from height uses average body proportions, so your own can differ by a few centimetres.
Why this TV mounting height calculator is different
- Based on your body, not only on the screen size: your height, seat and posture change the answer.
- Both rules on one page: the common 42 inch rule for a relaxed sofa and the upright eye-height rule, so you can see why they differ.
- Check your current TV with the phone camera instead of getting out a tape measure.
- The formulas are shown, along with a chart for common screen sizes.
- It starts empty. No sample height or screen size is filled in, and no mounting height appears until you enter your own.
- No account and nothing sent. It runs in your browser; camera measuring happens on your device. The address bar keeps your inputs, so a copied link opens with the same result.
Setting up a desk too? Try the desk height calculator.
Questions
How high should I mount my TV?
Put the centre of the screen at the height of your eyes when you are sitting where you watch. For a typical sofa that is often quoted as about 42 inches (107 cm) from the floor. Taller people and firm, upright seats need it higher, which is why the calculator above uses your own height.
Where does the 42 inch rule come from?
It assumes an 18 inch sofa seat plus about 24 inches from the seat to your eyes. That fits a relaxed, slouched sofa posture. Sitting upright, your eyes are about 46% of your height above the seat, so a 5 ft 10 in person on the same sofa has eyes nearer 50 inches from the floor.
How high should a 55 inch TV be mounted?
With the centre at 42 inches, the bottom of a 55 inch TV sits about 29 inches from the floor and the top about 55 inches. The chart on this page lists the same numbers for other sizes.
How high should I mount a TV in a bedroom?
Use the same rule: the middle of the screen at your eye level where you watch, which in a bedroom is usually sitting up in bed. Your eyes are then about your mattress height plus 46% of your height. For a 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) person on a mattress that tops out at 24 in (61 cm), that is about 56 in (143 cm) from the floor. If you watch lying back on pillows, go a little lower or tilt the screen down.
How high to mount a TV above a fireplace?
Above a fireplace the screen is usually well above eye level, which makes you look up. If you must, choose a mount that tilts down, keep the TV as low as the mantel allows and sit further back so the angle is smaller.
How far should I sit from my TV?
For a 16:9 screen, sitting between about 1.2 and 1.6 times the screen size away gives a 40 to 30 degree field of view, the range used by THX and SMPTE guidance. For a 65 inch TV that is roughly 6.5 to 9 feet.
How do I check how high my TV is now?
Tap Check my TV with the camera, point at the floor below the TV, tap it, then aim at the middle of the screen. The calculator compares it with your recommended height.
Should the TV be tilted?
If the centre ends up above your eye level, a mount that tilts the screen down toward you reduces glare and keeps the picture looking right. Keeping the centre at eye level is still the most comfortable option.