Desk Height Calculator

Desk height chart by height

Recommended heights in 1-inch shoes, measured from the floor. Desk heights are for the surface your keyboard sits on and put it at elbow height. A 5′9″ person, for example, needs a 27 in desk sitting and 43 in standing.

These are estimates from average body proportions. Two people of the same height can differ by an inch or more in elbow height, so if your shoulders creep up or your wrists bend, adjust from here or measure your elbow height.

What is the standard desk height?

Usually 28 to 30 inches (71 to 76 cm). IKEA and UPLIFT both give that range for a standard or average desk, and IKEA's MICKE desk, for example, is 29½ inches tall. The ANSI/HFES 100-2007 workstation standard sets 28.5 inches as the minimum for a fixed desk, and BIFMA's ergonomics guideline recommends a seated keyboard height range of 22.6 to 29.4 inches.

That puts the standard desk at the top of the range. By this calculator's estimate, a 29.5-inch desk has the keyboard at elbow height for someone about 6′4″ tall, and a 28.5-inch desk for someone about 6′1″. Most people are shorter, so at a standard desk the keyboard ends up above their elbows. The fixes, in order of preference:

• An adjustable keyboard tray, which lowers the keyboard and mouse without touching the chair.
• Raise the chair until your elbows are level with the desk, then put a footrest under your feet. OSHA lists a footrest as the fix when the desk height is not adjustable.
• A height-adjustable desk, set to the sitting height above.

How tall should a standing desk be?

Set a standing desk so the keyboard is at your elbow height with your upper arms hanging relaxed. OSHA's neutral posture has the elbows bent between 90 and 120 degrees, so a desk a little below your elbows is fine; one above them is not. In 1-inch shoes that works out to about:

• 39 in (99 cm) at 5′2″
• 43 in (110 cm) at 5′9″
• 46.5 in (117 cm) at 6′2″

BIFMA's guideline recommends standing keyboard heights from 38.3 to 48.7 inches and a sit-stand range of 22 to 50 inches. Standing desks are usually set too high: if you have to lift your shoulders or bend your wrists back to type, lower it. Standing on an anti-fatigue mat or a walking pad raises you, so measure your elbow height on it.

What is the proper desk height for sitting?

Set the chair first, then the desk. A desk at the right height for your elbows is wrong if your feet are dangling, and the chair is what puts your elbows where they are.

1. Raise or lower the seat until your feet are flat on the floor, your thighs are about level and the backs of your knees sit just above the front of the seat.
2. With your shoulders relaxed and your upper arms hanging straight down, bend your elbows to a right angle.
3. Set the desk or keyboard tray so the keyboard is at that height or a little lower.

At 5′9″ in 1-inch shoes, that is a seat around 18 in (45 cm) and a desk around 27 in (69 cm). OSHA also wants 20 to 28 inches of clear height under the desk for your legs, which matters if you add a keyboard tray or drawer.

How high should an office chair be?

The seat should be at or just below the height of the back of your knee (popliteal height). OSHA's test: the whole sole of your foot rests on the floor and the back of your knee is slightly higher than the seat. Too high and the seat edge presses into your thighs; too low and your knees rise above your hips.

The ANSI/HFES 100-2007 standard asks office chairs to adjust over at least 15 to 22 inches from the floor. People under about 4′10″ may need a footrest even at the lowest setting, and people over about 7′2″ a taller gas cylinder.

More on fit in our office chair guide.

How high should a monitor be?

OSHA's guidance is that the top of the screen should be at or slightly below eye level, with the center of the screen 15 to 20 degrees below your horizontal line of sight. At 25 inches away, that puts the center of the screen 6.5 in to 9 in below your eyes. Keep the screen 20 to 40 inches (50 to 100 cm) from your eyes.

Seated, a 5′9″ person's eyes are about 22 in above a desk set at elbow height, so the top of the screen goes no higher than that above the desk. A monitor arm or riser gets it there if the stand can't. If you wear bifocals or progressives, OSHA suggests setting the screen lower than this and tilting it up.

What height should a keyboard be?

The keyboard goes at elbow height, which is the same number as the desk height above. OSHA: elbows about the same height as the keyboard, hanging comfortably at your sides, with wrists straight. If your desk is a fixed height, a keyboard tray is the easiest fix; BIFMA's guideline has trays covering 22.6 to 29.4 inches seated and 38.3 to 48.7 inches standing. A thick keyboard raises your hands above the desk surface, so lower the desk by roughly the keyboard's height if your wrists bend upward.

Which standing desks fit your height?

A standing desk has to go low enough for you to sit and high enough for you to stand. Heights below are each maker's published range, from the floor to the top of the desk; where a maker lists the frame alone, we added a 1-inch desktop, as UPLIFT's spec sheets do. The last column is the range of heights, in 1-inch shoes, that the desk covers in both positions by this calculator's estimate.

Outside that span a desk still works in one position. A shorter person can sit at a desk with a high minimum by raising the chair and using a footrest; a taller person at a desk that tops out too low has no such fix. Compare them in our standing desk picks.

Ergonomic desk setup checklist

1. Chair: feet flat, thighs about level, back of the knee just above the seat edge, lower back against the backrest.
2. Desk or keyboard: at elbow height with your shoulders relaxed and elbows bent 90 to 120 degrees.
3. Mouse: beside the keyboard at the same height.
4. Monitor: top at or slightly below eye level, 20 to 40 inches away, straight in front of you.
5. Legs: 20 to 28 inches of clear height under the desk.
6. Standing: save your sitting and standing heights as presets so switching takes one button, and change position through the day.

How to measure your elbow height

Measuring beats any estimate from height, because arm and leg length vary. You need a tape measure and ideally a second person.

1. Stand in the shoes you work in, with your upper arms hanging straight down by your sides.
2. Bend your elbows to a right angle, forearms level.
3. Measure from the floor to the underside of your forearm at the elbow. That is your standing desk height.
4. For sitting, set your chair first (feet flat, thighs level), then measure the same way from the floor.

Enter either number in the calculator to override its estimate.

How this calculator works

The calculator scales your height by body proportions from the 1988 U.S. Army anthropometric survey, which measured 2,208 women and 1,774 men. For each body dimension, the survey's mean is divided by mean stature, separately for women and men, and the two ratios are averaged:

• Chair seat = popliteal height + shoes.
• Sitting desk = seat + seated elbow rest height.
• Standing desk = standing elbow height + shoes.
• Monitor top = eye height (seat + seated eye height, or standing eye height + shoes).

The calculator treats the survey's figures as barefoot heights and adds the shoe height you choose. Seated elbow height varies little with stature in the survey (women and men averaged 8.68 and 9.08 inches despite a 5.0-inch gap in height), so seated desk estimates are the least certain; a measured elbow height replaces the estimate. The placement rules (knee just above the seat, keyboard at elbow height, top of the screen at eye level) are OSHA's. Sources were checked on October 7, 2026.

Sources

1. Gordon CC et al. (1989). 1988 Anthropometric Survey of U.S. Army Personnel: Summary Statistics Interim Report. NATICK/TR-89/027 (2,208 women, 1,774 men). Excerpted tables hosted by the NC State University Ergonomics Center. multisite.eos.ncsu.edu/www-ergocenter-ncsu-edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2016/06/Anthropometric-Detailed-Data-Tables.pdf
2. OSHA, Computer Workstations eTool: Monitors (top of screen at or slightly below eye level, 20 to 40 inches away, center 15 to 20 degrees below eye level). www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/components/monitors
3. OSHA, Computer Workstations eTool: Keyboards (elbows about the same height as the keyboard). www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/components/keyboards
4. OSHA, Computer Workstations eTool: Chairs (whole sole on the floor, back of the knee slightly higher than the seat). www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/components/chairs
5. OSHA, Computer Workstations eTool: Desks (leg clearance 20 to 28 inches high). www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/components/desks
6. OSHA, Computer Workstations eTool: Good Working Positions (elbows bent 90 to 120 degrees, thighs roughly parallel to the floor). www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/positions
7. University of Washington Environmental Health & Safety, Office and Administrative Ergonomic Furniture and Equipment Design Guidelines (August 2026), quoting BIFMA G1-2013 and ANSI/HFES 100-2007 with page numbers. facilities.uw.edu/files/media/uwf-ds-eh-and-s-office-ergonomics-furniture-design.pdf
8. IKEA, Desks & computer desks: "The standard height for a computer desk is between 28-30 inches". www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/desks-computer-desks-20649/
9. IKEA, MICKE desk product dimensions (height 29 1/2"). www.ikea.com/us/en/p/micke-desk-white-90214308/
10. UPLIFT Desk, How to choose the perfect standing desk size ("The average height of a desk ranges from 28" to 30""). www.upliftdesk.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-perfect-standing-desk-size/
11. UPLIFT Desk, V3 Standing Desk (22.6" to 48.7", fits 95% of users to meet ANSI/BIFMA guidelines) and FV3-200C frame spec sheet (21.6" to 47.7" frame only). www.upliftdesk.com/uplift-v3-standing-desk/
12. UPLIFT Desk, V3 4-Leg frame spec sheet (frame only 21.6" to 47.7"; with 1" desktop 22.6" to 48.7"). www.content.upliftdesk.com/content/pdfs/desks-and-frames/FV3-400-specs-sheet.pdf
13. FlexiSpot, EN1 standing desk (spec table 29" to 48.6"; frame description 27.9" to 47.6"). www.flexispot.com/electric-height-adjustable-standing-desk-en1
14. FlexiSpot, E6 desk frame (height adjustments 23.6" to 48.4", frame only). www.flexispot.com/height-adjustable-desks/frame-only/electric-height-adjustable-desk-frames-3-stage-quick-installation-option-e6
15. FlexiSpot, E7 standing desk (height range 22.8" to 48.4" without top). www.flexispot.com/flexispot-pro-standing-desk-e7
16. Branch, Duo Standing Desk (lift range 28" to 47.3"). www.branchfurniture.com/products/duo-standing-desk
17. Vari, Electric Standing Desk 60x30 (25" to 50.5" high, 1.25" desktop). www.vari.com/electric-standing-desk-60x30/FD-ESD6030.html
18. Steelcase Store, Gesture chair dimensions (seat height 16" to 21"). store.steelcase.com/seating/ergonomic-chairs/gesture
19. Herman Miller Store, Aeron Chair (sizes B and C: seat height 16" to 20 1/2"; size A 14 3/4" to 19"). Herman Miller lists wider ranges with other cylinders. store.hermanmiller.com/office-chairs-aeron/aeron-chair/2195348.html?lang=en_US
20. UPLIFT Desk, Intuition Ergonomic Chair (seat height 16.5" to 21.5"). www.upliftdesk.com/intuition-ergonomic-chair/
21. HON, Ignition seating price list, January 2020, Ignition 2.0 dimensions (seat height 16 3/8" to 21 1/4" for the standard mid-back models). www.hon.com/sites/hon.com/files/ignition-seating-pricer.pdf