06 — Guides
Standing Desk Height Calculator
A starting number for your stature, plus the elbow test to fine-tune it — so the desk fits you, not the other way around.
Your standing-desk height is roughly your elbow height standing — for most people a little over 60% of their total height. Enter your height below for a starting number, then confirm it with the elbow test. These are estimates to tune from, not exact prescriptions.
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Standing-desk height calculator
- Standing desk height
- 43.4" / 110 cm
- Elbows ~90°, forearms level
- Seated desk height
- 28.7" / 73 cm
- For your sit half of the day
- Monitor top / eye level
- 65.1" / 165 cm
- Top of screen at or just below eye height
These are starting estimates from stature-relative ratios, not exact measurements. Fine-tune with the elbow test: stand relaxed, bend your elbows to about 90°, and set the desk so your hands rest on the keyboard without shrugging or reaching down.
How to use the numbers
The calculator uses stature-relative ratios to estimate your standing-desk height (elbow height), a seated desk height for the sitting half of your day, and where the top of your monitor should sit. They're starting points — bodies vary in proportion, so finish with the elbow test: stand relaxed, bend your elbows to about 90°, and set the desk so your hands rest on the keyboard without shrugging up or reaching down.
Pay attention to the seated figure if you are shorter than average, because it is the number most desks cannot reach — a standard fixed desk is built at 28 to 30 inches, which is several inches above where a 5-foot-2 sitter needs it. Which desks publish a low enough minimum is the subject of standing desks for short people; at the other end, desks for tall people covers running out of travel at the top.
Standing-desk height by height (chart)
These are approximate starting heights; use them as a sanity check on the calculator.
| Your height | Approx. standing desk height |
|---|---|
| 5'4" (163 cm) | ~40" (101 cm) |
| 5'7" (170 cm) | ~42" (106 cm) |
| 5'10" (178 cm) | ~44" (111 cm) |
| 6'1" (185 cm) | ~45.5" (116 cm) |
| 6'4" (193 cm) | ~47.5" (121 cm) |
Why height matters so much
A desk set too high hikes your shoulders; too low makes you hunch. Both undo the benefit of standing and are common causes of standing-desk back and neck pain. If you share a desk or your ideal height falls near the top or bottom of a desk's range, make sure the desk you buy actually reaches it — check the range in our standing-desk picks.
Getting the monitor to eye level is the other half; the calculator gives you that number too, and a monitor arm is the easiest way to hit it.
Questions
Frequently asked
What height should my standing desk be for my height?
How do I know if my standing desk is at the right height?
What height should my monitor be?
Keep reading
Related
- How to set up a standing deskWhat to do with the numbers once you have them
- Correct standing-desk postureThe full setup, step by step.
- The best standing desksCheck the height range reaches your number.
- Best monitor armsGet the screen to eye level.
- Best standing desks for tall peopleIf your number lands above where most frames stop.
- How to fix a wobbly standing deskCheck you are not standing higher than you need to.
- Standing desk vs converterA converter adds its travel to your existing desk height — do the math first.
- Home-office ergonomic self-assessmentThe rest of the workstation, once the height is set
Receipts
Sources
We do not run a testing lab, and we do not pretend to. We verify certifications in the certifying body's own registry, compile specs from manufacturer manuals, and cite health claims to recognized authorities — by name, with a link. Where we could not verify something, we say so on the page rather than quietly leaving it out. Read our full method.