Desk Height Calculator (sitting & standing desk, chair, monitor)

Understanding the desk height calculator — concept and principle

This calculator suggests a seated desk height, chair seat height, standing desk height and top-of-monitor height from your body height, sex and shoes. It scales body dimensions from your height using median body proportions from the ANSUR II anthropometric survey. People setting up a home office or buying a standing desk use it.

Body proportions → desk setup — with the default inputs: Desk 69 cm.

How it is calculated

Chair seat = popliteal height (floor to back of knee) + shoe allowance
Seated desk = seat height + sitting elbow height
Standing desk = standing elbow height + shoe allowance
Top of monitor ≈ seat height + sitting eye height
Proportions of height, men: popliteal 0.245, elbow rest 0.140, standing elbow 0.617, sitting eye 0.458; women: 0.238, 0.143, 0.616, 0.460

The principle

A neutral working posture keeps feet flat with thighs roughly level, upper arms relaxed and forearms about horizontal, so the keyboard sits near elbow height. Body segments are roughly proportional to stature, so median proportions from the large ANSUR II survey give a reasonable first estimate. Workstation standards such as ANSI/HFES 100-2007 describe the same posture principles. The top of the screen at or slightly below eye height lets you look slightly downward at the content.

Worked example

Defaults: height 172 cm, male, shoe allowance 2.5 cm.

Chair seat = 0.245 × 172 + 2.5 = 44.6, shown as 45 cm.
Elbow above seat = 0.140 × 172 = 24 cm.
Seated desk = 44.6 + 24.1 = 69 cm.
Standing desk = 0.617 × 172 + 2.5 = 109 cm.
Top of monitor = 44.6 + 0.458 × 172 = 123 cm from the floor.

Each point is the calculator re-run with only “Shoe allowance (cm)” changed; the gold point is the default example. Change the inputs above and this chart follows your numbers.

Shoe allowance (cm)	Seated desk / keyboard height (cm)
0.625	67
1.25	68
1.88	68
2.5	69
3.12	69
3.75	70
5	71

How to read the result

Use these as starting points and fine-tune by feel: your shoulders should be relaxed, forearms level and feet supported. Many fixed desks are about 72–75 cm high, which is too high for many people; then raise the chair and add a footrest. Individual proportions vary by a few centimetres.

Common mistakes

Setting the desk without first setting the chair.
Forgetting shoes, or the lack of them.
Measuring the monitor height from the desk instead of the floor.
Keeping the same height all day instead of changing posture.

Keep in mind: Not medical advice. Persistent pain in the neck, back or wrists should be assessed by a health professional.

Frequently asked questions

How high should my desk be for my height?

About seat height plus sitting elbow height; for a 172 cm man, about 69 cm.

How high should a standing desk be?

At about standing elbow height, with shoes.

Where should the monitor be?

The top of the screen at about eye height, roughly an arm's length away.

Sources: Gordon CC, et al., 2012 Anthropometric Survey of U.S. Army Personnel (ANSUR II): Methods and Summary Statistics, NATICK/TR-15/007 (2014) · ANSI/HFES 100-2007, Human Factors Engineering of Computer Workstations

Checked 9 Nov 2026. Gordon CC et al., 2012 Anthropometric Survey of U.S. Army Personnel (ANSUR II): Methods and Summary Statistics, NATICK/TR-15/007 (2014), 50th-percentile values as tabulated by The Ergonomics Center of North Carolina (2017); seated posture principles from ANSI/HFES 100-2007, Human Factors Engineering of Computer Workstations.

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