Standing Desk Height Calculator: Find Your Perfect Ergonomic Height
Updated February 2026
The right desk height is the difference between a standing desk that relieves strain and one that causes it. This guide gives you a simple way to estimate your ideal standing and sitting heights from your body measurements, a reference chart, and the fine-tuning method that beats any formula.
The principle behind the numbers
Ergonomic desk height is set by your elbows, not your desk. When you stand with upper arms relaxed at your sides and forearms parallel to the floor, the height of your elbows off the ground is your target desk surface height. The same rule applies seated. Everything below is just a way to estimate that elbow height when you can't measure it directly.
Quick estimate from your height
As a starting approximation for standing desk height, many people land close to their total height times 0.62. So for someone 70 inches (5'10") tall, that's roughly 43-44 inches. This is only a starting point, because arm and torso proportions vary; always adjust by feel afterward.
Reference chart
Approximate ergonomic heights by user height. Standing is the desk surface height; seated assumes a properly adjusted chair with feet flat.
| Your height | Standing desk height | Seated desk height |
|---|---|---|
| 5'0" (152 cm) | ~36 in / 91 cm | ~22.5 in / 57 cm |
| 5'4" (163 cm) | ~39 in / 99 cm | ~24 in / 61 cm |
| 5'8" (173 cm) | ~42 in / 107 cm | ~25.5 in / 65 cm |
| 6'0" (183 cm) | ~44 in / 112 cm | ~27 in / 69 cm |
| 6'4" (193 cm) | ~47 in / 119 cm | ~28.5 in / 72 cm |
Notice the range: a desk that only reaches 46 inches won't serve a tall user standing, and one that won't drop below 26 inches is too high for a short user seated. Check a frame's full travel range against your two numbers before buying. A wide-range standing desk that spans roughly 25 to 50 inches covers almost everyone.
How to fine-tune by feel
- Set the desk to your chart estimate and stand naturally in front of it.
- Place your hands on the keyboard. Your elbows should form roughly a 90-degree angle and your shoulders should be relaxed, not shrugged up.
- If your shoulders rise or your wrists bend upward, lower the desk an inch.
- If you have to reach down or hunch, raise it.
- Get your monitor to eye level separately with a monitor arm; don't compromise desk height to fix screen height.
Don't forget the keyboard plane
What actually needs to be at elbow height is your keyboard, not the desktop. If your desk is slightly high, a under-desk keyboard tray drops your hands to the right level without lowering everything else. This is common for taller monitors on shorter users.
Two heights, one button
Once you've dialed in your standing and sitting numbers, save them as presets on an electric desk so you switch positions without re-measuring. A desk with a programmable memory controller makes alternating throughout the day effortless, which is the habit that actually delivers the health benefit.
Accounting for your keyboard and shoes
Two variables throw off the chart estimates. First, thick keyboards add height: if you use a tall mechanical keyboard, your hands sit half an inch to an inch above the desk surface, so you may want the desk slightly lower than the raw number suggests. A low-profile keyboard or a negative-tilt tray minimizes this. Second, shoes change your standing height; measure and set your height in the footwear (or barefoot on a mat) you actually work in, and re-check if that changes.
Sitting height needs its own attention
People obsess over the standing number and neglect the seated one. When seated, your feet should be flat on the floor, thighs roughly parallel to the ground, and elbows again near 90 degrees. If a fixed-height chair leaves your feet dangling, add a footrest rather than raising the seat until your feet float. Save both your correct sitting and standing heights as presets so you never have to re-dial them.
What if two people share the desk?
Shared or hot-desk setups are exactly where memory presets earn their keep. Each person stores their own sit and stand heights, and switching users is a single button press. Without presets, people tend to leave the desk at whatever the last person set, which defeats the purpose. If you share a desk without presets, at least tape a small note with each person's two numbers near the controller.
Metric quick math
Prefer centimeters? The same elbow principle applies: stand naturally, measure from the floor to the underside of your bent elbow, and that's your target surface height in cm. The chart above lists both units so you can sanity-check against your measurement.
Use the chart to get close, then trust your elbows and shoulders for the final adjustment. Your body is a better ergonomics tool than any formula.