Ergonomic Desk & Chair Height Calculator
Get a recommended desk height, chair seat height, and monitor top height based on your own height — a general ergonomic starting point.
Desk height
71.4 cm
28.1 in
Chair seat height
42.5 cm
16.7 in
Monitor top height
99.4 cm
39.1 in
These are general starting points based on typical body proportions, measured from the floor — not a precise fit for every body, since torso and leg length ratios vary even at the same height. Chair height should let your feet rest flat on the floor with knees at roughly 90°; desk height should let your elbows rest at roughly 90° while typing; monitor top height assumes sitting upright at that desk. Adjust from these starting points to what's actually comfortable for you.
About this tool
How to use it
- Enter your height and pick cm or inches.
- Press Calculate Heights, or just keep typing — the results update live.
- Use the three figures as starting points and adjust the chair, desk, or monitor from there until it's actually comfortable.
Why it matters
A desk and chair sized for an average adult can leave a much taller or shorter person straining their neck, wrists, or lower back all day without realizing the furniture itself is the problem. Starting from a height-based recommendation, rather than whatever the desk happened to come set to, is a quick way to check whether your current setup is roughly in the right range.
When to use it
Useful when setting up a new desk or chair, when troubleshooting recurring neck, wrist, or back discomfort at your workstation, or when checking a shared or borrowed desk against your own height before settling in for a long session.
Good to know
These figures are general proportional guidelines based on typical body ratios, not a measurement of your actual ideal setup — torso and leg length vary even between people of the same height, so treat the numbers as a starting point to adjust from rather than a precise target. The chair height assumes feet flat on the floor with knees at roughly 90°; the desk height assumes elbows at roughly 90° while typing; the monitor height assumes sitting upright at that same desk.
Common questions
Why isn't the recommendation exact for my body?
Height alone doesn't fully determine leg length, torso length, or arm length — two people of the same height can have quite different proportions. These figures use typical average ratios as a starting point; if something still feels wrong after adjusting to the recommended height, trust your own comfort over the number.
What if my chair or desk isn't adjustable to the recommended height?
Use accessories to close the gap — a footrest if the chair sits too high for your feet to reach the floor, a monitor stand or stack of books if the screen sits too low, or a keyboard tray if the desk itself is fixed too high relative to your elbows.
Does this account for standing desks?
No — these figures are for a seated desk and chair setup. A standing desk's ideal height follows a different (generally taller) recommendation based on standing elbow height rather than seated elbow height.
Why is the monitor height given as a separate figure from the desk height?
The monitor's top edge should sit at or slightly below your seated eye level, which is higher than the desk surface itself — showing it separately makes clear it's the top of the screen, not where the monitor's base or stand should sit on the desk.