Desk and chair height calculator
This calculator turns your height into four rough starting estimates, not measured personal settings. Height alone does not determine limb proportions, posture or chair geometry, so adjust each figure by comfort and check the fit against your own body: the chair seat height, the desk or keyboard height, the height of the top of your monitor, and where the centre of a lumbar support should sit. Tell it whether you are setting up a sitting or a standing desk, and give it your measured leg length if you have one. Everything is returned in centimetres and inches.
Two inputs do most of the work. Leg length sets the seat, elbow height sets the desk. When a desk you already own is too high for both, the calculator works out the footrest height that resolves it.
Work out your setup
Leave leg length at 0 and it is estimated from the population average. Measuring it takes a minute and removes the largest error in the estimate.
Derived from your height and, if you gave it, your leg length. It is not medical advice, and it does not account for an existing injury or a chair that cannot be adjusted.
About this tool and its limits
Purpose: to support one decision, from numbers you supply.
Not suitable for: any medical, legal, safety or warranty decision.
Method type: arithmetic on your inputs, or an editorial rule stated below. It is not a validated model.
Accountable publisher: the editorial desk of this store.
Method version: 1.0. Last checked: 2026-09-14.
The calculation runs in your browser. This tool's own code does not save or transmit your answers. Separate site analytics and other services are described in our privacy policy.
| Input | What it means | Accepted values |
|---|---|---|
| Your height, cm | Used directly in the calculation. | any number, default 175 |
| Leg length, cm (0 if unknown) | Used directly in the calculation. | any number, default 0 |
| A desk you already have, cm (0 if none) | Used directly in the calculation. | any number, default 0 |
| Setting up for | Used directly in the calculation. | Sitting at a desk, Standing at a desk |
Worked example
With the pre-filled values shown above, it returns:
| Headline result | Chair seat 42.5 cm (16.7 in) |
| Chair seat height, floor to the top of the seat | 42.5 cm (16.7 in) |
| Desk or keyboard height | 65.8 cm (25.9 in) |
| Top of the monitor, at eye level | 121.6 cm (47.9 in) |
| Distance from your eyes to the screen | 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in) |
| Centre of the lumbar support, above the floor | 67.5 cm (26.6 in) |
Calculation checks
| Case | Observed behaviour |
|---|---|
| Boundary input (highest accepted values) | Standing desk 214.2 cm (84.3 in) |
| Invalid input (zero values) | Chair seat 42.5 cm (16.7 in) |
These checks show the tool behaves as documented. They do not establish medical or scientific validity.
What this result cannot tell you. It is an estimate derived entirely from the numbers you enter, using the relationships described on this page. It does not measure your situation, it does not account for anything not listed as an input, and it cannot establish which product you should buy. Where the result matters for your health, safety, money or a warranty, treat it as a starting point and check it against the primary source linked at the bottom of this page.
Products and commercial interest. This store sells the products these guides discuss. Product data never changes a calculation. To report a problem, use the contact page and include this page's URL, the inputs you used and the result you expected.
How the calculation works
Every figure comes from published population means in the ANSUR II anthropometric survey, the dataset most often used for furniture design. The ratios are the means divided by mean stature.
Means from the NC State University Ergonomics Center tables of the ANSUR II survey. CCOHS gives the same seat relationship as a rule of thumb: the optimal seat height is about one quarter of body height, with the caveat that the torso-to-leg ratio varies widely.
| Measurement | Women | Men | Ratio used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Popliteal height, which sets the seat | 38.9 cm | 43.4 cm | 0.243 of your height |
| Elbow rest height above the seat | 22.1 cm | 23.1 cm | 0.133 of your height |
| Elbow height standing | 99.8 cm | 107.3 cm | 0.612 of your height |
| Sitting eye height above the seat | 73.9 cm | 79.2 cm | 0.452 of your height |
| Standing eye height | 151.6 cm | 163.4 cm | 0.930 of your height |
| Buttock-popliteal length, which caps seat depth | 48.2 cm | 50.0 cm | 0.290 of your height |
- If you entered a leg length, that value is used as the seat height directly, because it is a measurement rather than an estimate.
- Seat height plus elbow height gives the keyboard and desk height. Seat height plus sitting eye height gives the top of the monitor, since the top of the screen belongs at or slightly below eye level.
- The lumbar support figure is fixed at 25 cm above the seat, the mean position of the deepest point of the lumbar curve in 773 seated people. The 2 to 3 cm figure is how deep that curve is, which is how much fill a support needs.
- If you gave a desk height, the calculator checks whether your elbows can reach it at a leg-correct seat height. If not, it returns the footrest height, the standard fix from Mayo Clinic and CCOHS.
What to do with the numbers
- Set the seat first, then check that your feet rest flat or on a footrest with a clenched fist of clearance behind your knee.
- Set the desk or keyboard to your elbow height. A standard 73 cm desk is too high for most people at a leg-correct seat height, so a footrest is the fix rather than a raised seat.
- Get the top of the monitor to eye level. Books, a riser or a monitor arm will all do it.
- Recline the backrest slightly, around 100 to 110 degrees, and let it carry some of your weight.
- Fit the lumbar support at the height the calculator returns, then check that you can still feel the backrest against your upper back.
Read the reasoning in full
- Set your chair and desk from your own height, with worked numbers for five body heights
- How to use a lumbar support cushion: placement and depth
- Lumbar cushion materials compared: foam, gel and mesh
- Posture break timer, for the part of an office setup no measurement fixes
Sources
- NC State University Ergonomics Center. ANSUR II anthropometric data tables — multisite.eos.ncsu.edu/www-ergocenter-ncsu-edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2016/06/Anthropometric-Detailed-Data-Tables.pdf
- CCOHS. Office Ergonomics: The Ergonomic Chair — www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/chair.html
- CCOHS. Office Ergonomics: How to Adjust Office Chairs — www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/chair_adjusting.html
- CCOHS. Office Ergonomics: Sit/Stand Desk — www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/sit_stand_desk.html
- CCOHS. Office Ergonomics: Positioning the Monitor — www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/monitor_positioning.html
- OSHA. Computer Workstations eTool: Chairs — www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/components/chairs
- Cornell University Ergonomics Web. Workstation ergonomics guidelines — www.ergo.human.cornell.edu/ergoguide.html
- Mayo Clinic. Office ergonomics: your how-to guide — www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/office-ergonomics/art-20046169
- Dowell WR. Lumbar height and depth for seat design. HFES Proceedings, 1995 — journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/154193129503900701
- Coleman N, et al. Preferred lumbar support settings on office chairs. Ergonomics 1998 — doi.org/10.1080/001401398186900
Use the information on the page and check product details before choosing.