Desk Height Calculator
Set your desk, keyboard tray, and chair to heights that match your body — not a one-size-fits-all default — using standard ergonomic proportions.
Recommended heights
Why desk height matters
A desk that’s too high forces your shoulders up toward your ears; one that’s too low rounds your back forward to reach the keyboard. Neither is comfortable for more than a few minutes, let alone a full workday. The goal is a work surface that lets your upper arms hang straight down from relaxed shoulders, with your forearms roughly level and your wrists flat.
Because most furniture is built to a single average size, a fixed-height desk rarely fits everyone in a household or office. A sit-stand desk, an adjustable monitor arm, and a keyboard tray each let you close the gap between the furniture you have and the height your particular body actually needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the recommended desk height calculated?
It uses your resting elbow height as the target for the work surface — about 65% of your standing height when you work standing, or about 43% of your height when you work seated. Those percentages are common ergonomic rules of thumb for where your forearms rest naturally with your shoulders relaxed and elbows near a right angle.
Why is the keyboard height a bit lower than the desk height?
If your keyboard sits exactly at elbow height, typing tends to push your wrists up into extension. Dropping the typing surface a few centimeters below resting elbow height lets your wrists stay straight and your hands hover naturally over the keys, which is easier on the tendons over a full workday.
What if I switch between sitting and standing?
Run the calculator once for each position — a sit-stand desk needs two target heights, one for each mode, and most electric desks let you save both as presets. The chair seat height only applies to the seated figure; a standing desk doesn't need one.
Are these numbers exact for my body?
No — they're a starting point based on population-average proportions, not a measurement of you specifically. Torso length, arm length, and posture all vary, so use the result as a first setting and adjust by a centimeter or two until your shoulders feel relaxed and your wrists stay flat while typing.
Educational tool only. Heights are estimates based on average body proportions, not a medical or occupational-health assessment — adjust to your own comfort, and see a professional for persistent pain.