How do you calculate standing desk height?

Stand upright with your shoulders relaxed and bend your elbows to about 90 degrees; the height of your forearms is the desk surface height. As a rough starting figure that works out to roughly 60 percent of your total height, so about 42 to 44 inches for someone 5 feet 10 inches tall. Set it, type for ten minutes, then adjust an inch at a time. The elbow angle is the check that matters, not the number.

What is the standing desk height for a 5ft 10in person?

About 42.5 to 44 inches to the desk surface. That figure comes from the elbow rule rather than a fixed standard, so treat it as a starting point and fine tune. Someone 5 feet 4 inches usually lands near 39 to 40 inches, and someone 6 feet 2 inches near 45 to 47. Keyboard thickness and whether you use a keyboard tray shift the number by an inch or so.

Is it better for a standing desk to be too high or too low?

Too low, marginally. A desk set too high forces your shoulders to shrug and your wrists to extend upward, which is the fastest route to shoulder and wrist discomfort and the most common setup error. A desk slightly low mainly encourages leaning, which is uncomfortable but less mechanically punishing. Neither is good. Fix it rather than tolerating it, because a wrong height is the reason most people stop raising the desk at all.

Where should the monitor be when standing?

Top of the screen at or just below eye level, and roughly an arm length away — about 20 to 30 inches. When you raise the desk, the monitor rises with it, so if it was correct sitting it is usually correct standing, but check that you are not tilting your head down. Laptop users almost always need a riser or an external monitor, because a laptop screen at desk height forces the neck into a permanent downward bend.

Should the sitting and standing heights be different?

Yes, and that is the whole point of the desk. A typical sitting desk height is around 28 to 30 inches, while a standing height for the same person is usually 40 to 46. Both are set by the same elbow rule, just with the chair supporting you in one case. Program both into the memory presets if the desk has them, because a one-touch switch is what makes people actually use the standing position.

What Height Should a Standing Desk Be? Height by Person

Written & researched by Derek Holt Home & Appliances Editor

Updated October 2026

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Set the desk so your elbows rest at about 90 degrees with your forearms parallel to the floor and shoulders relaxed — for most adults that is 38 to 47 inches, and roughly 42 to 44 inches for someone 5 feet 10 inches tall. A quick estimate is about 60 percent of your standing height. Then check the monitor separately: the top of the screen should sit at or just below eye level, about an arm length away. Adjust in one-inch steps after typing for a few minutes rather than trusting the first number.

What height for my height?

These are starting figures derived from the elbow rule, measured to the top of the desk surface. Your own comfortable height can sit an inch either side of the range depending on shoe height and keyboard thickness.

Your height	Standing desk height	Sitting desk height
5 ft 0 in	35–37 in	23–24 in
5 ft 4 in	39–40 in	25–26 in
5 ft 8 in	41–43 in	27–28 in
5 ft 10 in	42.5–44 in	28–29 in
6 ft 0 in	44–45 in	29–30 in
6 ft 2 in	45–47 in	30–31 in

Note how far the standing figures spread. That range is exactly why the frame you buy needs to cover your number — many budget frames stop around 45 inches, which leaves taller users permanently a little low.

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How do you find your own number?

Forget the chart for a moment and use your body. Stand upright with your shoulders down and relaxed, arms at your sides, then bend your elbows to a right angle so the forearms are level. The height of your forearms is the height of your keyboard, and therefore the desk. Two refinements matter. First, measure in the shoes you actually wear at that desk, since a work boot and a bare foot differ by more than an inch. Second, if you use a thick mechanical keyboard, drop the desk slightly so your wrists stay flat rather than cocked upward. Type for ten minutes and adjust an inch at a time; comfort at minute ten tells you more than a tape measure.

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What goes wrong at the wrong height?

Too high is the more common and the more punishing error. The desk pushes your shoulders into a permanent shrug and forces the wrists to extend upward over the keyboard, which produces neck, shoulder and wrist discomfort within an hour or two. People rarely blame the height — they blame standing, and then stop using the feature. That is the single biggest reason standing desks go unused, which is worth knowing before you buy one at all; the honest cost-benefit is in are standing desks worth it. Too low is less damaging but leads to hunching and leaning on the desk edge. If you find yourself resting your weight on your forearms, the surface is low.

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Where does the monitor go?

Screen height is a separate adjustment from desk height and it is the one people skip. Put the top of the screen at or just below eye level and set it roughly an arm length away, about 20 to 30 inches. Because the monitor rides up with the desk, a setup that was right seated is usually right standing — but check your head angle, since many people unconsciously look down. Laptop users need a riser or an external display: a laptop screen sitting flat on a standing desk puts the neck in a sustained forward bend for the whole session. If you use a monitor arm, set it once for standing and once for sitting.

Save both heights

Program your sitting and standing numbers into the desk memory presets. A one-touch switch removes the friction that otherwise stops people from alternating — and alternating, not standing, is what the schedule in how long to stand at a standing desk is built around. Presets are a common dividing line between frame tiers, and stability at full extension is another; both are covered in single versus dual motor desks and our standing desk picks.

We do not buy, test or physically handle any product on this site. Height guidance follows standard office ergonomics practice — our method is on how we rank. This is general information, not medical advice.

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What Height Should a Standing Desk Be?