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Standing desks for short people: check the bottom of the range
Updated
If you are under 5 ft 4 in, standing is not the problem. Every desk here goes low enough to stand at. Sitting is the problem, because most electric desks stop at about 28 inches and you want about 24 inches or less. Of our picks, only the HUANUO 59 x 30 3-Stage lists a low end under 28 inches, at 23.6 inches.
How big the gap is
The rule of thumb puts sitting desk height at about 37.5% of your body height. The table uses the same math and the same half inch tolerance as the calculator.
| Your height | Sitting desk height | Typical desk, 28.3 in low end | 3-stage desk, 23.6 in low end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 ft 10 in | 22 in | 6.3 in too high | 1.6 in too high |
| 5 ft 0 in | 22.5 in | 5.8 in too high | 1.1 in too high |
| 5 ft 2 in | 23.5 in | 4.8 in too high | Fits |
| 5 ft 4 in | 24 in | 4.3 in too high | Fits |
| 5 ft 6 in | 25 in | 3.3 in too high | Fits |
A desk that is 4 to 6 inches too high pushes your shoulders up and bends your wrists back when you type. That is the thing to fix, one way or another.
Fix one: buy a desk that goes lower
Desks with 3-stage legs have three sliding tubes in each leg, not two, so they travel farther at both ends. The HUANUO 59 x 30 3-Stage lists 23.6 to 49.2 inches. By the rule of thumb, 23.6 inches is a sitting fit for someone about 5 ft 3 in. The caveats: it is a big desk at 59 by 29.5 inches, owners are split on wobble, and several report lift failures. Run it through the full range a few times inside the return window.
When you shop other brands, search the listing for "3-stage" and read the lowest height in the spec table. Ignore any desk that does not state it.
Fix two: bring yourself up to the desk
If the desk you want stops at 28 inches, you can still make it work.
- Raise your chair until your elbows are level with the desk top.
- Put a footrest under your feet so your legs are supported. Dangling feet get tiring fast.
- Check that your chair goes high enough. Many do not. My sister site Chair Fit Check covers chair seat heights.
The other route is a keyboard tray that mounts under the top. It drops your keyboard and mouse a few inches while the monitor stays on the desk. Check that the desk frame leaves room for the tray's track before you buy one.
If you want a smaller desk
The ErGear 48 x 24 and the HUANUO 32 x 19 fit small rooms, but both list a low end near 28.3 inches, so plan on fix two. The HUANUO 32 x 19 listing also shows two different height ranges, so measure it when it arrives.
Avoid the VIVO 60 x 30. Its low end is 29.2 inches, the highest minimum of our picks, and owners mention it too.
Standing height is the easy part
At 5 ft 2 in your standing desk height is about 38.5 inches. Every pick on the best standing desks page covers that with lots of travel left, which also means the desk is steadier at your height than it is for a tall person.
These numbers are estimates from body height. Measure your own seated elbow height before you buy. This is general information, not medical advice. If you have pain in your back, neck or wrists, talk to a doctor or physical therapist.