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What desk height do you need?

Updated September 18, 2026

A desk fits when your elbows bend at about 90 degrees and your forearms rest level on the top. That height changes a lot from person to person. Enter your height below. Then type in the lowest and highest settings from any listing to see if that desk fits you.

What desk height fits you?

Your height: feet and inches Desk lowest height in inches (optional, from the listing) Desk highest height in inches (optional)

Rule of thumb: sitting desk height is about 37.5% of your height and standing desk height is about 62%, measured to the top of the desk with shoes on. It is an estimate. Your own elbow height is the real answer.

Examples

Your height	Sitting	Standing
5 ft 2 in	23.5 in	38.5 in
5 ft 8 in	25.5 in	42 in
6 ft 0 in	27 in	44.5 in
6 ft 4 in	28.5 in	47 in

Measure yourself to be sure

Put on the shoes you wear at your desk.
Stand straight, let your upper arms hang, and bend your elbows to 90 degrees.
Have someone measure from the floor to the bottom of your elbow. That is your standing desk height.
Do the same sitting in your chair with your feet flat. That is your sitting desk height.

If you are shorter than about 5 ft 8 in

Look at the low end of the range. Six of the seven desks on our list bottom out between 28 and 29.2 inches. A person who is 5 ft 2 in wants about 23.5 inches to sit at. The one pick that gets close is the HUANUO 59 x 30 3-Stage, which lists a 23.6 inch low end. With any of the others, plan the fix now: a chair that goes higher plus a footrest, or a keyboard tray. Avoid the VIVO 60 x 30, which has the highest minimum of our picks.

If you are taller than about 6 ft

Look at the high end. The SHW 55 x 28 stops at 45 inches, which suits people up to about 6 ft 1 in. The VIVO 60 x 30 reaches 48.4 inches, good to about 6 ft 6 in. The HUANUO 59 x 30 3-Stage lists 49.2 inches. Try to leave 2 inches of spare travel. A desk at the very top of its range wobbles more than the same desk a little lower. An anti-fatigue mat also lifts you about half an inch or more, so add that in.