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Desk size: depth matters more than you think
Updated
Listings name desks by width: 48, 55, 63. Most people forget to look at depth, the distance from front to back. Depth decides how far the screen sits from your eyes and if your keyboard and a notebook both fit in front of it.
How wide your monitors really are
Monitor sizes are measured corner to corner. The width is smaller. These are screen widths only. Add about an inch for the frame.
| Monitor | Screen width | Two side by side |
|---|---|---|
| 24 in (16:9) | 20.9 in | 41.8 in |
| 27 in (16:9) | 23.5 in | 47.0 in |
| 34 in ultrawide (21:9) | 31.3 in | Not practical on one desk |
Two 27 inch monitors are about 47.0 inches of screen, plus frames. That fills a 48 inch desk edge to edge with no room for a lamp or speakers. For that setup, a 55 inch top is the floor and the 63 inch FLEXISPOT EN1-PRO is more comfortable.
Depth: 24 vs 28 to 30 inches
- About 19 inches, like the HUANUO 32 x 19: laptop work or one small monitor. There is little room in front of a screen for anything but a keyboard.
- About 24 inches, like the ErGear 48 x 24: fine for a 24 inch monitor. A common guide is to keep the screen about an arm's length away. With a 27 inch screen on its own stand, a 24 inch top makes that hard. A monitor arm that clamps at the back edge wins you a few inches.
- 28 to 30 inches, like the SHW 55 x 28 or VIVO 60 x 30: room for a big screen at arm's length with a keyboard and notebook in front.
Check these before you order
- The real top size. A "48 x 24" desk can be 47.2 by 23.6 inches. A "60 x 30" can be 59 by 29.5. It matters if the desk must fit an alcove.
- One piece or several. Many budget tops come in two or three pieces that join on the frame. The VIVO listing says 3 pieces. Seams can catch a mouse.
- Top thickness if you use a monitor arm. The tops here run from 0.5 to 1.1 inches thick. Check your arm's clamp range, and know that a thin top can flex under a heavy arm.
- Space behind the desk. The top moves straight up. Leave a gap to the wall so it clears window sills and shelves, and leave slack in every cable.