What height should your desk be?

Your keyboard belongs at about the height of your elbows, with the chair set so the back of your knee is just above the seat and your feet flat, and the top of the screen at or slightly below your eyes. Measure those three heights sitting down; your height alone cannot give them, because people of the same height differ at the knee and the elbow.

Measured from the floor while you sit: the shortest arrow to the back of the knee, the middle one to the elbow, the tallest to the eyes. Outlines are symbols, not to scale.

Your chair, keyboard and screen

Example measurements: type your own over them.

Units Floor to the back of your kneeSitting, feet flat, knee bent squareFloor to your elbowSitting on the chair set as above, arms hanging, forearms levelFloor to your eyesSitting upright on the same chairYour desk’s height (optional)Floor to the desktopFloor to your elbow, standing (optional)For a standing desk, in your shoes

Chair: Set the seat just below 18 in (45.7 cm), so the back of your knee sits slightly higher than the seat and both feet rest flat on the floor.
Keyboard: Put the keyboard at about 26.5 in (67.3 cm), level with your elbows, with your shoulders relaxed.
Screen: Put the top of the screen at or slightly below 48 in (121.9 cm), your eye level, 20 to 40 in (50 to 100 cm) from your eyes.
Your desk: Your desk is 3 in (7.6 cm) higher than your elbows. Raise the chair by that much and rest your feet on a footrest of the same height, or use a keyboard tray at 26.5 in (67.3 cm).
Standing: At a standing desk, put the keyboard at about 43 in (109.2 cm), the height of your elbows standing.

How to take the three measurements

Sit on a hard chair with your feet flat and your knees bent square, in the shoes you wear at your desk. Measure from the floor to the back of your knee, where it bends. Then set your chair just below that height and, sitting on it with your arms hanging and your forearms level, measure from the floor to the underside of your elbow, and from the floor to the corner of your eye. A helper and a tape against a wall make it quick.

Measure again if you change chairs or shoes: both move every one of these heights.

When the desk cannot change

A desk that is too high is common. Raise the chair until your elbows are level with the desk, then rest your feet on a footrest so they stay supported, or fit a keyboard tray at your elbow height. A desk that is too low can go up on stable risers under its legs. Leave 20 to 28 in (50 to 72 cm) of clear height under the desktop for your legs.

Why your height alone is not enough

Desk charts by height assume everyone of a height has the same legs and arms, and they do not: two people of 5 ft 9 in can differ by inches at the knee and the elbow. Three seated measurements answer for your own body. To compare heights instead, draw yourself beside anyone; to measure your height first, follow the steps. The same goes for a car: the room above your head in the car you drive tells you more than your height does.

The rules: OSHA: chairs · OSHA: keyboards · OSHA: monitors · OSHA: desks (Computer Workstations eTool).