How High Should My Standing Desk Be?

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How High Should My Standing Desk Be?

18th October 2017

Your brand new Sit-Stand Desk… what you need to know before you set it up.

First of all, there are a many names for sit-stand desks. Other names include stand-up desks, adjustable height desks, and sit-to-stand desks. One and the same, whatever the name you choose to call it, here are some key things you need to know when setting it up.

How high should it be for me?

We come in different shapes, sizes and heights. So the height for your sit-stand desk will depend on you. There are some clever online calculators that help you work out the best desk height relative to your height. For example, the average 180cm (5’11”) tall person will have a desk height of 1.12m (44”). As a rough guide, you may adjust your sit-stand desk by 3cm up or down for increments of 5cm in a person’s height.

In considering your ideal desk height, you also need to consider the length of your arms and the kind of shoes you are predisposed to wearing. Although you might use the manufacture’s guide and online height calculators to get the right height, the efficient height depends on your arms as well. It is recommended that your desk height is set at that point where you bend your elbows at a 90 degree angle. So after you’ve set the desk height according to your overall height, don’t forget to adjust it so that it fits your body seamlessly.

Your shoes will add height to your height, so remember to measure yourself wearing the shoes you would expect to wear most at work. If you are a woman, there is the chance that you might alternate days for wearing heels or flats. If that is the case, then bear in mind that your desk height will be need to be adjusted to accommodate the additional height. It would be worth pre-programming two settings, one for heels and one for flats.

Also, your arms should be at right-angles with wrists supported, and your head facing straight (that is, neither looking up nor down). The distance between your head and monitor, and the tilt of the monitor is also important when setting up your workspace.

The key to having the optimal desk height is to ensure that you feel completely relaxed when positioned in front of the computer on your desk. The more relaxed you are, the less muscular strain you’ll feel. And that’s just one of the health benefits of a sit-stand desk, which we can explore in the next blog.

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