Home Office
Home office dimensions
A desk at the wrong height costs you a few degrees of wrist angle eight hours a day. It is the highest-leverage measurement in the house.
Short answer
The standard 29 to 30 in (74 to 76 cm) desk suits a user of about 5 ft 10 in (178 cm). The real rule is that the working surface sits at seated elbow height, so shorter users need a keyboard tray or a lower surface and taller users need a higher one.
The numbers, at a glance
- Standard desk height
- 29 to 30 in (74 to 76 cm)
- Knee clearance under a desk
- 24 to 27 in high (61 to 69 cm)
- Desk depth for a monitor
- 30 in (76 cm)24 in absolute minimum
- Space behind the chair
- 36 to 42 in (91 to 107 cm)
- Monitor distance
- 20 to 40 in (50 to 100 cm) by screen size
- Shelf depth for books
- 10 to 12 in (25 to 30 cm)
Office furniture is sold at one height because offices used to buy it by the hundred. The 29 to 30 in (74 to 76 cm) desk is a compromise struck for a population, and it fits the middle of that population well and the ends of it badly. If you are 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) and your shoulders ache by four in the afternoon, the desk is very likely 2 in (5 cm) too high and there is nothing wrong with you.
The correct height is the one that puts your forearms parallel to the floor with your shoulders down and your feet flat. For most people that is 1 to 3 in (2.5 to 8 cm) below the standard desk, which is precisely why the keyboard tray was invented.
The four measurements that decide a workspace#
- Surface height at seated elbow height, or a keyboard surface there if the desktop cannot move.
- Knee and thigh clearance: at least 24 in (61 cm) of height under the desk, 20 in (51 cm) of width and 15 in (38 cm) of depth at knee level, more at foot level.
- Monitor distance, roughly arm's length and scaling with screen size, with the top of the usable image at or just below eye level.
- Chair clearance behind you: 36 in (91 cm) to push back and stand, 42 to 48 in (107 to 122 cm) if anyone walks behind.
| User height | Seated surface | Standing surface | Seat height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 0 in (152 cm) | 25 in (64 cm) | 37 in (94 cm) | 15 to 16 in |
| 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) | 26.5 in (67 cm) | 40 in (102 cm) | 16 to 17 in |
| 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | 28 in (71 cm) | 43 in (109 cm) | 17 to 18 in |
| 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | 29.5 in (75 cm) | 45 in (114 cm) | 18 to 19 in |
| 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | 31 in (79 cm) | 48 in (122 cm) | 19 to 20 in |
Those seated figures are elbow-height estimates, not a standard: they come from the seated-elbow proportion of adult anthropometric data and should be checked against your own body with a tape measure and a chair.
In this section#
- Bookshelf and shelving dimensionsShelf depth 10 to 12 in (25 to 30 cm), spacing 12 to 13 in for hardbacks, and the span limits: 30 in for 3/4 in pine, 36 in for 1/2 in glass.
- Desk height and seated ergonomicsDesks are built at 29 to 30 in (74 to 76 cm) but seated desk height should be about 0.40 x your height. Table by user height, clearances and fixes.
- Home office layout and clearancesHome office layout numbers: 36 to 42 in (91 to 107 cm) behind a desk, 48 in with a walkway, 60 in for two desks, and the smallest room that works.
- Monitor distance, height and positionMonitor distance by screen size: 26 to 32 in (66 to 81 cm) for a 27 in screen, 32 to 40 in for a 32 in. Height, gaze angle, risers and dual setups.