Desk height calculator

Your estimate

Elbow height sets the keyboard. The desk surface sits lower than that by about the thickness of the keyboard. Shoe allowance is added only when you stand. The result is labeled a planning estimate: not medical advice, and not a guarantee.

Formula

Between two neighboring published rows, stature S and elbow E are interpolated in a straight line. S₁ and E₁ are the shorter row. S₂ and E₂ are the taller row.

t = (S − S₁) / (S₂ − S₁)

E = E₁ + t × (E₂ − E₁)

Standing keyboard height = standing elbow + shoe allowance. Sitting keyboard height is the interpolated sitting figure. Shoes are not added. Recommended desk surface = keyboard height − keyboard thickness. Frame travel = standing desk surface − sitting desk surface.

Below 60.04 in or above 73.62 in, the estimate stays on the nearest published row and the result says it is outside the published data. Use OSHA’s window as the check. Sitting is not estimated with the standing line below, because the four sitting rows do not share one ratio of stature.

Worked example

On a published row

64.02 in is the published 50th percentile women stature, so the elbows are the published values, not a new average. Sitting keyboard height is 15.24 in popliteal + 9.17 in sitting elbow = 24.41 in. Standing elbow is 39.45 in.

With the defaults of 1.00 in shoe allowance and 1.00 in keyboard thickness: standing keyboard = 39.45 in + 1.00 in = 40.45 in. Sitting desk = 24.41 in − 1.00 in = 23.41 in. Standing desk = 40.45 in − 1.00 in = 39.45 in. Travel = 39.45 in − 23.41 in = 16.04 in. Inside OSHA’s 22–30 in seated keyboard window. Inside OSHA’s 36–46.5 in standing keyboard window.

Between two published rows

66.00 in sits between 50th percentile women (64.02 in) and 50th percentile men (69.09 in).

t = (66.00 in − 64.02 in) / (69.09 in − 64.02 in) = 1.98 / 5.07 = 0.3905

Standing elbow = 39.45 in + 0.3905 × (42.64 in − 39.45 in) = 39.45 in + 0.3905 × 3.19 = 40.70 in

Sitting keyboard = 24.41 in + 0.3905 × (26.62 in − 24.41 in) = 24.41 in + 0.3905 × 2.21 = 25.27 in

The same defaults then give standing keyboard 41.70 in, sitting desk 24.27 in, and standing desk 40.70 in. Inches are rounded to 0.01 after the full-precision interpolation. The four-decimal t above rounds to the same 0.01 in elbows.

Published rows

These four rows are the whole stature extract used here. They match the desk and monitor sizing table. Standing elbow height is copied from the Ergonomics Center summary of ANSUR II (Gordon et al., 2014), a survey of U.S. Army personnel, not a civilian census. Sitting keyboard height is popliteal height plus sitting elbow height from that summary. Shoes are not included.

Whole-inch lookup

Each whole inch from 60 through 74 is run through the same formula, with the planning defaults of 1.00 in shoe allowance and 1.00 in keyboard thickness. Rows marked “Clamped” are outside the published stature range. These are calculated planning estimates, not extra ANSUR rows and not RiseWorktop measurements. OSHA’s check below is on keyboard height, not on the desk surface.

Standing cross-check

The four published standing elbows also sit close to a straight line, standing elbow ≈ 0.675 × stature − 3.84 in. The absolute difference on every published row is at most 0.16 in. The calculator does not use this line for a personal result. It is only a check that the published standing column is nearly linear. Sitting has no matching line.

How this meets OSHA’s window

OSHA’s purchasing guide asks for a keyboard surface adjustable from 22 to 30 inches for seated work and from 36 to 46.5 inches for standing work, at about elbow height. It does not publish a desk height for each stature. OSHA’s positions page describes elbows close to the body and bent between 90 and 120 degrees. That is the posture behind “elbow height,” not a second desk-height formula.

The 5th percentile women’s sitting figure, 21.22 in, is just under 22 inches. OSHA’s desk guidance for a fixed desk that cannot meet elbow height is to raise the chair and add a footrest, or to use a keyboard tray. A thick shoe can push the tallest published standing elbow, 45.94 in, above 46.5 inches: 45.94 in + 1.50 in = 47.44 in.

FAQ

Sources

Numbers on this page were checked against the public pages below for the review date October 19, 2026. Manufacturer specifications for a specific frame take priority over a population row. ANSI/HFES 100 and BIFMA furniture tables are paid standards and are not copied here.

• OSHA — Purchasing guide checklist — Keyboard height, under-desk clearance, and the 20-inch monitor distance.
• OSHA — Positions — Elbows close to the body and bent between 90 and 120 degrees.
• Ergonomics Center — U.S. adult anthropometry summary (ANSUR II) — Gordon et al. (2014), 2012 Anthropometric Survey of U.S. Army Personnel. Elbow, popliteal, and stature figures.
• RiseWorktop desk and monitor sizing table — The same four ANSUR II rows and the same OSHA keyboard windows, with the review date of that table.
• How we research — AI-assisted research and writing, not hands-on tested. This calculator does not add a lab measurement.

Related

• How to choose a standing desk — Height range is one of the buying checks, next to footprint and stability.
• Sit-stand converter vs standing desk — The frame has to cover both surface heights, or the converter does.
• Standing desk under $500 — Compare a printed height range with the elbow heights you need.
• Home office setup checklist — Where desk height sits in a first-pass setup.