{
  "id": "desk-height",
  "version": "f6edbd44ab61",
  "status": "published",
  "name": "Desk Height Calculator",
  "question": "What desk height do I need?",
  "summary": "Works out the chair seat height, desk or keyboard height and monitor height for sitting or standing from your own body measurements, following the OSHA Computer Workstations eTool.",
  "category": "everyday-life",
  "url": "https://www.acalculator.org/everyday-life/desk-height-calculator",
  "markdown": "https://www.acalculator.org/everyday-life/desk-height-calculator.md",
  "kind": "function",
  "method": "Sitting: seat = floor to back of knee; desk = seat + seat to elbow; monitor top = seat + seat to eye. Standing: desk = floor to elbow; monitor top = floor to eye.",
  "assumptions": [
    "Measure in the shoes you work in. The heights put your thighs level, your forearms level and your eyes at the top of the screen, as the OSHA eTool describes.",
    "If the desk cannot be lowered to the desk height, raise the chair and use a footrest.",
    "The keyboard sits on the desk surface; with a keyboard tray, the tray takes the desk height."
  ],
  "inputs": {
    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "pos": {
        "title": "Working",
        "description": "Sitting or standing at the desk.",
        "type": "string",
        "enum": [
          "sit",
          "stand"
        ]
      },
      "u": {
        "title": "Measurements in",
        "description": "Inches or centimeters for the measurements you type.",
        "type": "string",
        "enum": [
          "in",
          "cm"
        ]
      },
      "k": {
        "title": "Floor to back of knee",
        "description": "Sitting with your thigh level and foot flat, in your work shoes: the floor to the crease behind the knee.",
        "type": "number",
        "minimum": 1,
        "maximum": 300
      },
      "es": {
        "title": "Seat to elbow",
        "description": "Sitting upright, upper arm hanging and elbow bent to 90 degrees: the seat to the underside of the elbow.",
        "type": "number",
        "minimum": 1,
        "maximum": 300
      },
      "ey": {
        "title": "Seat to eye",
        "description": "Sitting upright, looking straight ahead: the seat to your eyes.",
        "type": "number",
        "minimum": 1,
        "maximum": 300
      },
      "est": {
        "title": "Floor to elbow",
        "description": "Standing in your work shoes, upper arm hanging and elbow bent to 90 degrees: the floor to the underside of the elbow.",
        "type": "number",
        "minimum": 1,
        "maximum": 300
      },
      "eyst": {
        "title": "Floor to eye",
        "description": "Standing in your work shoes, looking ahead: the floor to your eyes.",
        "type": "number",
        "minimum": 1,
        "maximum": 300
      }
    }
  },
  "outputs": {
    "desk": {
      "label": "Desk or keyboard height",
      "description": "The keyboard surface at elbow height, in the unit you typed.",
      "format": "number"
    },
    "seat": {
      "label": "Chair seat height",
      "description": "Sitting: the seat at the height of the back of the knee, or a little lower.",
      "format": "number"
    },
    "monitor": {
      "label": "Top of monitor, at most",
      "description": "The top line of the screen at or slightly below eye level.",
      "format": "number"
    },
    "deskOther": {
      "label": "Desk height in the other unit",
      "description": "The desk height in cm if you typed inches, or in inches if you typed cm.",
      "format": "number"
    },
    "monitorOther": {
      "label": "Top of monitor in the other unit",
      "description": "The monitor top in cm if you typed inches, or in inches if you typed cm.",
      "format": "number"
    },
    "distance": {
      "label": "Screen distance",
      "description": "How far the screen should be from your eyes (OSHA).",
      "format": "text"
    }
  },
  "defaultAnswer": {
    "inputs": {
      "pos": "sit",
      "u": "in",
      "k": 17,
      "es": 9.5,
      "ey": 30,
      "est": 42,
      "eyst": 62
    },
    "outputs": {
      "desk": 26.5,
      "seat": 17,
      "monitor": 47,
      "deskOther": 67.31,
      "monitorOther": 119.38,
      "distance": "20 to 40 inches (50 to 100 cm)"
    },
    "text": "Set the desk or keyboard at 26.5 and the top of the monitor at no more than 47."
  },
  "examples": [
    {
      "given": {
        "pos": "sit",
        "u": "in",
        "k": 17,
        "es": 9.5,
        "ey": 30
      },
      "expect": {
        "seat": 17,
        "desk": 26.5,
        "monitor": 47,
        "deskOther": 67.31,
        "monitorOther": 119.38
      },
      "source": "hand calculation in content.mdx: desk = 17 + 9.5 = 26.5 in = 67.31 cm; monitor = 17 + 30 = 47 in; OSHA Computer Workstations eTool (Positions, Chairs, Keyboards, Monitors), https://www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "pos": "stand",
        "u": "cm",
        "est": 106.5,
        "eyst": 158
      },
      "expect": {
        "desk": 106.5,
        "monitor": 158,
        "deskOther": 41.92913385826772
      },
      "source": "hand calculation in content.mdx: standing desk = elbow height 106.5 cm = 41.93 in; Python 3: Fraction; OSHA Computer Workstations eTool (Positions, Chairs, Keyboards, Monitors), https://www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "pos": "sit",
        "u": "cm",
        "k": 44,
        "es": 23.5,
        "ey": 76
      },
      "expect": {
        "seat": 44,
        "desk": 67.5,
        "monitor": 120,
        "monitorOther": 47.24409448818898
      },
      "source": "hand calculation in content.mdx: 44 + 23.5 = 67.5 cm; 44 + 76 = 120 cm = 47.24 in; OSHA Computer Workstations eTool (Positions, Chairs, Keyboards, Monitors), https://www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    "OSHA, Computer Workstations eTool: Positions (thighs parallel to the floor, elbows bent between 90 and 120 degrees), https://www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/positions; Chairs (sole of the foot on the floor, back of the knee slightly higher than the seat), https://www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/components/chairs; Keyboards (elbows about the same height as the keyboard), https://www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/components/keyboards; Monitors (top of the monitor at or slightly below eye level; 20 to 40 inches away), https://www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/components/monitors (retrieved 2026-10-19)",
    "NIST Special Publication 811 (2008), Appendix B.8: 1 in = 2.54 cm exactly. https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811 (retrieved 2026-10-19)"
  ],
  "related": [
    "screen-size",
    "tv-size"
  ],
  "changelog": []
}