## The Formula
**Sitting height**: Stand in your chair at the correct seated position (feet flat on the floor, knees at 90 degrees, back supported). Measure from the floor to your elbow when your arm is at your side and bent at 90 degrees. This is your target desk height for sitting.
**Standing height**: Stand in your natural upright posture (not exaggeratedly straight, not slouching). Measure from the floor to your elbow with your arm at your side and bent at 90 degrees. This is your target desk height for standing.
The desk should position your keyboard at or just below this height so your forearms are parallel to the floor or angled slightly downward when typing. Your wrists should be neutral (not bent up or down).
## Height Reference Table by User Height
Use this as a starting estimate, then adjust based on your own elbow measurement — proportions vary more than height-based estimates capture.
| Your Height | Sitting Height | Standing Height | |---|---|---| | 5'0" | 22-23" | 37-38" | | 5'2" | 23-24" | 38-39" | | 5'4" | 24-25" | 39-40" | | 5'6" | 25-26" | 41-42" | | 5'8" | 26-27" | 42-43" | | 5'10" | 27-28" | 43-44" | | 6'0" | 28-30" | 44-46" | | 6'2" | 29-31" | 46-48" | | 6'4" | 31-33" | 48-50" | | 6'6" | 32-34" | 50-52" |
Note: at the tall end (6'3"+), check your target desk's maximum height specification before purchasing. Many desks top out at 48-49 inches, which is inadequate for users over 6'3".
## How to Measure Correctly
**For sitting height**: Sit in your actual work chair with the seat adjusted to your normal working height. Do not measure from a dining chair or a different chair. Feet should be flat on the floor, not dangling. If your feet cannot reach the floor at your chair's minimum height, you need a footrest — this changes your reference point. Measure floor to your elbow.
**For standing height**: Stand on the floor where your desk will be in your natural posture. No shoes on, or the same shoes you typically wear at the desk (this matters — a 1-inch heel changes the measurement). Measure floor to elbow with arm at 90 degrees.
**Why your measurement may differ from the table**: Arm length relative to height varies significantly between individuals. Someone with shorter arms may need a lower desk than height-based estimates suggest; someone with longer arms may need a higher one. Measure yourself rather than relying on a table.
## Common Height Mistakes and Their Symptoms
**Desk too high (sitting)**: Shoulders raised or hunched, forearms angled upward when typing, neck angled to look down at the monitor. Results in upper trap tension, shoulder fatigue, and neck pain within 30-60 minutes.
**Desk too high (standing)**: Same symptoms as sitting, often worse because you are already compensating for monitor height and standing fatigue simultaneously.
**Desk too low (sitting)**: Back rounded forward, neck bent down, forearms angled downward. Results in lower back pain and neck fatigue from the forward-flexed position.
**Desk too low (standing)**: Shoulders dropped forward, upper back rounded, neck angled down. Results in upper back and neck fatigue from sustained forward flexion.
## Monitor Height (Equally Important)
The correct desk height solves keyboard/wrist positioning. Monitor height is a separate adjustment that most people get wrong when they add standing desk movement.
**Monitor height rule**: Top of the monitor at or just below eye level for both sitting and standing positions. When you stand up, your eye level rises — the monitor needs to rise too, or your neck angles down throughout the standing session.
For sitting-only setups: monitor risers or an adjustable arm can achieve this.
For sit-stand desks: a monitor arm is essentially required. Without one, the monitor stays at the sitting position when you stand, putting it 10-15 inches too low at standing height. This causes more neck strain than the desk ergonomics improve.
A basic monitor arm runs $30-80 (Amazon Basics, Ergotron LX). It is not optional if you plan to use the sit-stand function regularly.
## Setting Memory Presets
Once you have measured your sitting and standing heights: 1. Set the desk to your sitting height. Press and hold preset button 1 until it saves (usually 3 seconds, look for a confirmation light or beep). 2. Set the desk to your standing height. Press and hold preset button 2.
Now adjustment is a single button press. Without presets, the friction of manually adjusting to height is significant enough that many users stop adjusting consistently — which defeats the purpose of a sit-stand desk.