When we talk about ergonomics people immediately think about chairs, but it’s just as important to also make sure that your desk height is correct. Your desk needs to be the correct height and depth for your work.
While the standard height of a desk is usually given as between 70 cm to 74 cm, one size really does not fit all. Read on for more information about the importance of correctly-sized office desks.
The standard desk height UK is around 74 cm, roughly the same as a normal table height. The countertop or front of the desk is higher at around 110 cm so it can be used by visitors who are standing.
The benefits of buying a custom height reception desk include:
Buying a standard reception desk may not always offer the solution you need, and it is often the case that, while more convenient, a desk that is not at the right height can cause considerable issues later on.
Opting for a custom height reception desk does require a little more investment but it does guarantee that staff are comfortable, and their productivity levels are not affected by the equipment they rely on every day.
There are different styles of reception desks available, with each variant offering its own unique benefits:
The style of reception desk will affect the height of the desk, as it needs to fit in with the surrounding interior design. Selecting the right choice of materials and colours is also important to present the right image and to complement the space.
Identifying the type of activities that will be carried out on the front desk should be the starting point. Will staff be seated throughout the day, or will they greet visitors while standing?
Working at an incorrectly sized desk will lead to discomfort and possibly pain as the body is forced into an incorrect position.
Because we tend to spend long periods of time at a desk – some reports estimate the average time spent at a desk as up to 70% of our day or 5 and a half hours per day – it’s incredibly important that both our desk and chair are aligned to our posture.
Office desk height is important because an incorrectly sized workstation will leave you hunched over your work and possibly unable to comfortably fit your legs underneath your desk, or unable to reach your keyboard and mouse without excessive stretching. Both may eventually cause health problems.
Good ergonomic practice means that you should be able to sit at your desk with your elbows at around a 90 degree angle and your feet flat on the floor.
If the desk height is correctly aligned to your individual height and paired with a height-adjustable chair (and footrest if needed), most people should be able to achieve a comfortable and productive working position.
The best way to be sure that a desk is the correct height for you is to try it. Unfortunately, this is rarely an option, so it’s best to work from measurements.
Work out your ideal desk height in three simple steps:
For example, if you are 5’ 11’’ tall, that’s 1 inch shorter than 6 feet, so you would subtract 1 cm from 73 cm to get your ideal desk height of 72 cm.
If all this sounds like a great deal of working out and you just want to start shopping for the perfect desk, use the handy reference table below to work out your ideal desk height:
| How to find your correct desk height: | ||
| Your height in inches | Your height in cm | Your ideal desk height (approx). |
| 5’ 2” | 157 cm | 63 cm |
| 5’ 3” | 160 cm | 64 cm |
| 5’ 4” | 162.5 cm | 65 cm |
| 5’ 5” | 165 cm | 66 cm |
| 5’ 6” | 167.5 cm | 67 cm |
| 5’ 7” | 170 cm | 68 cm |
| 5’ 8” | 172.5 cm | 69 cm |
| 5’ 9’ | 175 cm | 70 cm |
| 5’ 10” | 177.5 cm | 71 cm |
| 5’ 11” | 180 cm | 72 cm |
| 6’ 0” | 182.5 cm | 73 cm |
| 6’ 1” | 185 cm | 74 cm |
| 6’ 2” | 187.5 cm | 75 cm |
Important!
The handy guide to desk heights above is only a great way to work out your ideal desk height if you’re taller than 5 feet 2 inches. This is because standard adult desk heights tend not to come smaller than 63 cm. If you’re looking for desk sizes outside of these height ranges or for wheelchair users, please contact us for expert advice.
Most commercial office furniture suppliers offer desks in a range of standard sizes. Domestic furniture suppliers usually offer a much smaller variety of sizes.
Standard Office Desk Sizes:
120 cm (width) x 80 cm (depth)
140 cm (width) x 80 cm (depth)
180 cm (width) x 80 cm (depth)
Executive Desks:
200 cm (width) x 100 cm (depth)
220 cm (width) x 100 cm (depth)
240 cm (width) x 100 cm (depth)
Let’s start by looking at desk depth and the minimum amount of space required for a productive working surface.
Paper or File-Based Administration Desks:
Desks for paper-based administration work should have a large desktop area with a suggested depth size of up to 160 cm. If this is too wide for the available space, combine the desk with a return to create an L-shaped desk with storage space underneath.
Group and Team Desks:
For desks designed to accommodate groups, the average sizes are approximately:
Four-person desk: 320 cm (width) x 161 cm (depth)
Two-person desk: 160 cm (width) x 161 cm (depth)
Designers and Architects Desks:
Designers and architects historically favoured large bench-style desks or traditional draughtsman’s tables, designed to accommodate large drawings and papers. For these, go for a minimum design desk width of 160-180 cm.
Standing and Sit-Stand Desks:
Standing desks vary in height but generally have the same depths as traditional office desks. Where larger monitor stands are needed, choose a deeper desk.
Bespoke Desk Sizes:
A good contract desk supplier will offer a wide range of desk sizes to seat up to eighteen people and a variety of sizes in between, including bespoke sizes with matching storage and furniture.
Standing desks are an increasingly popular solution to the issue many office workers face of remaining sedentary for long periods of time each day. But did you know they are also a great solution when a wide range of desk heights is required?
Some of our standing desks have the ability to adjust from 63 cm to 130 cm high, making them a useful solution when a greater range of desk heights is needed in any office. Adjustable desks can solve the problem of the ‘one size fits all’ hotdesk and chair being ergonomically unsuitable for possibly the majority of users.
Of course there are other factors in desk sizing to take into account apart from height. Working out the desk width or depth isn’t often given a great deal of thought, apart from when room sizes create space constraints, but a correctly sized workspace really can help people to be more comfortable and more productive.
For more information on desk depths please see our ‘in-depth’ guide to how deep a desk should be.
When determining the best desk size for you, start by considering the type of work you do at the desk.
In conclusion, ergonomics matter and when it comes to desk heights, so do people. Make sure that your teams benefit from desks designed especially for them. Comfortable workers are happier and more productive workers.
Work with an experienced contract supplier to source office desks with heights that are suitable for all of your employees, tall or short. Don’t make do with off-the-peg office furniture in a limited range of standard sizes when an expert commercial office furniture company will be able to provide a much wider range of desk heights and sizes, even bespoke sizes.
In addition, consider the benefits of adjustable and sit/stand desks for even greater flexibility.
When people refer to the standard height of a desk they’ll usually quote a figure of around 73 cm which is the ideal size for a desk, based on the measurements of a six foot tall man. Unfortunately that is not the ideal size for the majority of office workers.
The average height of an office desk is usually around 70 to 73 cm. But as your workers aren’t average, it’s always good practice to work with an experienced commercial office furniture supplier (like Spaceist!) to ensure that you have correctly sized desks in place for every employee. Read on to find out how to work out the correct desk height for people of various heights.
The correct ergonomic height for a computer desk will normally be the same as for a standard office desk, unless specialist equipment is in use. So this would be around 71-73 cm but should be adjusted depending on the height of the desk user.
Different jobs may sometimes require different desk heights. For example, people who type may find a slightly lower desk more comfortable than people who are hand writing or drawing. Precision tasks often require a desk at above elbow height to prevent eye strain and hunching over.
With modern sit-stand desks, it’s not difficult at all to adjust the height over the course of the day. Most of our sit-stand desk models offer the options of adjusting size using a lightweight hand crank or can be electronically adjusted at the press of a button.
No. Many quality contract sit-stand desks will offer a memory feature on the control panel so you can simply select a saved height to automatically raise and lower the desk to the correct height.
