How the desk height calculator works
The rule the output encodes
Typing posture wants elbows at 90–110° with shoulders relaxed — which makes the work surface sit at (or just below) your seated elbow height. Standing is the same rule at your standing elbow height. That is the entire calculation: seated desk = seated elbow height (−2–3 cm if the keyboard sits thick on the desk), and standing desk = standing elbow height. The calculator encodes the corrections (shoes, trays) that hand-waved charts skip.
Measure the inputs properly
- Seated elbow: sit tall on your actual chair, feet flat, upper arms hanging naturally, bend elbows 90° as if typing. Measure floor → bottom of elbow.
- Standing elbow: stand tall in work shoes, same arm position. Floor → bottom of elbow.
- Use a tape and a wall; "eyeballing against the desk" is how every bad setup was born.
Can't adjust the desk?
The fix chain: chair first (seat height to put elbows right — the calculator computes it), then a footrest if feet now dangle, then keyboard tray or risers for the last centimeters. Raising the chair to fit a too-tall desk without a footrest trades shoulder strain for hip/knee strain — the chain matters more than any single number.
After the numbers: the feel test
Set the heights, work an hour, and audit: shoulders hanging (not shrugged), wrists neutral (not bent up), forearms supported or floating freely. Adjust ±2 cm toward comfort — anthropometric formulas describe populations; your week of feedback describes you.