Standard chair and table heights vary from area to area and even brand to brand. But for maintaining the best ergonomics and the health of your back, it is important to sit on a chair with the most ideal height.
But an important question that arises here is, what is the ideal height of your office chair? Well, it depends on your height. But how do you calculate the ideal chair height?
In this article, we will look into the above questions and try to reach a concrete solution. As the desk’s height is very much related to sitting on a perfect height chair, we are going to share that as well. Lastly, we are going to discuss some tips related to healthy sitting postures.
What is the Perfect Height for Your Office Chair
Firstly it should be made clear that when we say ‘height of a chair’, it refers to the height from the floor to seat. In most cases, this height range from 16 inches to 21 inches. You can add some extra inches if we talk about height-adjustable chairs and drafting chairs as recommended by ChairWiser
There are few prerequisites for measuring standard chair height so that your posture is correct and your back doesn’t hurt. These conditions should be followed when sitting on the chair.
- Your knees should be bent around 90 degrees.
- Your feet should touch the ground which means they should be resting on the floor with your sole parallel to the floor.
- The forearms should be parallel to your desk when the elbows are bent and the elbows bending angle can be between 90 degrees to 110 degrees.
Chairs height that lets you sit in the conditions given above is the perfect height of your office chair. If you sit in such position, you will be able to work smoothly without harming your backbone.
How To Calculate ideal Height of the Office Chair
Now you know the ideal sitting position with respect to your height, what are the methods for calculating height actually? Well there are two ways. One way is you stand up and align top of your chair’s seat to your knee cap. It might not be very accurate but indeed a very quick way to adjust your seat’s height.
Secondly, you can look at this chart to find the most suitable height of your office chair according to your height.
| Your Height in Feet | Suitable Chair Height in Inches |
| 4’11” | 15.9 inches |
| 5’0″ | 16.2 inches |
| 5’1″ | 16.4 inches |
| 5’2″ | 16.7 inches |
| 5’3″ | 17 inches |
| 5’4″ | 17.2 inches |
| 5’5″ | 17.5 inches |
| 5’6″ | 17.8 inches |
| 5’7″ | 18 inches |
| 5’8″ | 18.3 inches |
| 5’9″ | 18.6 inches |
| 5’10” | 18.9 inches |
| 5’11” | 19.1 inches |
| 6’0″ | 19.4 inches |
| 6’1″ | 19.7 inches |
| 6’2″ | 19.9 inches |
| 6’3″ | 20.2 inches |
| 6’4″ | 20.5 inches |
| 6’5″ | 20.7 inches |
| 6’6″ | 21 inches |
| 6’7″ | 21.3 inches |
| 6’8″ | 21.6 inches |
| 6’9″ | 21.8 inches |
| 6’10″ | 22.1 inches |
| 6’11″ | 22.4 inches |
| 7’0″ | 22.6 inches |
| 7’1″ | 22.9 inches |
| 7’2″ | 23.2 inches |
| 7’3″ | 23.5 inches |
You can adjust the height of your chair according to the table above but remember this can be very flexible as you upper body to lower ratio might be totally different.
Ideal Office Desk Height
To keep your energy going and enhancing your productivity, it is important to sit on a desk that lets you keep healthy hand positions and eye angles which we are going to discuss later. The first and foremost thing to keep in mind is that
The average height of office desks in a vast number of workplaces ranges from 28 to 30 inches. If that desk is not adjustable, there is nothing much you can do other than compromising with your chair’s height. But if your desk is adjustable or you are going to buy yourself, these conditions should be kept in mind.
Hand Position
The hand’s position while working is as we discussed while determining the chair’s height. While sitting, when you bend your elbows in 90-110 degrees, your forearms should be able to rest on the desk. Remember for healthy blood circulation, and efficient working, your hands have to be at or below the elbow level.
Eye Position
The constant staring at the screen can get your eyes in trouble if you do not maintain the correct position and viewing angle for your eyes. The placement of your computer screen is mostly considered when we talk about the correct eye angle.
For the correct eye angle, adjust your desk height or computer in such a way, the top of the screen should be slightly below your eye level. Or the middle of your computer/laptop screen should be at least 5 to 9 inches. Remember when you determine the eye position, you have to sit in the correct posture. Also, your screen should be at least 20-25 inches away from your eyes.
More Tips on Office Chair-Desk and correct Sitting Postures
- Sit on the office chair aligning your ears, shoulders, and hips in a straight line with a straight back.
- For the good health of your spine, ample support should be there for the lower back. So, make sure you choose a chair that has good lumbar support.
- The work chair should have an armrest so that you can relax your hands at times.
- The depth of the seat should be sufficient to support your back at 90 degrees angle and not more than 2-5 inches of your thighs near your knee is out of support.
- There should be clearance below your desk so that your feet can move freely.
- A sit-stand desk with adjustable height can prove to be productive as sitting in just one posture for long hours can be tiring.
Conclusion
Office furniture is one of the important factors that affect your productivity. These were our notes on the ideal height of the office chair and desk. Other than the perfect height, your chair should also have comfortable padding that supports your bottom for long hours. We hope they help you avoid back problems and frequent tiredness.
