Home / Desk height chart / Setup guides
Desk & Chair Setup for Short People (4'10" to 5'4")
A standard desk suits someone around 6 ft tall, and many office chairs don't go low enough for short legs. If you're shorter, a standard desk leaves you with raised shoulders or dangling feet. Here are your numbers, and the chairs and desks we've checked that actually go low enough.
Your numbers, and how far off a standard desk is
A standard desk is about 29.5 in tall, sized for people around 6 ft. The shorter you are, the bigger the gap between that and your ideal sitting desk height:
| Your height | Chair seat | Sitting desk | Standard desk is too high by | Standing desk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4'10" | 15.2″ | 23.6″ | 5.9″ | 37.5″ |
| 4'11" | 15.4″ | 24.0″ | 5.5″ | 38.2″ |
| 5'0" | 15.7″ | 24.4″ | 5.1″ | 38.8″ |
| 5'1" | 15.9″ | 24.8″ | 4.7″ | 39.4″ |
| 5'2" | 16.2″ | 25.2″ | 4.3″ | 40.0″ |
| 5'3" | 16.4″ | 25.6″ | 3.9″ | 40.7″ |
| 5'4" | 16.7″ | 25.9″ | 3.6″ | 41.3″ |
Two ways to fix a standard desk
1. Raise the chair, then support your feet
Raise your chair until your elbows line up with the desktop. Your feet will then dangle, so a footrest makes up the difference, roughly the gap in the table above. At 5'0" that's about 5.1 in, so check a footrest's height before you buy; adjustable ones cover the widest range.
2. Lower the keyboard instead
An under-desk keyboard tray drops your keyboard and mouse below the desktop, so you can keep your chair low and your feet on the floor. Both options are compared in our footrest and keyboard tray guide, including how tall a footrest you need for your height.
Chairs that go low enough
Plenty of office chairs bottom out around 17 in or higher, which is too high for feet to rest flat if you're under about 5'6". Lowest seat heights of the chairs in our guides:
| Chair | Lowest seat | Feet flat without a footrest if you're |
|---|---|---|
| Steelcase Leap V2 | 16.0″ | 5'2" and taller |
| Herman Miller Aeron (Size B) | 16.0″ | 5'2" and taller |
| Steelcase Series 1 | 16.1″ | 5'2" and taller |
| Branch Ergonomic Chair | 17.0″ | 5'6" and taller |
| SIHOO M18 | 17.3″ | 5'7" and taller |
Seat depth matters too: if the front edge presses behind your knees, look for a sliding seat (the Leap V2 adjusts from about 15.75 in deep) or a smaller size (the Aeron comes in Size A).
Standing desks that go low enough
With a sit-stand desk you can skip the footrest entirely, as long as the desk goes low enough. Check the lowest height including the desktop:
| Desk | Lowest work surface | Sits properly if you're |
|---|---|---|
| FlexiSpot E6 Bamboo | 24.6″ | 5'1" and taller |
| Vari Classic Electric Standing Desk 60x30 | 25.0″ | 5'2" and taller |
| FlexiSpot EN1 One-Piece | 28.9″ | 6'0" and taller |
Lowest surface includes a 1 in desktop for frames sold without one. More in our standing desk guide.
Heights are estimates from average body proportions, measured from the floor in regular shoes (about 1 in); barefoot, subtract about 1 in. Long legs or a long torso can shift them by an inch or two, so fine-tune with our calculator.
FAQ
What desk height do I need if I'm 5'0"?
About 24.4 in for sitting and 38.8 in for standing, in regular shoes. A standard 29.5 in desk is about 5 in too high.
What's the best chair height for a short person?
Low enough that your feet rest flat with thighs level: about 15.7 in at 5'0" and 16.2 in at 5'2". If your chair doesn't go that low, use a footrest.
Footrest or keyboard tray?
A footrest keeps your keyboard on the desk and works with any chair; a keyboard tray lets you keep your chair low. If the gap is large (3 in or more), many people combine a slightly raised chair with a footrest.