How this instrument works
This calculator uses a stature-ratio shortcut that's widely republished across ergonomics and standing-desk sites: standing desk height equals about 0.62 times your height, and seated desk height equals about 0.46 times your height. It's commonly attributed to Cornell University Ergonomics (CUErgo), a well-known academic ergonomics resource — but that attribution is secondary-sourced. A live, primary CUErgo page stating these exact ratios could not be directly confirmed, so treat 'commonly attributed to CUErgo' as an honest description of how this formula circulates online, not as a verified citation to a specific Cornell publication.
There's a real, unresolved discrepancy worth knowing about before you build a desk around this number. The genuine formal reference for workstation dimensions is ANSI/HFES 100-2007, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society's standard for computer workstations, which specifies that a seated work surface should adjust somewhere within 56 to 72 cm from the floor, and a standing work surface should be adjustable above 72 cm. At an average adult stature, this calculator's seated-height output already exceeds that standard's own 72 cm seated ceiling — at 175 cm stature, the ratio formula predicts an 80.5 cm seated desk height, well into the range ANSI/HFES classifies as a standing-height surface, not a seated one.
That gap doesn't mean the ratio formula is simply wrong — it may be describing standing or seated elbow height rather than the actual desk-surface height a keyboard should sit at, and elbow height and desk-surface height are related but genuinely different measurements (a desk surface typically sits a bit below elbow height, not at it). What it does mean is that this stature-ratio formula should be treated as a rough, quick-estimate starting point, not an authoritative target — the ANSI/HFES 56-72 cm seated / above-72 cm standing range is the standard you should cross-check against, especially before buying a fixed-height desk you can't adjust afterward.
- Measure or look up your height (stature) in centimeters, standing barefoot or in flat shoes.
- Enter it into Your height / stature (cm).
- Read Standing desk height (cm) — the 0.62 × stature quick estimate.
- Read Seated desk height (cm) — the 0.46 × stature quick estimate.
- Cross-check both figures against the ANSI/HFES 100-2007 accommodation range (56-72 cm seated, above 72 cm standing) before finalizing a desk purchase — see the caveat above.
- If possible, use an adjustable-height desk rather than committing to either single number from a fixed-height purchase.
Worked example — a 175 cm stature, and why the seated figure needs a second look
At 175 cm stature, the formula gives standing desk height = 0.62 × 175 = 108.5 cm and seated desk height = 0.46 × 175 = 80.5 cm. The standing figure sits comfortably above the ANSI/HFES 100-2007 standing threshold of 72 cm, which is expected and consistent.
The seated figure is the one to pause on: 80.5 cm is well above ANSI/HFES 100-2007's 56-72 cm seated accommodation range — at this stature, and in fact at almost any typical adult stature, this formula's 'seated' output lands outside the standard's own seated band entirely. A 160 cm stature produces a seated estimate of 73.6 cm, already just past the 72 cm ceiling; a 190 cm stature produces 87.4 cm, further past it still. Rather than silently picking a side, this calculator surfaces both numbers and the discrepancy, so treat the seated figure as a rough starting point to sanity-check against a real seated setup, not a number to cut a desk to.
Questions
Why does the seated desk height estimate seem too high for a normal chair-and-desk setup?
Because it likely is, for most statures — this is a known, disclosed discrepancy, not a calculator error. The 0.46-times-stature ratio, at essentially every typical adult height, produces a number above the 72 cm ceiling that ANSI/HFES 100-2007 (the genuine formal ergonomics standard) sets for seated work surfaces. It's unclear whether the underlying ratio is meant to describe seated elbow height rather than the desk surface itself, since those are related but different measurements. Treat the seated output here as a rough estimate to cross-check against the ANSI/HFES 56-72 cm seated range, not as a target to build a desk to.
Is the 0.62/0.46 formula an official Cornell University standard?
It's widely attributed to Cornell University Ergonomics (CUErgo) across ergonomics and standing-desk sites, but that attribution is secondary — a specific, live, primary CUErgo publication directly confirming these exact ratios could not be verified. It should be treated as a commonly-cited quick-estimate formula circulating in the ergonomics space, not as a citation-verified Cornell standard on the same footing as a published ANSI/HFES specification.
What's the actual authoritative standard for desk height, if not this formula?
ANSI/HFES 100-2007, 'Human Factors Engineering of Computer Workstations,' is the genuine formal standard, published through the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and accredited by ANSI. It specifies that a seated work surface should be height-adjustable somewhere within 56 to 72 cm (22 to 28.3 in) from the floor, and a standing work surface should adjust above 72 cm — figures meant to accommodate the range of adult body sizes, not a single stature-based ratio.
Should I buy a fixed-height desk based on this calculator's numbers?
It's safer not to, given the disclosed discrepancy between this quick-estimate formula and the ANSI/HFES accommodation range — especially for the seated figure. If you're committing to a fixed-height desk, it's worth measuring your actual seated elbow height directly (sit in your normal chair, relax your shoulders, and measure from the floor to the bottom of your elbow) rather than relying solely on a stature-based ratio. An adjustable-height desk sidesteps the issue almost entirely, since you can tune it to what's actually comfortable.
Does this formula account for chair height or just desk height?
Just desk height — the seated figure assumes you're already seated at a chair height that puts your knees at roughly 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor or a footrest, which is itself part of the ANSI/HFES 100-2007 seated-posture guidance. If your chair isn't adjusted to that baseline posture first, neither this formula's estimate nor the ANSI/HFES range will translate into a comfortable setup, since desk height and chair height are meant to be set together, not independently.