Ideal height for a desk

[Steven Bolton]

I am building a desk for my office at home. I am going to install a top with plastic laminate and build drawers under it.

Is there an ideal height for the desk? I will have my computer on the desk and my keyboard.

Any input is welcome.

Thanks

Steve Bolton

[Dick Bringhurst]

The one I'm sitting at is 31 inches. Dick B.

[David DeCristoforo]

"Standard" desk height is 30 - 32 inches. However, this is usually too high for comfortable keyboard use so a keyboard tray is a good idea. My personal desk top is at 31" but my keyboard tray is at 27".

[Tim Plantz]

I've always found 30 -31" works well. Be sure that if you plan to have drawers below the top that there will be adequate leg clearance, min. 25" from floor to drawer

[David DeCristoforo]

"Be sure...there will be adequate leg clearance..."

That too. Depending on your chair seat height and your overall size, you can get by with as little as 23" in a pinch but it's pushing things a bit. Also, there are the chair arms to consider if you want the chair to stow in the kneehole when not in use.

[Charles Lent]

Steve,

Do what I did. Take a tape measure to Staples or a nearby office furniture store, sit at several desks and computer tables and then measure the height of the one that fits you best. You can quickly determine the work surface height and the keyboard height that works best for you.

Charley

[Jamie Buxton]

"Standard" desk height is 30 - 32 inches. However, this is usually too high for comfortable keyboard use so a keyboard tray is a good idea. My personal desk top is at 31" but my keyboard tray is at 27".


It is pretty strange to custom-build a desk that's too tall, and then add a keyboard tray so that the keyboard is the height you want. However, this is all too common. If you're custom-building a desk, make the height so that a keyboard or a laptop sits on it at the height you want. The keyboard tray has other bad characteristics. It pushes you back away from the desk, so you're further away from anything else you might want on the desk -- papers, a mouse, coffee cup, you name it. It also tends to bounce around while you're typing on it. It also limits where you can put stuff.

My desk is 27" tall.