Which Specs Matter Most When You Buy a Standing Desk?
Summary
Four numbers do most of the work: the lowest and highest height the desk reaches, the depth of the top, and the free space underneath. OSHA's purchasing guide gives a figure for each, and your own elbow height, sitting and standing, tells you which end of the range to look at first. The lift mechanism, the load rating and the finish of the top come after those.
Your elbows set the height range you need
A product page lists the frame's height range, usually measured to the top of the desk. The question is whether that range reaches your working height in both positions. OSHA's purchasing guide says keyboard height "should be at about elbow height" and asks for adjustment "between 22 inches and 30 inches for seated tasks and 36 to 46.5 inches for standing tasks."
Measuring yourself takes a minute. Sit in your adjusted chair with your upper arms hanging at your sides and your elbows bent to roughly a right angle, then measure from the floor to the underside of your forearm. Repeat standing, in the shoes you normally wear at the desk. The keyboard sits on top of the desk and adds its own height, so a desk that only just reaches your seated number with nothing on it will end up a little high once the keyboard is there.
If you are short, the minimum height is the figure to check first. If you are tall, look at the maximum.
Depth, surface and legroom
These are the other figures in OSHA's desk checklist, quoted as written:
| What to check | OSHA purchasing guide |
|---|---|
| Depth | "deep enough to accommodate a monitor placed at least 20 inches away from your eyes" |
| Surface area | "large enough to accommodate a monitor, a keyboard and an input device" |
| Knee and foot room | "The minimum under-desk clearance depth should be 17.6 inches for knees and 24 inches for feet." |
| Width under the desk | "Clearance width should be at least 20.8 inches" |
| Finish | "Desktops should have a matte finish to minimize glare. Avoid glass tops." |
| Front edge | "Avoid sharp leading edges where arms contact work surfaces." |
The 20 inches runs from your eyes to the screen, not from the front edge of the desk. A monitor arm that sets the screen further back can make a shallower top work, and our monitor arm guide goes into that.
Lift mechanism and load rating
OSHA's line on sit-stand surfaces is short: "Adjustment mechanisms should raise and lower easily and smoothly." Whether a desk does that with your equipment on it depends partly on weight. Add up what will sit on the top, including monitors, arms, the computer and anything in an attached drawer, and compare the total with the maker's stated capacity. On a frame sold without a top, check whether that capacity includes the desktop itself.
A capacity figure tells you how much the frame is rated to lift. It says nothing about how much the top sways when you type at full height.
Cables through the full height range
Every cord that runs from the wall to the desk has to reach the top position, and our guide to cabling a standing desk covers the routing. CCOHS, Canada's occupational health agency, puts it this way in its sit/stand desk guidance: "Make sure that any cables, electrical access, storage of materials, and general layout do not make adjusting the desk difficult."
Sources
- OSHA Computer Workstations eTool, Purchasing Guide
- OSHA Computer Workstations eTool, Desks
- CCOHS, Office Ergonomics - Sit/Stand Desk
We have not tested these products. Specs and guidance are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; the manufacturer's page for your model has the current details.