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What seat height and seat depth fit you?
Updated
Pick your height. The calculator gives you a target seat height and the deepest seat that should fit. Then type in the numbers from a chair listing to see if the chair can reach them. These are estimates from a rule of thumb, not medical advice.
What seat height and depth fit you?
Rule of thumb: seat height is about 25% of your height plus 1 inch for shoes. The deepest seat that fits is about 28.5% of your height minus 1.5 inches. These are estimates, not medical advice. Your own leg measurements are the real answer.
Sample numbers
| Your height | Seat height, about | Seat depth, no more than |
|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 0 in | 16 in | 15.5 in |
| 5 ft 2 in | 16.5 in | 16 in |
| 5 ft 5 in | 17.5 in | 17 in |
| 5 ft 8 in | 18 in | 18 in |
| 5 ft 11 in | 19 in | 18.5 in |
| 6 ft 2 in | 19.5 in | 19.5 in |
| 6 ft 5 in | 20.5 in | 20.5 in |
Measure yourself for a better answer
- Seat height. Sit on a hard chair or a stair in your usual shoes with your feet flat. Measure from the floor to the crease behind your knee. That is your seat height.
- Seat depth. Sit against a wall. Measure from the wall to the crease behind your knee. Take off 1.5 to 2 inches. That is the deepest seat that fits you.
Canada's workplace safety agency, CCOHS, uses the same starting point: seat height of about one quarter of body height, and it calls that only a rule of thumb because leg length varies. People with the same height can have legs an inch or two apart in length. If your tape measure and the calculator disagree, trust the tape measure.
What to do with the numbers
- Seat too high at its lowest setting: your feet hang and the seat edge presses into your thighs. A footrest fixes the feet. A lower chair is the better fix.
- Seat too deep: you either perch on the front and lose the backrest, or sit back and feel the edge behind your knees. Look for a seat slide, like the one on the HON Ignition 2.0, or a shallow seat like the 16.5 inch one on the Amazon Basics Office Task Chair.
- Seat too shallow: tall people feel like they are sliding off. The GABRYLLY High Back lists a 20 inch deep seat, the deepest of our picks.
See how each of our seven picks lines up against these numbers.