Understanding Office Furniture Measurements

When browsing for office furniture, you need to know more than an idea of your layout and the style you have in mind. In order to choose the correct furniture for your office space, it is essential that you understand the office furniture measurements that are featured on every product. Our handy guide makes it easy so you can find the furniture you need to create your perfect workspace.

At Bluespot we make it easy to find desks, chairs and storage solutions that work for you as we follow the industry standards on height, depth and width so you can effectively measure your environment and calculate what items you can accommodate. 

What are the differences between width, height and depth?

This may seem like an obvious question, but one of the biggest issues people have with measuring office furniture is getting the width, height and depth mixed up. As a standard, these measurements relate to the following:

• Width (W): The measurement of the product from left to right.
• Height (H): The measurement from the top of the product to the floor (if it is free-standing) or to the bottom of the product.
• Depth (D): The measurement of the product from front to back.

So what do these measurements mean in terms of office furniture?

When facing an office desk head-on, you can see where to take the height, depth and width measurements as illustrated below:

When buying a piece of office furniture, you may find that certain styles have varying options for their measurements, or are available as standard so it is important to check if there is a size that suits your space.

Width

At Bluespot we list all of our office desks on our site by width. This is because this tends to be the largest measurement and it is the one that we offer variations on, for example, some of our desks are available in widths of 1200mm and 1600mm, allowing you to find a desk in the size you need.

Height

Most standard office desks are between 712mm and 762mm, and are suitable for those between 5ft and 6ft using a regular office chair at their desk. This height is largely regarded as a ‘standard’ for desks and is used by many UK manufacturers. All of our desks fall in the middle of these measurements at 730mm high, which makes them a great option for most people.

When we say that office storage items like cupboards, storage units or filing cabinets are ‘desk high’, this means they comfortably match this measurement and so can sit alongside one of our desks to extend your work area.

Depth

The majority of our desks have a depth of 800mm which is a standard option for much of the office furniture industry. This means that if you choose a desk with a standard depth and opt for a width of 800mm, your desk will be square rather than rectangular.

For those with limited space, we also have a selection of narrower desks available – such as those in our Home Work range – which have a depth of 600mm and are ideal for more compact spaces.

What are the minimum desk dimensions?

While the height, width and depth of your desk should be considered when deciding what desk or storage solution you need, they are not the only important measurements. When planning the layout of your company or home office, you also need to factor in other important dimensions which are the minimum you should have within your office space to ensure you can fit your desk comfortably:

Sitting

• Minimum width: 610mm (61cm) per person
• Minimum depth clearance at knee level: 456mm (45.6cm)
• Minimum depth clearance at foot level: 610mm (61cm)
• Minimum height clearance at foot level: 102mm (10.2cm)

Standing

• Minimum width: 508mm (50.8cm)
• Minimum depth: This depends on what you want to put on the desk

What is the width, height and depth of an office storage unit?

Unlike desks, there is no real standard size when it comes to office storage. Whether you are looking for a filing cabinet, cupboard or pedestal, you’ll find that we offer a wide variety of options available to suit every workspace.

Different size options are not only available so you can fit office storage into different spaces, they also allow you to store items in different ways. For example, we have filing cabinets available in two different widths to accommodate for two different types of files.

There are some key phrases however that you will see on our site that can help you determine the size of the office storage items we offer:

• Low/under-desk: This means the storage unit can comfortably fit under one of our desks (so long as there is enough foot room allowed by desk width)
• Desk-high: These storage units are exactly the same height as our desks (730mm) so they can be used to extend your desk space.
• Mid-height: Used to describe cupboards and bookcases, mid-height means they are 1600mm high.
• Tall: This is used to describe cupboards and bookcases that are 1900mm high.

Still aren’t sure about office furniture measurements or want advice on the best options to suit your needs and space? At Bluespot our expert customer service team is here to help, from answering queries to space-planning your office or meeting room space.

Just give them a call on 0800 8044 760, get in touch at help@bluespotfurniture.co.uk or start a live chat.