The rule of thumb: elbow height, not a fixed number
There is no height that fits everyone. A bench that is comfortable for someone 5' 5" tall is clearly too low for someone at 6' 3". Ergonomic rules of thumb therefore start from your elbow height, and the kind of work moves the worktop a little below or above it. That keeps your shoulders relaxed and your back straight.
How to measure your elbow height
- Put on the shoes you wear in the workshop.
- Stand upright, let your upper arm hang loosely and hold your forearm level.
- Measure from the floor to the underside of your elbow – easiest with a helper.
If you will stand on a mat or a duckboard, measure on it – or add its thickness to the bench height. Without a measurement the calculator estimates the elbow height: 63 % of your body height plus 2.5 cm (about 1 in) for shoes. That is an average; depending on your build, your elbow can be a few centimetres higher or lower, so a measured value is more accurate.
Heavy work: planing, sawing, chiselling
Work that needs force wants a lower bench, because you push with your body weight instead of only your arms. Ergonomic guidance puts heavy work well below the elbow – 15 to 40 cm (6 to 16 in), depending on the source. The woodworking shop has a hands-on version: let your arms hang – the top of a planing bench is about at your wrists. The calculator uses 25 cm (about 10 in) below the elbow.
General work: assembly, screwing, sanding
For most of what happens at a workbench – putting things together, driving screws, sanding, drilling – the best-known rule applies: 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) below your elbow height. Your forearms then point slightly down and your shoulders stay low. The calculator takes the middle, 12.5 cm (about 5 in).
Fine work: carving, marking out, fine assembly
For fine work, seeing matters more than force. The surface can sit 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) above your elbow height, ideally with your forearms supported. Your eyes are closer and your hands steadier. The calculator uses 7.5 cm (about 3 in) above.
- Heavy: 15–40 cm (6–16 in) below elbow height – for planing about wrist height.
- General: 10–15 cm (4–6 in) below elbow height.
- Fine: 5–10 cm (2–4 in) above elbow height, forearms supported.
Workbench height by body height
The table shows what the calculator gives for typical body heights. The elbow height is estimated (63 % of body height plus 2.5 cm for shoes); the heights are worked out in millimetres to the planner's 5 mm step and shown in inches to the nearest quarter. If you fall between two rows, take the middle – or enter your measured elbow height in the calculator.
| Body height | Elbow (estimated) | Heavy (planing) | General (assembly) | Fine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5' 0" 152 cm | 38¾ 985 | 29 735 | 33¾ 860 | 41¾ 1,060 |
| 5' 2" 157 cm | 40 1,015 | 30 765 | 35 890 | 43 1,090 |
| 5' 4" 163 cm | 41¼ 1,050 | 31½ 800 | 36½ 925 | 44¼ 1,125 |
| 5' 6" 168 cm | 42½ 1,080 | 32¾ 830 | 37½ 955 | 45½ 1,155 |
| 5' 8" 173 cm | 44 1,115 | 34 865 | 39 990 | 46¾ 1,190 |
| 5' 10" 178 cm | 45 1,145 | 35¼ 895 | 40¼ 1,020 | 48 1,220 |
| 6' 0" 183 cm | 46¼ 1,175 | 36½ 925 | 41¼ 1,050 | 49¼ 1,250 |
| 6' 2" 188 cm | 47¾ 1,210 | 37¾ 960 | 42¾ 1,085 | 50½ 1,285 |
| 6' 4" 193 cm | 48¾ 1,240 | 39 990 | 44 1,115 | 51¼* 1,300 |
* Limited to 1,300 mm (51¼ in), the highest working height in the workbench planner. Without the limit it would be 1,315 mm.
What counts towards the height: worktop, feet and casters
The working height is measured from the floor to the top of the worktop, with feet or casters included – that is how the workbench planner counts it too, and the worktop thickness is part of it. So the value from the calculator stays the same whether the bench stands on fixed feet, levelling feet or casters. What changes is the length of the legs.
An example with the planner's start values: 900 mm working height and a 40 mm worktop made of 19 mm MDF as a replaceable wear layer on 21 mm birch plywood. The legs are then
- 860 mm long with fixed feet,
- 810 mm with 50 mm levelling feet,
- 760 mm with casters of 100 mm mounting height.
A caster's mounting height – the overall height including the plate – is in the manufacturer's data sheet; it is not the same as the wheel diameter. Screw casters under a finished bench and it gets taller by exactly that amount. To keep the height, shorten the legs by the same amount.
One bench for everything: finding the compromise
Most people have one workbench and do everything at it. Then set the height for the work you do most: for an assembly bench usually “General”, for a planing bench “Heavy”. A few more rules of thumb:
- Large workpieces bring their own height. If you often assemble cabinets or furniture on the bench, plan towards the lower end of the range – or assemble large pieces on trestles.
- For fine work, raise the workpiece, not the whole bench. A bench-on-bench or a twin-screw vise brings it closer to your eyes.
- Levelling feet handle small corrections. The planner starts with 50 mm levelling feet and 20 mm adjustment; how much your feet really allow is in the manufacturer's details.
Tall benches need bracing
The taller and narrower the frame, the more it rocks to the front and back. Without bracing at the ends, the planner reports a “tall, narrow frame” once the working height is more than 1.4 times the frame depth – a guide value. For an 800 mm deep bench with a 720 mm deep frame that is from about 1,010 mm (39¾ in). Braces or bracing panels at the ends keep the frame square; a back panel or braces at the back only brace it lengthwise. A freestanding bench that is more than twice as tall as it is deep can also tip over – braces do not help against that, but fixing it to the wall or a deeper frame does; the planner points it out. Please note: ParaBuilder3D is a planning aid – not a structural calculation.
Machine bench and drawer bench
On the machine bench the working height is also the height of the saw table: in the planner the table saw sits flush with the worktop by default. So plan the height so that you stand well at the saw.
On the drawer bench the drawer unit grows with the height: it always reaches to just below the upper rails. In the template it is 553 mm tall at 900 mm working height and 653 mm at 1,000 mm.
How to set the height in the planner
- Open the workbench planner. It opens in English from this page. New there? You start with an assembly bench at 900 mm working height. A template changes the construction, not the dimensions – your height stays when you switch templates.
- Enter the working height: Settings › Basics › Dimensions › Working height, from 500 to 1,300 mm in 5 mm steps – or use “Plan at this height” in the calculator above, and it is already filled in. The planner works in millimetres, but its length fields also read inches and feet: type
41 inor3' 5"and it converts them. Right under the field, “Which height suits me?” works out the same rule of thumb from your body height. - Legs, parts list and cut list follow. The planner shows the new leg length right away in the “Dimensions” group; plans and cut lists are in millimetres.
- Choose the feet: under Basics › Feet you pick fixed feet, levelling feet, casters or casters + levelling feet. The working height stays; the legs get shorter by the height of the feet.
Or start straight away with the simple workbench – a screwed frame with a single OSB worktop – or the machine bench on casters with a table saw and router table. Both templates start at 900 mm; enter your working height afterwards. Here are all seven templates.
If you already have a project in your browser, the planner asks first – nothing is overwritten.