Date: September 12, 2023

If you're tall like me (6'3" tall), then you know how much of a pain it is to shop for a standing desk for tall people.

Maintaining the proper ergonomic posture is important for preventing those nagging neck pains and back pains associated with being an office warrior.

Since it seems that most standing desk converters (more on the definition of this below) don't fit people over 6'2", the search for a standing desk converter for tall people requires some research.

What I am good at is researching. And so I set out to find the best tall standing desk converters. The following article is what I have found to be the 3 Best Standing Desks for Tall People. 

Table of Contents: The Best Standing Desk Converters for a Tall Person 

• The Key Features of a Standing Desk
• Full Standing Desk vs Standing Desk Converter
• What is a Standing Desk Converter?
• Manual Standing Desk Converters
• Electric Standing Desk Converters
• What is a Full Standing Desk?
• Key Features of Standing Desk Converters
• How Does the Standing Desk Converter Rise Up?
• Does the Standing Desk Converter Have a Sliding / Retractable Keyboard Tray?
• How High Up Does it Rise?
• Guide to Understanding the Standing Desk Size Chart
• Let's Use an Example
• Recap
• Best Standing Desk Converters for Tall People
• Electric Standing Desk 3.0
• Desk Riser Extra Grande
• Desk Riser 32X
• Conclusion
• FAQs - The Best Standing Desk Converters for Tall People

The Key Features of a Standing Desk Converter

First and foremost, in the quest to find the best tall standing desk converters, I figured it is important to lay out the key features you need in a standing desk converter.

To understand the key features of a converter, it takes talking to a lot of customers. Having been a part of DeskRiser since 2015, I have an intimate knowledge of what most people look for with their converters. 

However, before we dive into the most popular features of a standing desk, let's first distinguish between a standing desk converter and a full standing desk.

 

 

Standing Desk Converter vs Full Standing Desk

The first decision to make as you are shopping for a standing desk is choosing between a full standing desk and a standing desk converter. Let's talk about the difference between these two.

1. What is a Standing Desk Converter?

A standing desk converter is a device that sits on top of your existing desk and lets you switch back and forth from sitting and standing.

A standing desk converter has a variety of height settings, it typically has two levels (one for your monitor and one for your keyboard tray) but it can also just have one level, and it comes in a manual or an electric version.

Standing desk converters have become a lot more popular as studies have shown how harmful it can be for your health to sit for long periods of time.

Manual Standing Desk Converters

Manual standing desks typically feature either one or two handles that you squeeze to activate hydraulic pistons which help lift and lower the converter. They typically can hold between 25 and 50 LBs of weight.

Electric Standing Desk Converters

Electric standing desks have a touch pad that allows you to lift and lower your converter by a simple touch of the screen and/or buttons on it. They also typically can hold between 25 and 50 LBs of weight.

If you're in love with your existing desk or if you have a permanent desk / cubicle at your office that you can't replace, then a standing desk converter is perfect for you.

Maybe you have a fancy reclaimed wood desk that you just can't part with or you have an L-shaped desk and have a dedicated space for the converter. 

Whatever the case may be, just know that a standing desk converter does not replace your existing desk; a standing desk converter sits on top of your desk.

2. What is a Full Standing Desk?

This one is more self explanatory than a standing desk converter. A full standing desk is a desk where the entire desktop surface rises up and lowers down to become a sit-stand desk. It is meant to replace your existing desk.

Full standing desks also come in two versions: manual standing desks or electric standing desks.

Manual full standing desks are generally less common. However, they typically feature either a squeeze handle just like the standing desk converter or they feature a crank handle that you turn in a circle to move the desk up and down.

For those of us that prefer more unique desks, a new line of manual full standing desks that we have introduced at Desk Riser are our industrial standing desks, which feature a unique crank shaft, reclaimed wood tops and iron cast bases that have become very popular as people look for more unique standing desks. 

Electric full standing desks typically have a touch pad that allows you to lift and lower your full desk with a touch of the screen and/or buttons on the touch pad. These desks typically can hold a lot more weight than a standing desk converter - in some cases up to 200+ LBs. 

 

Key Features of Standing Desk Converters

Now that we have the full standing desk vs standing desk converter confusion out of the way, let's look at the features our customers most ask us about when shopping for standing desk converters. 

1. How Does the Standing Desk Converter Rise Up?

Amongst standing desk converters, there are 2 ways in which they move up and down: (1) those that rise straight up and down and (2) those that rise up and toward you and down and away from you.

Below is the Desk Riser Grande in Teak, an example of a desk riser that rises straight up and down:

Below is the Desk Riser Classic, which is a standing desk converter that rises up and toward you and lowers by going down and away from you:

Typically, a standing desk converter that rises straight up and down will rise higher than one that rises up and toward you and down and away from you.

Above a certain height, standing desk converters that move up and toward you tend to be less stable. So they are typically built to only rise to a maximum height of 17 inches.

So for the sake of this article, you want to look for a standing desk converter that rises straight up and down.

2. Does the Standing Desk Converter Have a Sliding / Retractable Keyboard Tray?

We get asked this question all of the time. In fact, it is the key feature that makes our Desk Riser Classic, Desk Riser Pro, Desk Riser Grande, and Desk Riser Extra Grande models so popular.

A sliding keyboard tray helps you maintain proper ergonomic posture while standing as it extends the depth of the standing desk converter, allowing you to stand further away from your monitor screen, which prevents eye strain.

Additionally, a retractable keyboard tray gives you more room to type versus a keyboard tray that is tucked underneath the top work surface and unable to slide out.

 

Some desk risers like the Desk Riser 32X, feature a wide keyboard tray that isn't retractable but it isn't tucked under the top work surface of the converter so it is easy to access.

3. How High Up Does it Rise?

The last question that we always get from customers is "How high does the standing desk converter rise?"

Before you purchase your desk and accessories, take into account how high up the desk riser can rise to. Here is a good size chart you want to keep in mind when choosing a standing desk converter that fits your height:

 

 

Guide to Understanding the Standing Desk Size Chart

If you're not sure what height range you need for your standing desk converter, do this simple math.

First, measure your existing desk height (an average desk height is approx. 29 inches). 

Second, add 2 inches to that to include the thickness of the keyboard tray on the desk converter. This will give you the height from the floor to the top of the keyboard tray.

Third, measure the distance from the floor to your elbow when you're standing.

Lastly, compare the distance to your elbow to the distance you just measured (ground to top of keyboard tray) and the difference between the two numbers is how much you want your standing desk converter to rise from its lowest level to meet your elbow height when standing.

Let's Use an Example

Assume the following: You are 6'0" tall and have an elbow height of 42 inches (that is, the distance from the ground to your elbow when standing), and your current desk is 29 inches tall. 

Using the above measurements, you can assume that with the standing desk converter on top of your desk, the lowest height would be 31 inches to the top of the keyboard tray. 

Now take your elbow height of 42 inches and subtract 31 from that. The answer is 11. As someone who is 6 feet tall, you would need a converter with a height range of at least 11 inches.

Take a look at the screen shot below of the Desk Riser Classic, which shows the 4 sizes that this converter comes in. Shown in red is the height range of each of the sizes.

As you can see, the 40 inch wide size would accommodate someone up to 6 feet 4 inches tall because it has a height range of 15 inches, whereas the 32 inch wide size would accommodate someone up to 6 feet 1 inch tall because it has a height range of approximately 12 inches.

As a tall person, you're going to want to look for a standing desk converter that adjusts up to at least 16" high so that you can maintain proper ergonomics (elbow at a right angle, back straight, eyes forward) when standing and typing.

For purposes of this article, if you're 6' 4" tall, then you want a tall standing desk converter that rises up to 20 inches high.

NOTE: All of the above is an approximation as every person has different length arms.

RECAP

To recap, if you're looking for a standing desk converter, the 3 key features you want to focus on are as follows:

1. How does the standing desk converter rise up?

2. Does the standing desk converter have a sliding or retractable keyboard tray?

3. How high up does the standing desk converter rise?

Best Standing Desk Converters for Tall People

And now, without further ado, below is my list of the best standing desk converters for us tall folk. I included a little for everyone in this list: converters with a sliding keyboard tray, manual standing desks, and electric standing desks.

Conclusion - The Best Standing Desk Converters for Tall People

As someone who is tall, I know how aggravating it can be to find a standing desk converter that rises up high enough to fit your needs.

Having a standing desk that allows you to stand upright when you want to stand without having to slouch over and that keeps your elbows at a 90° angle while you type is important for preventing unnecessary back or neck pains. 

 

Our list above of the best standing desk converters for tall people should provide you with enough options to satisfy the needs you have for your desk setup.

If you're looking for more options, try our DeskFinder tool, which lets you find the standing desk that is perfect for you.

FAQs - The Best Standing Desk Converters for Tall People

Q: Can the Desk Riser Extra Grande support a monitor mount?

A: Yes as you can see in the picture above, the Desk Riser Extra Grande can support monitor mounts. The Electric Standing Desk 3.0 and the Desk Riser 32X can also support monitor mounts. If you're need one to go with your standing desk, check out our monitor mounts.

Q: Do any of these standing desks require assembly?

A: The Desk Riser Extra Grande ships fully assembled. The Desk Riser 32X and the Electric Standing Desk 3.0 both require very minimal assembly - you just need to attached the keyboard tray with screws (provided) and you're all set to go!

Q: Which of these standing desk converters have a sliding keyboard tray?

A: The Desk Riser Extra Grande is the only one of the 3 above that has a sliding keyboard tray. The Desk Riser 32X and the Electric Standing Desk 3.0 both have fixed keyboard trays.