Height Adjustable Standing Desks

A standing desk allows the height of the desk top to be adjusted between sitting & standing positions. The terms sit stand desk & height adjustable desk are also used for the same product.

The mechanism that adjusts the desk height is either:

• electric (most common),
• hand crank (a manual mechanism that uses a rotating handle), or
• pneumatic (or gas lift) - using gas cylinders & a lift handle.

The desk & mechanism are combined to name the product. For example electric standing desk, height adjustable crank desk or gas lift sit stand desk.

A standing desk consists of a frame (legs) & a desk top. A standard straight desk has 2 legs & a corner desk has 2 or 3 legs.

Electric standing desks use motor(s) to change height. Low-cost models use a powerful single motor mounted under the desk. Higher-cost models use multiple smaller motors (dual or triple motors) hidden in the legs. This leads to faster, quieter, more stable operation.

Adjustable desks use telescopic legs to change the height. These are staged so that the desk leg can contract or extend by collapsing or expanding. The desk legs are 2 or 3-stage:

• 2-stage legs used on lower-cost desks are shorter when fully extended, so height range is less
• 3-stage legs are usually more stable with a greater height range.