How to Use Our TV Mounting Height Calculator

To get a perfect, personalized recommendation, you’ll need two simple measurements. Our calculator will do the rest of the math for you.

• TV Screen Size (Diagonal): Enter the advertised size of your TV in inches (e.g., 65″). The calculator uses this to determine the TV’s actual height and find its physical center.

• Seated Eye Level Height: This is the most crucial measurement. Sit on your couch or chair in a relaxed, normal posture. Have someone else measure the distance from the floor to your eyes. If you’re alone, you can mark a spot on a wall next to you and measure it after. An average seated eye level is between 40 and 46 inches.

The calculator will provide you with two key results: the height from the floor to the center of the TV and the height from the floor to the bottom of the TV.

Understanding Your Results: The Science of Comfortable Viewing

The numbers our calculator provides are designed to align your TV perfectly with your body to maximize comfort and prevent strain. Here’s the simple but critical science behind your results.

The Golden Rule: Your Eyes Go in the Middle

The fundamental principle of proper TV mounting is that the vertical center of the screen should be level with your eyes when you are seated.

Imagine a straight line extending from your eyes to the wall. That line should hit the exact middle of your TV. This ensures a neutral neck position, preventing you from constantly tilting your head up or down. The ideal vertical viewing angle is between 0° (perfectly level) and a maximum of 15° down. Your neck should never have to crane upwards.

Why Mounting Too High is a Health Risk

The popular trend of mounting a TV high on a wall, especially above a fireplace, is the leading cause of viewing discomfort and can contribute to chronic pain.

• Cervical Spine Strain (Tech Neck): Constantly tilting your head back to watch TV puts sustained stress on the vertebrae and muscles in your neck and upper back. This can lead to stiffness, headaches, and long-term posture problems.

• Eye Strain: Viewing a screen at an upward angle is not a natural position for your eyes, which can lead to fatigue and dryness.

• Poor Picture Quality: Most LCD/LED TVs have optimal picture quality when viewed head-on. Viewing from a steep vertical angle can cause colors to wash out and contrast to fade.

Your results from the calculator are specifically designed to prevent these problems.

How the Calculator Finds Your Mounting Point

Your results give you two actionable measurements:

1. Height to Center: This is your primary ergonomic target. The center of your wall mount bracket should align with this number.

2. Height to Bottom: This is a helpful secondary measurement. Once you know where the center should be, you can easily calculate where the bottom edge of the TV will sit, which is useful for planning console placement or soundbar installation.

The calculator determines this by taking your Seated Eye Level (your target), calculating the total physical height of your TV from its diagonal size (using a standard 16:9 aspect ratio), and then subtracting half of that height to tell you where the bottom of the screen should be.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the standard TV mounting height?

The common “rule of thumb” you’ll see online is to place the center of the TV 42 inches from the floor. This is based on an average couch height and an average person’s seated eye level. However, this is just an estimate. Your couch might be taller, you might be shorter, or you might like to recline. Using our calculator with your personal eye-level measurement provides a much more accurate and comfortable result than a generic standard.

Is it really that bad to mount a TV above a fireplace?

From an ergonomic and viewing experience perspective, yes, it is one of the worst places to mount a TV.

A standard fireplace mantel is about 54-60 inches off the ground. Placing a TV above it forces the screen far above your eye level, requiring a constant, painful upward neck tilt. It violates the golden rule of ergonomics. While it can be an aesthetic choice, we strongly advise against it for any room where you will be doing long-form viewing. If you absolutely must, use a specialized articulating mount that allows you to pull the TV down to a comfortable viewing height.

How high should I mount a TV in a bedroom?

Mounting a TV in a bedroom follows a different rule because your viewing posture is different. You are typically lying down or propped up on pillows.

1. Get into your most common TV-watching position in bed.

2. Measure your eye level from the floor in that reclined position.

3. Enter this eye-level height into the calculator.

4. Mount the TV on the wall so that it is perpendicular to your line of sight. This will likely involve tilting the screen downwards significantly using a tilting wall mount. This prevents you from having to crane your chin to your chest to see the screen.

How does a soundbar affect mounting height?

A soundbar needs to be accounted for before you drill. The goal is to have the soundbar sit just below the TV without blocking any of the screen.

Method:

1. Run the calculator to find your ideal TV mounting height.

2. Measure the height of your soundbar.

3. Mount the TV so that the bottom edge of the TV is just above the top of the soundbar. This may mean shifting your entire setup (TV + soundbar) up by an inch or two, which is an acceptable compromise. The key is to keep the TV’s center as close to your eye level as possible.

Does the TV size change the ideal mounting height?

No. The ideal mounting height is always determined by your eye level. The center of a 55-inch TV and the center of an 85-inch TV should be placed at the same height: your eye level. A larger TV will simply extend further down toward the floor and further up toward the ceiling from that central point.

How do I find the center of my TV?

To find the physical center of your TV (where the mount’s center plate should align), you can measure the TV’s total height from top to bottom edge and divide by two. You can also find the center mounting holes on the back of your TV (known as the VESA pattern) and use their center point as your guide.

What if I’m mounting a TV for standing viewing (e.g., in a kitchen, gym, or at a trade show)?

The same golden rule applies, but your eye level is different. Stand in the location where you’ll most often be watching the TV and measure your standing eye level from the floor. Use this number in the calculator. This will result in a much higher mounting position that is ergonomically correct for a standing viewer.

What is the ideal vertical viewing angle?

The ideal vertical viewing angle is 0 degrees, meaning the screen’s center is perfectly level with your eyes. A downward tilt of up to 15 degrees is considered acceptable and comfortable. An upward tilt should always be avoided.

How far should the TV be from the ceiling?

This is a question of aesthetics, not ergonomics. As long as the TV’s center is at your eye level, the distance to the ceiling doesn’t matter for viewing comfort. Visually, most designers recommend leaving at least a couple of feet between the top of the TV and the ceiling to avoid making the TV feel cramped.

What tools do I need to mount a TV?

Mounting a TV is a common DIY project. At a minimum, you will need:

• A high-quality TV wall mount rated for your TV’s size and weight.

• A stud finder.

• A power drill with the correct size bits.

• A level.

• A pencil for marking.

• A tape measure.

• A helper! TVs can be heavy and awkward to lift into place.

Complete Your Home Theater Setup

Now that you’ve determined the perfect height for your TV, make sure its placement is perfect in every other way.

• Use our TV Viewing Distance Calculator to ensure you’re sitting the right distance away for an immersive picture.

• Deciding between a few screen sizes? Our TV Size Calculator can help you visualize how each will fit your space.