Updated October 2026
Best office chairs for short people
Most office chairs are built around an average man of about 5′9″. If you’re shorter, two things go wrong: the seat won’t go low enough for your feet to rest flat, and the seat is so deep that its front edge presses into the back of your knees.
We ranked every chair in our database for a 5′2″ person, checking the lowest seat height and the seat depth against your proportions.
Personalize with the quizNo. 1
Herman Miller Embody
Seat 16–20.5″ · 300 lb
- Seat height 16–20.5″ covers your 16″; seat slides to 15″ (you need ≤ 16″)
No. 2
Steelcase Leap V2
Seat 15.5–20.5″ · 400 lb
- Seat height 15.5–20.5″ covers your 16″; seat slides to 15.75″ (you need ≤ 16″)
No. 3
Herman Miller Aeron (Size A, small)
Seat 14.75–19″ · 300 lb
- Seat height 14.75–19″ covers your 16″; seat depth 16″ suits you (≤ 16″)
No. 4
Steelcase Series 1
Seat 16.5–21.5″ · 400 lb
- Seat height 16.5–21.5″, within an inch of your 16″; seat slides to 15.5″ (you need ≤ 16″)
No. 5
Steelcase Gesture
Seat 16–21″ · 400 lb
- Seat height 16–21″ covers your 16″; seat slides to 15.75″ (you need ≤ 16″)
No. 6
Steelcase Series 2
Seat 16.5–21.5″ · 400 lb
- Seat height 16.5–21.5″, within an inch of your 16″; seat slides to 14″ (you need ≤ 16″)
No. 7
Herman Miller Sayl
Seat 16–20.5″ · 350 lb
- Seat height 16–20.5″ covers your 16″; seat depth 16″ suits you (≤ 16″)
No. 8
Humanscale Freedom
Seat 16–21″ · 400 lb
- Seat height 16–21″ covers your 16″; seat depth 16.25″, just over your 16″
What to look for
- Look for a lowest seat height of about 16″ or less.
- Seat depth matters most: aim for about 16″ or less, or a seat that slides forward and back.
- If your desk is a fixed 29–30″, you may still need a footrest. The desk height calculator tells you how tall.
Ranked by our fit score, which compares each chair's published dimensions and weight to the answers above.How we match. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.