How to Measure Dining Chair Height From the Floor

Dining chairs have two main height measurements. The seat is typically 18 to 19 inches from the floor, which allows about a foot between the seat and the table. The back of the chair typically rises about 42 inches above the floor, although it may be shorter with a more casual dining set. You might want to measure the height of chairs in the store to make sure they will fit in visually with the table you already have, or if you are purchasing fabric slipcovers for the chairs and need to know what length of cover to purchase. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

Measure Seat Height

1

Place a piece of cardboard on the dining seat if it is padded. This will help you obtain the height measurement for the center of the chair rather than the edge, which is lower.

2

Hold the end of the measuring tape on the floor directly below the edge of the dining chair seat.

3

Stretch the measuring tape straight up to the edge of the chair seat, measuring either to the top edge of the seat for a flat chair or to the piece of cardboard for a padded chair.

Measure Back Height

4

Place the the measuring tape holder on the top of the back of the dining chair. Make sure it is at the highest point on the back and hold it in place.

5

Stretch the measuring tape straight down to the floor. The back legs of the chair are not necessarily straight down, depending on the design of the chair.

6

Note the nearest height measurement you can find, which will be at the point directly below where you are holding the measuring tape. If someone else is around, you can have that person stand back and make sure the measuring tape is directly vertical.

Alternate Way to Measure Back Height

7

Back the chair up to a wall.

8

Mark with a pencil where the back of the chair touches the wall.

9

Measure the distance from the mark on the wall down to the floor to find the chair height. Erase the mark when done.