TV Mount Height Calculator
Find exactly how high to mount your TV — the bottom-of-screen and center height to mark on your wall.
Recommended tilt: 0°
✓ Right at eye level.
How this is calculated
The ideal screen center sits at your eye line; the bottom is then center − screenHeight ÷ 2 (screen height ≈ diagonal × 0.49). Any furniture
raises the TV so its bottom clears it. For your 65″ TV at 42″ eye level: center = 42″, bottom = 26.1″ from the floor.
How high should you mount a TV?
The golden rule: the center of the screen should sit at your eye level when seated — about 42 inches from the floor for a typical sofa. For most TVs that puts the bottom of the screen roughly 24–28 inches up. It often looks lower than you expect, and that's correct: a TV at eye level is the most comfortable to watch and the easiest on your neck. Enter your TV size above for the exact numbers to mark on your wall.
How to use the mount height calculator
- 1. Enter your TV size.
- 2. Pick how you watch — seated, reclined, lying in bed, or standing — and we set a typical eye height you can fine-tune.
- 3. Add your viewing distance and, if the TV sits above a fireplace or dresser, the furniture height.
- 4. Read the bottom-of-screen and center heights, plus any recommended tilt, and see it all in the live diagram.
The mounting-height formula (we show our work)
Most calculators hide this. Here it is: screen center height = seated eye level + (viewing distance × tan(tilt angle)), and bottom of screen = center − (screen height ÷ 2), where screen height ≈ diagonal × 0.49. For a flat-mounted 65″ at 42″ eye level: center = 42″, bottom = 42 − (31.9 ÷ 2) = 26.1″ from the floor. Tilt only enters the math when the TV must sit higher than eye level.
TV mount height by size
Flat mount, 42″ eye level.
| TV size | Screen height | Bottom of screen (floor) | Center (floor) | Top (floor) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43" | 21.1″ | 31.5″ | 42″ | 52.5″ |
| 55" | 27″ | 28.5″ | 42″ | 55.5″ |
| 65" | 31.9″ | 26.1″ | 42″ | 57.9″ |
| 75" | 36.8″ | 23.6″ | 42″ | 60.4″ |
| 85" | 41.7″ | 21.2″ | 42″ | 62.8″ |
Mounting a TV above a fireplace
This is the #1 spot people get wrong. A mantel usually forces the TV higher than eye level, so two rules apply: keep the bottom as low as the mantel safely allows, and tilt the TV down 10–15° so it faces you. Our calculator computes the exact tilt for your mantel height and distance. If the screen center ends up much above ~52″, expect some neck strain — consider a pull-down or full-motion mount.
Bedroom and reclined viewing
Watching from bed or a recliner changes the math: your eyes are lower and your gaze points up. Pick "Lying in bed" or "Reclined" above — we lower the eye height and suggest an upward-facing tilt so you're not craning your neck.
How to find your TV's mounting height (step by step)
- 1. Sit where you'll watch and measure floor-to-eye height.
- 2. Measure your viewing distance.
- 3. Enter both, with your TV size, above.
- 4. Mark the bottom-of-screen height on the wall.
- 5. Remember mounts attach to the TV's VESA holes — measure from the bracket to the screen's bottom edge and adjust.