What size TV stand should you choose for your television?
By Nassim Hasni, publisher of DecoScale · published
A TV stand must be wider than the TV's picture: for a 55-inch TV, 132 cm at the least, 138 to 148 cm for a balanced look. Here is the width for every screen size, the TV that fits on your stand, and the minimum width DecoScale requires for your sofa's distance.
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What width of TV stand for a 55, 65 or 75-inch TV?
Wider than the television, by a few centimetres on each side. The retailer Homary asks for at least 5 cm on each side, and 8 to 13 cm for a balanced look. The chart starts from the width of the 16:9 picture, bezel not included, and adds those margins.
| Screen size (inches) | 16:9 picture width (cm) | Stand, at least +5 cm each side (cm) | Stand for a balanced look, +8 to +13 cm each side (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 95 | 105 | 111 to 121 |
| 50 | 111 | 121 | 127 to 137 |
| 55 | 122 | 132 | 138 to 148 |
| 65 | 144 | 154 | 160 to 170 |
| 75 | 166 | 176 | 182 to 192 |
| 85 | 188 | 198 | 204 to 214 |
Picture width, bezel not included: the real television is a little wider. Margins: benchmark of the retailer Homary, not checked by DecoScale.
The real width of a television, bezel included, is a little more than that of its picture: check the data sheet of yours before buying, and take the stand's width on the same line. The margins on each side are a retailer's benchmark, which DecoScale does not check.
Which television fits on my TV stand?
The same calculation in reverse: the width of the stand, minus the margins, divided by 0.872 (the width of a 16:9 picture relative to its diagonal), then converted to inches. The first column gives the largest television whose picture fits exactly on the stand, with no margin at all, which DecoScale accepts. The other two keep 5 cm, then 8 cm, on each side.
| Stand width (cm) | Largest TV, picture flush (inches) | With 5 cm each side (inches) | With 8 cm each side (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 45 | 40 | 37 |
| 120 | 54 | 49 | 46 |
| 140 | 63 | 58 | 56 |
| 160 | 72 | 67 | 65 |
| 180 | 81 | 76 | 74 |
| 200 | 90 | 85 | 83 |
| 240 | 108 | 103 | 101 |
Diagonals in whole inches, rounded down: one size more would not fit.
Between two sizes on sale, take the smaller one: a television that overhangs its stand is, according to Homary, a serious hazard. A wall-mounted television has no such risk, but the unit below looks better if it stays wider than the screen: Homary suggests 15 to 25 cm wider in all.
What width of TV stand for your sofa's distance?
That is the direction DecoScale works in. It places the sofa and the TV stand, measures the distance between them, works out the range of recommended diagonals from it, 1.5 to 2.5 times the diagonal, and checks that the smallest television in that range fits on the width of the stand. The chart gives, for each distance, that smallest television and the minimum width of the stand that holds it.
| Sofa-to-screen distance (m) | Smallest recommended TV (inches) | Its picture width (cm) | TV stand: minimum width (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | 24 | 52 | 53 |
| 2 | 31 | 70 | 70 |
| 2.5 | 39 | 87 | 88 |
| 3 | 47 | 105 | 105 |
| 3.5 | 55 | 122 | 123 |
| 4 | 63 | 139 | 140 |
| 4.5 | 71 | 157 | 157 |
DecoScale's criterion: the picture width of the smallest recommended TV does not exceed the stand's. Minimum width rounded up to the next centimetre.
A stand narrower than that width would not even hold the smallest television that suits the distance: in a room where the sofa is far from the screen, it is the stand to widen, or the sofa to bring closer. The detail of the distance is on the TV viewing distance page.
What depth for a TV stand?
Homary gives three benchmarks. The stand must be at least 5 cm deeper than the foot of the television, which you will find on its data sheet. About 46 cm of depth keeps devices (console, box, receiver) off the wall and gives them air. Most TV stands are between 38 and 51 cm deep. DecoScale does not judge the depth of the stand: it checks its width and its place in the room.
What height for a TV stand?
The one that puts the centre of the screen at eye level, seated, or just below it. The stand height follows: seated eye height, minus half the picture height, minus the height of the foot. The chart is on the TV viewing distance page, under “How high should a TV stand be?”.
How much room in front of the TV stand, and where does the rug stop?
DecoScale keeps 60 cm clear in front of a low unit: enough to open its drawers and doors. The rug stops 60 cm from the TV stand: a strip of bare floor along the television wall, as seen in the interiors surveyed. The detail of the rug, sofa by sofa, is on the rug size guide; the coffee table, between the sofa and the rug, on the coffee table size guide.
Do you need a TV stand when the television is wall-mounted?
Not to hold it up. When your photos show a television already mounted on the wall and you are changing the whole room without declaring a television, DecoScale does not include a TV stand: its share of the budget goes to the other furniture. If you want a low unit for storage, keep ‘TV unit, sideboard’ among what you change: it is bought if the budget allows.
How does DecoScale choose and place the TV stand?
It places it facing the main sofa, in the right spot in the room, then works out the range of diagonals that suits the resulting distance and checks the width of the stand against the smallest television in that range. The stand comes from the catalogue, at its real dimensions. These rules are penalties, not bans: in a small room, the engine looks for the layout that breaks the fewest. The plan of the room comes from your photos and from two tape-measure dimensions DecoScale asks you for before drawing: see the Method page. The other living room distances are on the room layout dimensions page.
Frequently asked questions
What width of TV stand for a 55-inch TV?
At least 132 cm, and 138 to 148 cm for a balanced look. The picture of a 55-inch TV is 122 cm wide in 16:9, bezel not included; the retailer Homary adds 5 cm at the least, 8 to 13 cm for a balanced look, on each side.
What width of TV stand for a 65-inch TV?
At least 154 cm, and 160 to 170 cm for a balanced look. The picture of a 65-inch TV is 144 cm wide in 16:9.
Which television fits on a 120 cm TV stand?
Up to 54 inches if you accept a picture that reaches the edges of the stand, 49 inches with 5 cm on each side, 46 inches with 8 cm on each side. Between two sizes on sale, take the smaller.
What width of TV stand for a sofa 3 metres from the screen?
At least 105 cm for DecoScale: at 3 metres, the smallest recommended television is 47 inches and its picture is 105 cm wide.
What depth for a TV stand?
Between 38 and 51 cm for most. The retailer Homary asks for at least 5 cm more than the foot of the television, and about 46 cm if you store devices in it. DecoScale does not judge the depth of the stand.
How much room to leave in front of a TV stand?
60 cm clear in front of a low unit, to open its drawers and doors; the rug stops 60 cm from the TV stand.