Short answer
As a rule of thumb, a bar stool needs 23 to 26 cm between the top of its seat and the underside of the counter.
In our experience, that lets most adults' thighs sit level with a little clearance, and brings the counter to a comfortable height for eating. Below 20 cm, most people's knees touch the counter; above 30 cm most people find the counter too high to eat at comfortably.
The table shows how each gap feels in practice. The comfortable range is narrow, which is why seat heights come in two standards, 66 and 76 cm, for the two common counter heights.
| Gap | How it feels |
|---|---|
| Under 20 cm | Thighs press on the counter; knees bump when turning |
| 20 to 22 cm | Tight; fine for slim adults, cramped for others |
| 23 to 26 cm | Comfortable for most adults |
| 27 to 30 cm | Reaching up to the counter; shoulders rise |
| Over 30 cm | Too low; like sitting at a table from a child's chair |
Measure from the floor to the underside of the counter where your knees will be, then subtract the seat height of the stool.
The result is your legroom. If the counter has an apron, a drawer or a support rail under the overhang, measure to the lowest of these instead.
Measuring to the underside is the step most people skip. A 6 cm stone worktop takes 4 cm more legroom than a 2 cm laminate one at the same top height, and that alone can move a stool from comfortable to tight. Our bar stool height guide has a calculator that does this sum for any counter.
Choose a lower seat. If your gap is under 23 cm, a stool with a seat a few centimetres lower will fix it; if the counter falls between the standard heights, a custom seat height is the precise answer.
A thinner cushion gains a centimetre at most and is rarely enough on its own.
Too little legroom is one of the most common height mistakes, usually from a thick stone top or from choosing a 76 cm stool for a counter-height island. We make custom seat heights on our steel stools Freja, Philip, Bruno and Svea; read more in custom height bar stools.
Choose a higher seat, or a stool with a higher footrest and a backrest so you can sit upright comfortably.
A gap of more than 27 cm usually means you reach up to eat and your shoulders rise, which becomes tiring over a meal.
This happens most with counters between the standard heights, for example a 95 cm counter with a 66 cm stool, which leaves 29 cm. A custom seat of about 70 cm brings the gap back to 25 cm. See counter stools vs bar stools for how the two standard heights are defined.
Knee clearance is the horizontal depth under the worktop, from its edge back to the cabinet fronts. We recommend an overhang of 30 to 40 cm at counter height, so the knees of a seated adult fit under the worktop. We would not go below 25 cm, and that only for short meals; below that, most people sit sideways because their knees hit the cabinet doors.
Vertical legroom and knee clearance only work together. A perfect 24 cm gap is useless if the overhang is 15 cm, because you cannot pull the stool in. At a bar-height counter, where knees angle down more steeply, our planning range is 25 to 30 cm. Whether the overhang needs support depends on the material and thickness of the worktop, and the specification of your worktop supplier applies; our guide to island overhang covers supports and materials.
Slightly. A soft cushion compresses by a centimetre or two when you sit, so an upholstered seat can sit at the top of the 23 to 26 cm range.
A footrest set too low pulls the thighs down and needs a little more room. Armrests add a second check: they must pass under the counter edge.
On Bruno, the armrest tops sit at 86 cm with a 66 cm seat and 96 cm with a 76 cm seat, below the counters those seats are made for. If your overhang has a support rail, measure its lowest point before choosing a stool with armrests. See footrest height for how footrests affect comfort.
Freja Bar StoolFrom 3 295 kr66, 76 cm or custom · low back
Svea Bar StoolFrom 3 295 kr66, 76 cm or custom · backless
Bruno Bar StoolFrom 4 995 kr66, 76 cm or custom · armrests
Eva Bar StoolFrom 4 595 kr66 or 76 cm · solid oak
