How wide is a 42 inch monitor?

The active area of a 42 inch monitor is 93 cm wide and 52.3 cm tall — 36.6 in by 20.6 in. With bezels the body is about 94.6 cm wide, which is the figure to measure your space against.

How tall is a 42 inch monitor on its stand?

About 66.9 cm from the desk to the top of the panel: 54.9 cm of body on 12 cm of stand. Both are estimates from the size band — check the model’s spec sheet.

Will a 42 inch monitor fit a 120 cm × 60 cm desk?

Yes. Standard desk is 120 cm × 60 cm, and a 42 inch monitor uses 79 % of its width, leaving 25.4 cm spare.

Dimensions

42 inch monitor dimensions

A 42 inch monitor measures 93 cm × 52.3 cm of active area — 36.6 in by 20.6 in — and about 94.6 cm wide including its bezels. Below it is drawn to scale on a 140 cm desk, measured against real spaces, and compared with the sizes either side of it.

Try it on your desk

On a 140 cm desk

Exact size

Active area, body size and height on the stand, by aspect ratio
Aspect	Active area	Active area (in)	Body, approx.	Height on its stand
16:9	93 cm × 52.3 cm	36.6 in × 20.6 in	94.6 cm × 54.9 cm	66.9 cm

Active areas are exact for the aspect ratio. Body sizes and stand heights are approximate — check the model’s spec sheet.

Does it fit your desk?

Whether this size fits each standard space, and by how much
Space	Size	Fits?	Detail
Compact desk	100 cm × 50 cm	Fits	95% of the width, 5.4 cm spare
Standard desk	120 cm × 60 cm	Fits	79% of the width, 25.4 cm spare
Large desk	140 cm × 70 cm	Fits	68% of the width, 45.4 cm spare
Deep desk	160 cm × 80 cm	Fits	59% of the width, 65.4 cm spare

How far back to sit

Comfortable viewing distance for a 42 inch monitor, by what it is used for
Used for	Sit	In feet	Field of view
Work / productivity	0.9 m – 1.2 m	2 ft 10 in – 4 ft 0 in	42–56°
Coding	0.9 m – 1.2 m	3 ft 0 in – 4 ft 0 in	42–54°
Design	0.8 m – 1.2 m	2 ft 9 in – 3 ft 9 in	44–58°
Gaming	0.7 m – 1 m	2 ft 5 in – 3 ft 5 in	48–64°
Movies	0.7 m – 1 m	2 ft 4 in – 3 ft 3 in	50–66°
Mixed	0.8 m – 1.1 m	2 ft 7 in – 3 ft 8 in	45–61°

Measured from your eyes to the face of the screen, for a 42 inch 16:9 monitor 93 cm wide. A wider target field of view means sitting closer, not further away.

The sizes either side

The sizes either side, and how much bigger or smaller they are
Size	Active width	Width	Screen area
32"	70.8 cm	−24%	−42%
43"	95.2 cm	+2%	+5%

Compared with a 42" 16:9 panel. Area grows roughly as the square of the diagonal, which is why a step up is always a bigger jump than it sounds.

Common questions

How wide is a 42 inch monitor?: The active area of a 42 inch monitor is 93 cm wide and 52.3 cm tall — 36.6 in by 20.6 in. With bezels the body is about 94.6 cm wide, which is the figure to measure your space against.
How tall is a 42 inch monitor on its stand?: About 66.9 cm from the desk to the top of the panel: 54.9 cm of body on 12 cm of stand. Both are estimates from the size band — check the model’s spec sheet.
Will a 42 inch monitor fit a 120 cm × 60 cm desk?: Yes. Standard desk is 120 cm × 60 cm, and a 42 inch monitor uses 79 % of its width, leaving 25.4 cm spare.