TV dimensions
42 inch TV dimensions
Published . Updated . By the DisplayScale team.
A 42 inch TV is 93 cm wide and 52.3 cm tall (36.6 in by 20.6 in) as a picture, and about 94.2 cm wide as a whole set. Below: every figure in cm, inches and feet, the size drawn to scale, which walls and stands it fits, and where to sit.
- Picture width
- 93 cm
- 36.6 in
- Picture height
- 52.3 cm
- 20.6 in
- Diagonal
- 106.7 cm
- 42 in
- Whole set width
- ≈ 94.2 cm
- ≈ 37.1 in
The picture is measured on the glass of a 16:9 panel. The whole set adds its bezels, so it is a little wider; that figure is an estimate, so check the spec sheet of the model you are buying.
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The 42 inch is mostly an OLED size, and it is small enough to go almost anywhere. That makes the interesting numbers the ones for a small room: how it sits in a recess, on a short unit, and a seat close to the screen.
Which width do you mean?
- 93 cm is the picture, the lit area from the 106.7 cm diagonal and the 16:9 shape. Every true 42 inch set shares it.
- About 94.2 cm is the set with its bezels, the number for a recess or a gap between cupboards.
- About 61.2 cm is the span between the feet, which is how narrow a surface can be and still carry it.
42 inch TV size in cm, inches and feet
| Measure | Centimetres | Millimetres | Inches | Feet and inches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picture width | 93 cm | 930 mm | 36.6 in | 3 ft 1 in |
| Picture height | 52.3 cm | 523 mm | 20.6 in | 1 ft 9 in |
| Diagonal | 106.7 cm | 1067 mm | 42 in | 3 ft 6 in |
| Body width, approx. | 94.2 cm | 942 mm | 37.1 in | 3 ft 1 in |
| Body height, approx. | 54.1 cm | 541 mm | 21.3 in | 1 ft 9 in |
| Height on its feet, approx. | 59.1 cm | 591 mm | 23.3 in | 1 ft 11 in |
| Foot span, approx. | 61.2 cm | 612 mm | 24.1 in | 2 ft 0 in |
| Stand depth, approx. | 25 cm | 250 mm | 9.8 in | 10 in |
| Picture area | 0.49 m² | 486,294 mm² | 754 in² | 5.2 ft² |
Picture rows are exact for the aspect ratio. Rows marked approx. are planning figures for a typical set, so check the spec sheet of the one you are buying.
With the stand and without it
Standing on its feet, a 42 inch TV is about 59.1 cm tall, which is 54.1 cm of set on about 5 cm of foot, or 23.3 in in all. The feet ask for a surface about 25 cm deep. Wall mounted, the feet go, and a bracket adds its own depth behind the set.
Drawn to scale
The picture is 52.3 cm tall, under a third of the figure’s height, and 93 cm across. It is a set for a bedroom wall, a kitchen, a study or a recess, and it is easy to place.
Next to the sizes either side
The 40 inch is 5% narrower than the 42 with 9% less picture, and the 43 inch is 2% wider with 5% more. Between the 42 and the 43 the panel decides and the size barely does. On a desk, the nearest monitor is the 43 inch, where the question is desk depth and not wall width.
| Size | Active width | Width | Screen area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40" | 88.6 cm | −5% | −9% |
| 43" | 95.2 cm | +2% | +5% |
42 inch against 48 inch
The 48 inch is 13.3 cm wider and 7.5 cm taller than the 42. That is 14.3% more on the diagonal and 30.6% more picture, which is the step to take if the seat is further back than the 42 suits. Compare any two screens draws this pair, or any other, and the 48 inch page has its tables.
Will it fit?
| Space | Size | Fits? | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narrow alcove | 140 cm × 90 cm | Fits | 67% of the width, 22.9 cm spare each side |
| Small wall | 160 cm × 100 cm | Fits | 59% of the width, 32.9 cm spare each side |
| Standard wall | 200 cm × 120 cm | Fits | 47% of the width, 52.9 cm spare each side |
| Wide wall | 260 cm × 140 cm | Fits | 36% of the width, 82.9 cm spare each side |
| Compact unit | 120 cm wide | Fits | 78% of the width, 12.9 cm spare each side |
| Standard unit | 150 cm wide | Fits | 63% of the width, 27.9 cm spare each side |
| Wide unit | 180 cm wide | Fits | 52% of the width, 42.9 cm spare each side |
| Low sideboard | 200 cm wide | Fits | 47% of the width, 52.9 cm spare each side |
The body is about 94.2 cm, which clears every standard space in the table: a 140 cm × 90 cm alcove with 22.9 cm to spare each side, a compact 120 cm wide unit with 12.9 cm each side, and a 160 cm × 100 cm wall at 59% of its width. On an open 200 cm × 120 cm wall it uses only 47%, so it can look lost there.
How far to sit
| Used for | Sit | In feet | Field of view |
|---|---|---|---|
| General TV | 1.5 m – 1.9 m | 5 ft 0 in – 6 ft 1 in | 28–34° |
| Sports | 1.4 m – 1.7 m | 4 ft 8 in – 5 ft 8 in | 30–36° |
| Gaming | 1.4 m – 1.7 m | 4 ft 5 in – 5 ft 8 in | 30–38° |
| Movies | 1.3 m – 1.5 m | 4 ft 2 in – 5 ft 0 in | 34–40° |
| Home cinema | 1.1 m – 1.4 m | 3 ft 8 in – 4 ft 8 in | 36–45° |
Sit 1.5 m to 1.9 m away for everyday viewing and 1.3 m to 1.5 m for films, where a 42 inch TV fills 28° to 34° and 34° to 40° of your view. That is a bedroom or a small sitting room. From 2.4 m, a common distance in a living room, it spans about 22°, short of the range above, and a 55 inch suits that seat better.
Is 4K worth it on a 42 inch?
| Resolution | Pixels | Pixels per inch | Sharp from | Pixels invisible from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 1920 × 1080 | 52 | 1.2 m | 1.7 m |
| 4K | 3840 × 2160 | 105 | 0.6 m | 0.8 m |
A 4K panel at 42 inches packs 105 pixels per inch, against 52 at 1080p. By the 20/20 convention of 60 pixels per degree, single pixels stop showing from about 0.8 m at 4K and from 1.7 m at 1080p. The seat for this size is 1.5 m to 1.9 m away, so a 1080p picture is around the limit and 4K is well past it, which makes 4K the resolution to look for.
A 2025 paper in Nature Communications measured a mean of about 94 pixels per degree for fine black and white detail, so a sharp-eyed viewer sees a little more than the convention allows, and a 4K panel at this size is near the point where more pixels stop helping.
Fixing it to the wall
A bracket has to match the holes on the back of the set, which follow the VESA mounting standard and are listed in millimetres on the spec sheet. A 42 inch is a small set, but the bracket still needs a rating for its weight and a fixing into studs or masonry. How high to mount a TV covers the height.
Who a 42 inch suits
A 42 inch suits a bedroom, a kitchen, a study or a recess, with a seat 1.5 m to 1.9 m away. At 94.2 cm across it fits where bigger sets do not and sits easily on a compact unit.
It is the wrong size for a living room with the sofa 2.5 m back. The TV size guide for a bedroom works through the close-seat case with the same arithmetic, and the 43 inch and 40 inch pages cover the neighbours.
Common questions
- How wide is a 42 inch TV?
- The active area of a 42 inch TV is 93 cm wide and 52.3 cm tall — 36.6 in by 20.6 in. With bezels the body is about 94.2 cm wide, which is the figure to measure your space against.
- How tall is a 42 inch TV on its stand?
- About 59.1 cm from the surface it stands on to the top of the panel: 54.1 cm of body on 5 cm of stand. Both are estimates from the size band — check the model’s spec sheet.
- Will a 42 inch TV fit a 200 cm × 120 cm space?
- Yes. Standard wall is 200 cm × 120 cm, and a 42 inch TV uses 47 % of its width, leaving 52.9 cm spare each side.
- What are the dimensions of a 42 inch TV in feet?
- The picture is about 3 feet 1 inch wide and 1 foot 9 inches tall, which is 36.6 by 20.6 inches. With its bezels the set is about 3 feet 1 inch across, and on its feet it stands about 1 foot 11 inches tall.
- Is a 42 inch TV big enough for a bedroom?
- If the bed is within about 1.9 m of the wall the TV goes on, yes. The calculator puts everyday viewing for a 42 inch at 1.5 m to 1.9 m. From 2.4 m it spans about 22° of your view, where the calculator looks for 28° to 34°, and a 55 inch suits that distance better.
- What is the difference between a 42 and a 43 inch TV?
- About 2 cm of width: the picture is 93 cm wide against 95.2 cm, and the 43 inch has about 5% more picture. The bigger difference is usually the panel. 42 inches is mostly an OLED size, while 43 inch sets are mostly LCD, so choosing between them is more often a choice of panel than of size.
- Will a 42 inch TV fit a 120 cm TV unit?
- Yes, with room. The body is about 94.2 cm, which uses 78% of a 120 cm top and leaves about 12.9 cm on each side. The feet are only about 61.2 cm apart, so it also stands on a narrow shelf, with the ends overhanging.
- How far should I sit from a 42 inch TV?
- For everyday viewing, between about 1.5 m and 1.9 m, and for films between 1.3 m and 1.5 m. Those ranges put the picture across 28° to 34° of your view for everyday viewing and 34° to 40° for films.
How we worked this out
The picture is exact for its shape. A 16:9 panel's width is the diagonal times 16, divided by the square root of 16² + 9²; the height uses 9 in place of 16. For 42 inches that gives 93 cm by 52.3 cm.
Everything marked approx. is an estimate for a typical set of this size, not a measurement of one model. We assume a bezel of 0.6 cm at each side, 0.6 cm at the top and 1.2 cm at the bottom, 5 cm of foot height, feet that stand about 61.2 cm apart and 25 cm of foot depth. Real ones vary by a centimetre or two, so the spec sheet of the model you are buying has the last word.
Viewing distances come from the horizontal angle the picture fills in your view. Sharpness uses pixels per degree: 60 of them is the one-arcminute limit of 20/20 vision, past which individual pixels cannot be told apart.
Sources
- Resolution limit of the eye: how many pixels can we see? Nature Communications, 2025, checked 5 October 2026.
- VESA free standards, which include the Flat Display Mounting Interface (FDMI), checked 5 October 2026.
The full scoring method is on the method page, and who runs the site and how it is kept current is on the about page. If a figure here looks wrong, tell us and we will check it against the spec sheet and correct the page.