27-inch iMac Desk Measurements

[Hughesy]

Can one of you current iMac owners help me with some measurements please.

I am ordering a custom size piece of hardwood for a study "nook" and need to decide on depth. The width is 700mm which is the length of the wall.

Can someone please measure the depth required to comfortably fit a 27-inch iMac with keyboard/mouse and enough room to rest arms while typing.

Rough drawing:

Any other ideas from people who have made a computer desk welcome..

 

[Hughesy]

Also the maximum depth I can go without looking too big for the area is 560mm/22inch. Will this be suitable or can I go shallower?

 

[colodane]

Don't forget to include space for the "desk" itself - that is, surface space to put papers, writing materials, etc. Think through the tasks you will be performing there and the materials and space you will need to comfortably perform them before ordering the desk surface.

 

[monokakata]

I'm using a 27" iMac on a desk that's 600 mm deep, and it's shallower than I'd prefer. It's acceptable, but I don't like it much. I'll be rebuilding my workspace soon and will build a desk that's at least 700 or 800 cm.

A lot of this is personal preference. If you're asking whether it's possible to put a 27" iMac on a 560 mm desk and get work done -- sure. But it's going to feel cramped, I think. The issue, for me, is the relationship between the keyboard and the front edge of the desk, and where I like to have my mouse -- all matters of personal preference.

 

[Hughesy]

Thanks guys, I understand it won't be ideal but as long as it works I'll be happy.

Eventually this hunk of Blackbutt will be my new desk

 

[joema2]

Also the maximum depth I can go without looking too big for the area is 560mm/22inch. Will this be suitable or can I go shallower?

The minimum depth you can tolerate is about 18" from the back wall. This leaves space to rest your hands on the desk and have the keyboard in front of the pedestal, not on top of it. A few more inches, say 21 or 22" might be better, but even 18" is probably doable.

There are also keyboard shelves that mount below the desk. Some of these are on slide-out rails. I have that on my desk and it works fine, provided there's not a center desk drawer.

Keep in mind you also need 21" vertical clearance from the desk top to the iMac upper edge. Any low-hanging book cases or shelves need to be that high off the desk surface.

In general the iMac 27 fits visually in small spaces much better than you'd first think. My wife's 2012 iMac 27 is on a very small nook in the kitchen, and it works well there.

 

[tillsbury]

The minimum depth you *need* is 350mm (to fit the screen and keyboard on). Everything extra is your wrist space. I have a large desk (over a metre deep) and use a Das Keyboard (deeper than an Apple keyboard), so I can put the iMac wherever I want. But, out of interest, the back of the iMac where i currently have it is 520mm from the front edge of the desk.

You probably already know the iMac is 650mm wide