In a normal living room, the screen’s centre should sit close to your seated eye level. TV Mount Mate often starts by marking around 70cm from the floor to the TV’s bottom edge, though that isn’t a universal rule. It depends on your seated eye height, the television’s size, your sofa, furniture, any soundbar, room layout and what you prefer.
At a glance
Starting point: centre close to seated eye level
TV Mount Mate’s usual first mark: approximately 70cm to the bottom edge in an ordinary living room
Bedroom: commonly higher, since you may be reclined rather than sitting upright
Above a fireplace: commonly higher than ideal eye level
Final decision: measured and agreed with you before drilling
These are starting principles, not guaranteed measurements. The right height still depends on your room.
Start With Seated Eye Level
The most reliable starting point for TV height is where your eyes naturally rest when you’re sitting in your usual spot, not a fixed number taken from the floor. Samsung’s wall-mounting guidance recommends measuring the viewer’s seated eye height directly where possible, and gives a general fallback of approximately 107cm (42in) to the screen centre for someone around 5 feet 6 inches tall on a standard sofa. That figure is a general reference for one height and one seating setup. It isn’t a UK regulation, and it isn’t a number that applies to every room.
Why 70cm to the Bottom Edge Is Only a Starting Point
For an ordinary living room, TV Mount Mate often uses approximately 70cm from the floor to the bottom edge of the television as an initial position to discuss on site. It’s a starting point, not a fixed standard, and it doesn’t suit every room or every television.
The customer’s seated eye height is still measured before anything is agreed. A larger screen changes where its centre finishes even if the bottom edge stays the same, and a lower or higher sofa than average shifts the whole calculation. Furniture and soundbars can also limit where the television is practically able to sit, and some customers ask for a higher position because of children or pets near the screen. Whatever the starting point, the customer approves the final height before it’s marked for drilling.
How to Calculate the TV’s Bottom-Edge Height
There’s a simple way to think about where a screen’s bottom edge should sit once you know two things: seated eye height and the television’s actual physical height, not the diagonal screen size, which doesn’t tell you the casing height.
Suggested bottom-edge height = seated eye height minus half the television’s physical height
As an illustrative example only:
Seated eye height: 105cm
Television’s physical height: 70cm
Half the television’s height: 35cm
Illustrative bottom edge: 70cm from the floor
That’s one example, not a recommendation for every installation. The television’s manufacturer-stated overall height should be used where it’s available, rather than estimated from the screen diagonal. Even once this position is agreed, the wall plate itself still needs to be calculated separately from the bracket arms, covered next.
Why Screen Size Alone Doesn't Decide the Height
| Nominal TV Size | Approximate 16:9 Screen Height | Illustrative Bottom Edge With Centre at 105cm |
|---|---|---|
| 50 inches | 62cm | 74cm |
| 55 inches | 69cm | 71cm |
| 65 inches | 81cm | 65cm |
| 75 inches | 93cm | 58cm |
This table is illustrative only, using approximate 16:9 screen dimensions. It doesn’t account for model-specific bezels or casing, so the actual manufacturer-stated overall height should be measured before installation. Furniture may also make the calculated bottom edge impractical, and customer preference can still result in a higher position than the table suggests.
If the centre stays at the same eye height, a larger television simply extends further above and below that point. Screen size on its own isn’t a reason to raise the centre.
Why the Wall Plate Is Not Drilled on the Height Mark
The mark showing where the TV’s bottom edge should sit is not automatically where the wall plate gets drilled. After the screen position is agreed, TV Mount Mate measures where the bracket arms sit on the back of the television and works out where the wall plate itself needs to go so the TV finishes at the agreed height once it’s hung. Different holes on the bracket arms can shift the final position up or down, so this step needs care, and it varies between bracket products rather than following one universal offset.
How Room Use Changes the Height
Living rooms
In most living rooms, seated eye level is still the starting reference, and TV Mount Mate typically begins the conversation around 70cm to the bottom edge before adjusting for the room. Sofa height and how tall the viewer sits both matter, and the television’s own dimensions affect where its centre actually finishes. As with every job, the customer approves the position before it’s marked.
Bedrooms
Bedroom televisions are often positioned higher, since the viewer may be sitting back or lying down rather than sitting upright on a sofa. TV Mount Mate assesses the proposed position from the bed itself and commonly recommends a tilting bracket when the television will sit above normal seated eye level.
Children and pets
Some customers ask for a higher position because of children who might touch or throw things at the screen, and pets can be a similar consideration. When it isn’t a straightforward decision, TV Mount Mate sometimes marks a second position so the customer can compare them side by side, and it isn’t unusual for someone to change their mind once they see both marks on the wall.
TV Height Above Furniture and Soundbars
There’s no standard gap that works above every cabinet or soundbar. Something in the region of 5cm to 10cm can look right in some rooms, but it isn’t a rule. The actual figure depends on the television’s dimensions, where the soundbar sits, and whether any cabinet doors underneath still need to open freely. Beyond those practical constraints, the final gap often comes down to what looks right to the customer, and that’s what gets approved before the bracket goes up.
Viewing Angle and Glare
Rather than measuring one precise angle on every job, TV Mount Mate checks the screen from the customer’s normal viewing position, including nearby windows, natural light, ceiling lights and spotlights. Where glare is a real problem, the position or bracket changes to suit.
THX viewing guidance suggests keeping your normal line of sight within roughly 15 degrees above or below the centre of the screen for comfortable viewing. That’s a useful reference point rather than a hard cut-off. A tilting bracket can help when the television has to sit higher than ideal, for example above a fireplace, though a full-motion bracket isn’t automatically the answer: TV Mount Mate will still turn one down if the wall or fixing arrangement isn’t suitable for it.
See our guide to fixed, tilting and full-motion TV brackets for more on choosing between them.
Mounting a TV Above a Fireplace
A television mounted above a fireplace commonly ends up higher than normal seated eye level, simply because of where the chimney breast or flue sits. That usually means a compromise on viewing angle, and TV Mount Mate tries to keep the screen as low as the fireplace arrangement genuinely allows, normally recommending a tilting bracket so the picture can be angled back down towards the seating.
The customer still approves the final height once the viewing trade-off has been explained, but the fireplace itself and the television manufacturer’s own requirements take priority over any general height guidance on this page.
For heat clearances, suitable brackets and fireplace-specific safety, see TV mounting above fireplaces.
Real Installation: 100-Inch Hisense in Barking
In August 2026, TV Mount Mate installed a 100-inch Hisense E7 Pro Series television in a converted shipping-container office in Barking, IG11. The wall was dark MDF over double-layer plasterboard with timber studs behind it. The same seated-eye-height approach applied here as on any smaller job; the screen’s size didn’t decide the height on its own.
The customer watched from a specific office chair, so that’s where their seated eye height was measured. They asked for the TV’s bottom edge to sit at 80cm from the floor, with 10cm of clearance between the television and the cabinet below it. The cabinet did not determine the final height. The position was discussed and marked before anything was drilled. Because the wall finish was dark MDF, the pencil marks were hard to see, so masking tape was used to make the measurement and drilling lines clear.
As with any installation, the wall-plate position still had to be calculated from where the bracket arms sat on the television, not from the 80cm mark itself, and the bracket arms needed several adjustments to land on the exact height agreed. The customer’s original bracket, a One For All full-motion model, wasn’t used; TV Mount Mate supplied a fixed VonHaus bracket with an open centre instead, which kept the existing socket accessible without needing to move it. Only the television’s existing power lead was connected; no other cabling was part of this job.
TV Mount Mate carried out a two-person manual lift with one person from the office assisting, without lifting equipment, and the finished position matched exactly what the customer had asked for.
The full project is covered on the 100-inch Hisense E7 Pro installation in Barking page.
Common TV-Mounting Height Mistakes
The most common height mistake I come across is a television mounted too high. I have lowered many televisions that were previously installed by handymen. Other mistakes I have encountered include:
Getting the wall-plate calculation wrong, so the TV finishes higher or lower than intended
Leaving no room for a soundbar once the television is up
Ignoring glare from a nearby window that wasn’t checked from the seated position
Television connections that become difficult to access after mounting
A large screen positioned without working out where its centre will actually finish
Choosing a height purely for appearance over how it will feel to watch
Frequently Asked Questions
There's no UK legal standard for TV mounting height in an ordinary home. The usual starting point is the screen centre close to seated eye level, then adjusted for the viewer, sofa, television and room.
It depends whether that's the TV's centre or its bottom edge. An 80cm centre would be low for most seated adults, while an 80cm bottom edge might suit the room or be on the high side, depending on the screen's height, the sofa and the space available. The Barking project above used an 80cm bottom edge because it matched the customer's measured and approved setup, which doesn't make it right for every room.It depends whether that's the TV's centre or its bottom edge. An 80cm centre would be low for most seated adults, while an 80cm bottom edge might suit the room or be on the high side, depending on the screen's height, the sofa and the space available. The Barking project above used an 80cm bottom edge because it matched the customer's measured and approved setup, which doesn't make it right for every room.
There's no single guaranteed measurement. A typical 55-inch 16:9 screen is roughly 69cm tall before accounting for model-specific casing, so if the centre were set at 105cm, the illustrative bottom edge would land around 71cm. Always check the manufacturer's actual dimensions rather than relying on the screen size alone.
There's no universal cut-off. A 65-inch television becomes too high when viewing it from the normal seated position needs an uncomfortable upward angle, which depends on the actual room, the viewer and the screen, not the 65-inch label by itself.
Centre close to seated eye level is the preferred starting point either way. If the room forces a higher position, a tilting bracket can improve the viewing angle, though that doesn't make every high position ideal; it just makes it more comfortable than it would otherwise be.
Mounting the TV too high is the one I see most often, frequently on televisions previously installed by handymen. Miscalculating the wall-plate position, leaving no room for a soundbar, ignoring glare, and positioning a large screen without considering where its centre will finish are the others.
Agree the Height Before Drilling
There’s no single number that works for every room, television and viewer. Seated eye height, the screen’s actual size, the sofa, nearby furniture, a soundbar and the room itself all play a part, and the Barking installation above shows why the final wall-plate position still needs its own calculation even once a height is agreed. Whatever the room, TV Mount Mate measures, explains the trade-offs, and agrees the position with the customer before anything is drilled.
For a fixed quote on getting your television mounted at the right height, see TV mounting service in London.
About the Author
Written by: TV Mount Mate
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