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FAQ: What Size TV Stand or Console Do I Need for My TV?

FAQ: What Size TV Stand or Console Do I Need for My TV?

Even as our mobile devices become more powerful and users abandon traditional cable and network TV programming, the television isn’t going anywhere. TVs remain a common fixture in the den, living room and family room, and are increasingly common in bedrooms too. It should be no surprise then that many shoppers furnish rooms and decorate their living spaces around their TVs.

Here at Woodstock Furniture & Mattress Outlet, we don’t sell TVs, but our furniture and décor experts sure do get plenty of questions about them. Most often, customers browsing TV stands or media consoles already have the TV they’ll be setting on it. In fact, that’s exactly what leads them to ask, “What size TV stand or console do I need for my TV?”

man-measuring-tv-stand

While this sounds like a simple question, there are a few possible hiccups we run into on a regular basis. Don’t worry though, we’ve got you covered! Stick with us to the end, and you’ll know what size console or stand is best for your TV. As a bonus, we’ll also turn that question on it’s head for those of you that already have a console or TV stand and want to know what size TV will fit.

But First, A Short Note on TV Screen Measurements & How to Measure TVs: Diagonals, Width, Height & Aspect Ratio

So, what size media console do you need for your current flatscreen TV? Well, our answer depends almost entirely on what size TV you have. However, before you blurt out your TV’s size, let’s unpack this seemingly easy yet loaded question. First, we need to make sure we’re all on the same page.

measuring-modern-tv-sizes

As you may know, the consumer electronics industry measures TV screens diagonally from corner-to-corner. This diagonal measurement is also commonly known as the screen diameter or screen size. Seems simple enough, right?

However, this measurement is the source of several common misunderstandings regarding how to measure TVs and arrange them in the home. Namely that width and height measurements are virtually unknown to most consumers, and that shoppers sometimes mistakenly assume that a TV’s width is the same as its screen diameter. Hint: it’s not!

As a result, most shoppers who come into our stores to buy media furniture only know the diagonal measurement of their TV at home, and have no sense of their TV’s actual width and height. We want to help with that! Keep reading for common TV measurements and instructions on how-to find your TV’s width and height.

[Editor’s Note: Keep in mind that the tables, formulas and illustrations below only work for modern TVs with a 16:9 aspect ratio (i.e. widescreen TVs) and won’t work for standard definition TVs with a traditional 4:3 aspect ratio. This is because just about every flatscreen TV made today has a 16:9, widescreen format.]

What Size TV Stand or Console for X-Inch TV?

“What size console for a 55-inch TV?” “How about for a 65-inch TV?” “What size TV stand for a 75-inch TV?” Shoppers ask our furniture experts these types of questions every single day.

As we stated above, the size TV stand or console you need really depends upon the size of your TV. Additionally, we now know that the diagonal or diameter of your TV’s screen is not the same as its width/height. So, what’s next? How do we get the right measurements?

If you already have a TV that you like, it seems like a simple answer for us to say “Well, just measure the width/height of your TV before you come in.” But what if you forget to measure before shopping or forget to bring the measurements with you? That’s where the info below comes in.

Cheat Sheets: Measurements for Common TV Sizes

If math isn’t your strong suit, we’ve gone ahead and done the calculations for you. Below is a list of the 8 most common widescreen TV sizes along with their width and height measurements.

These dimensions will give you a ball-park estimate on how large of a TV stand you may need to buy. Feel free to use this as a quick reference guide while shopping for TV stands and consoles. Alternatively, you can also use these measurements to figure out what size TV you can fit on your existing console or entertainment center.

tv-sizes-widths-and-heights

Keep in mind that this list of dimensions (and our corresponding illustrations) are the measurements of the screen only, and do not include the height of the legs or width of the bezel, both of which vary from model to model. You can expect the bezel to add an inch or two of extra width on each side, and the legs/stand to add several inches to the height.

  • 32-inch TV Dimensions – 27.9″ (W) x 15.7″ (H)
  • 40-inch TV Dimensions – 34.9″ (W) x 19.6″ (H) 
  • 42-inch TV Dimensions – 36.6″ (W) x 20.6″ (H) 
  • 43-inch TV Dimensions – 37.5″ (W) x 21.1″ (H)
  • 55-inch TV Dimensions – 47.9″ (W) x 27″ (H)
  • 65-inch TV Dimensions – 56.7″ (W) x 31.9″ (H) 
  • 75-inch TV Dimensions – 65.4″ (W) x 36.8″ (H)
  • 85-inch TV Dimensions – 74.1″ (W) x 41.7″ (H)

There’s also a quick formula you can use to estimate your TV’s width and height as long as you know what diameter your TV screen is. If you want to get nerdy and check our math, you can see the same calculations we used below.

Calculating TV Width/Height Using Your Screen Size

If you have an odd-sized TV or other size not shown above, you can easily do the math yourself. Use a calculator and the formulas below to estimate the width and height of your widescreen TV based on its screen size (i.e., your screen’s diagonal measurement).

Screen Width = Diagonal x 0.87157552765421

Screen Height = Diagonal x 0.490261259680549

For example, using these calculations, we can figure out that a 55-inch flatscreen TV (the most common size sold) has a screen width of approximately 48 inches, and a screen height of around 27 inches. You can do this to figure out the measurement of any screen size.

Calculating the Ideal TV Size for Your Console/TV Stand

The beautiful thing is that the same formula above works just as well to help you figure out which size TV will work with your new stand or console. We can simply rearrange the equation to solve for a different variable (or you can cheat and just check out the illustration below). And here you thought you’d never use that algebra education in the real world!

tv-stand-widths-with-tv-stand-sizes

Diagonal Screen Size = Console Length ÷ 0.87157552765421

For most media consoles and TV stands, this is the only equation you’ll need to figure out what size TVs are compatible – just remember to allow for an inch or two of wiggle room to accommodate the TVs bezel width. However, if you are looking at wall units or entertainment centers that completely wrap around your TV, you may need to solve for height as well.

Diagonal Screen Size = TV Enclosure Height ÷ 0.490261259680549

For instance, if your new wall unit has a TV enclosure with a height of 35 inches, you could hypothetically fit a 70-inch screen. However, once you allow a few inches for the TV’s bezel and feet (if it isn’t wall-mounted), a safer choice would be a 65-inch TV or smaller.

Putting It All Together: Choosing the Right Media Furniture for Your Home

You’ve learned the width and height measurements of popular TV screen sizes. You’ve learned how to measure your TV and calculate width and height based on your TV’s diagonal measurement. Finally, whether you’ve measured things yourself or used our handy table and formulas, you should have a good idea about what size media furniture you need!

Ideally, your TV shouldn’t be wider than your stand or console. As for height, it shouldn’t matter unless you’re looking for a wall unit or entertainment center that fully encloses your TV. Remember that if you’re using our tables or equations to calculate your TV’s dimensions, those dimensions will be for the screen itself. If your TV has tall legs or thick bezels on the edges of the screen, you should allow for some extra wiggle room.

You’re finally ready to put it all together and pick a TV stand, console or entertainment center that’s just right for your TV. Or, if you’ve already got a TV console you love, now you know what size TV you can fit on it. Either way, if you’re in the market for a new TV stand, media console, wall unit, or entertainment center, our experts would love the opportunity to assist you at our three North Georgia furniture stores!

Struggling to figure out the right size TV for your space? We’ve got content to help you with that too! If you have any more questions about media furniture, décor or room layout, don’t hesitate to swing by our website and take advantage of our convenient, live webchat. See you soon!

 
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