What size TV for a living room?
Room size is a rough guide. Where the sofa sits is the real answer.
Choose by how far your eyes are from the screen: the right size fills 30–40° of your view, which is 0.62 to 0.84 times your distance (in inches). From 8 feet, that’s 59–80 inches; from 9 feet, 66–90; from 10 feet, 74–100. In most living rooms the sofa sits 8 to 10 feet from the TV, so 65 or 75 inches is the usual answer, and 85 inches in larger family rooms. Then check the wall width and the TV’s stand against your console.
Size from seating distance
The useful measure is the viewing angle. SMPTE’s reference viewing distance gives about 31–33°; THX recommends 40° for a cinema-like view. Between them sits the band that most people find comfortable for both TV and films.
| Eyes to screen | Screen for 30–40° | Usual pick |
|---|---|---|
| 7 ft | 52–70 in | 55 or 65 in |
| 8 ft | 59–80 in | 65 or 75 in |
| 9 ft | 66–90 in | 75 in |
| 10 ft | 74–100 in | 75 or 85 in |
| 12 ft | 89–120 in | 98 in (85 for a relaxed 29°) |
By room size
Room size only matters because it decides where the sofa ends up. These assume the TV on one wall and the sofa’s back against the opposite wall, eyes about 2 feet in front of it:
| Room (TV wall × depth) | Eyes to screen | Size for 30–40° |
|---|---|---|
| 12 × 11 ft | about 9 ft | 65–90 in |
| 15 × 12 ft | about 10 ft | 74–100 in |
| 15 × 13 ft | about 11 ft | 81–110 in |
| 18 × 15 ft | about 13 ft | 96–130 in |
In practice, many people pull the sofa off the back wall (for a walkway or a console behind it), which brings the distance down and the right size with it. Measure your own.
TV size calculatorEnter your actual distance to see every size's viewing angle. Open →The checks after the angle
- Wall width. The TV is about 0.87 times its diagonal wide: 57 inches for a 65-inch, 65.5 for a 75-inch, 74.5 for an 85-inch. Leave space either side of windows and doors.
- Console or stand. The feet or center stand must fit on it, and IKEA recommends a bench wider than the screen for stability. Check the furniture’s weight rating too. Our will-it-fit checker compares real TVs’ stands with your furniture.
- Walkways. About 36 inches where people pass (the NKBA planning figure).
- Mounting height. Center of the screen near seated eye height, about 42 inches. See how high to mount a TV.
TV sizes at a glance
TV size chart · picture dimensions, not cabinet: the set itself is a little larger
| Size | Width | Height | Width | Height | Sit (30–40°) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| in | in | cm | cm | feet | |
| 32″ | 27.9 | 15.7 | 71 | 40 | 3.2–4.3 ft |
| 40″ | 34.9 | 19.6 | 89 | 50 | 4–5.4 ft |
| 42″ | 36.6 | 20.6 | 93 | 52 | 4.2–5.7 ft |
| 43″ | 37.5 | 21.1 | 95 | 54 | 4.3–5.8 ft |
| 48″ | 41.8 | 23.5 | 106 | 60 | 4.8–6.5 ft |
| 50″ | 43.6 | 24.5 | 111 | 62 | 5–6.8 ft |
| 55″ | 47.9 | 27 | 122 | 68 | 5.5–7.4 ft |
| 60″ | 52.3 | 29.4 | 133 | 75 | 6–8.2 ft |
| 65″ | 56.7 | 31.9 | 144 | 81 | 6.5–8.8 ft |
| 70″ | 61 | 34.3 | 155 | 87 | 7–9.5 ft |
| 75″ | 65.4 | 36.8 | 166 | 93 | 7.5–10.2 ft |
| 77″ | 67.1 | 37.8 | 170 | 96 | 7.7–10.4 ft |
| 80″ | 69.7 | 39.2 | 177 | 100 | 8–10.8 ft |
| 83″ | 72.3 | 40.7 | 184 | 103 | 8.3–11.3 ft |
| 85″ | 74.1 | 41.7 | 188 | 106 | 8.5–11.5 ft |
| 98″ | 85.4 | 48 | 217 | 122 | 9.8–13.3 ft |
| 100″ | 87.2 | 49 | 221 | 125 | 10–13.6 ft |
Questions people ask
What size TV for a 12 by 15 living room?
It depends which wall the TV goes on. On the 15-foot wall, with the sofa against the opposite wall, your eyes are about 9.5 to 10 feet away and a 75-inch TV fills about 31° of your view. On the 12-foot wall, your eyes end up about 12.5 to 13 feet away: even an 85-inch TV fills only about 27° from there, so pull the sofa forward or go bigger.
Is 75 inches too big for a living room?
Only if you sit closer than about 7.5 feet, where it fills more than THX’s 40° cinema angle. From 9 to 10 feet, a 75-inch TV fills 30–34° of your view, inside the recommended band.
What size TV for a small living room?
From 6 to 7 feet, 50 to 65 inches fills the recommended band. Small rooms often take a bigger screen than people expect, because you sit closer.
Sources
- SMPTE (2017). ST 2080-3:2017 Reference Viewing Environment for Evaluation of HDTV Images.Standard
- THX. Viewing Guide FAQ.Professional guide
- Samsung US Support. Where to mount the TV.Manufacturer
- Samsung. What size TV should I get?.Manufacturer
- IKEA US. How to choose a TV bench that’s right for your home.Manufacturer
- National Kitchen & Bath Association (2022). Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards.Professional guide
Numbers on this page follow these sources. Where a figure is our own calculation or a rule of thumb, the text says so. Found a mistake? Tell us.
