Rocking Chair Dimensions (Sizes & Measuring Guide)

When you think about rocking chairs, you picture something like this: on Sunday, rocking a chair on your house’s porch at dawn. Or, if you are a parent, you think about using a rocker to sway your baby back to sleep.

Here, you will learn about 101’s of rocking chair basics to guide you towards finding the perfect chair both in dimensions and style. Let’s get to it!

Standard Rocking Chair Dimensions

Once you start your hunt, you will discover that there are a variety of size ranges out there, and you may be overwhelmed, and that’s where this article will come in.

However, the traditional rocking chairs measure 37 to 45 inches or 94 to 114 centimeters tall, 26-30 inches or 66 to 76 centimeters in width, with depths generally 32 to 37 inches or 81 to 94 centimeters. 

What Is The Height Of A Rocking Chair?

You will find rocking chairs in all varieties of colors and styles. Whatever your interior design is, chances are there is a perfect one out there that will fit your needs. At the same time, aside from looks, sizes will vary widely across all styles. 

The standard height of a rocking chair, on average, will range from 37 to 45 inches or 94 to 114 centimeters. Height is one of the most necessary factors to consider since height will be relative to the user since it is dependent on one’s height.

Shorter people would want a lower seat height, and if you are taller, it would be best to find one with higher seats. This will ensure maximum comfort. 

How Do You Measure The Seat Height?

One would think that measuring a chair’s height is simply measuring from top to bottom to know the overall chair height, but there is more to that than it really is. Aside from the overall height, there are three more measurements to consider for the perfect rocking chair seat height.

• For maximum lumbar support to avoid lower back pains, one needs to measure from where the seat ends to the top of a rocking chair’s head. 

• A buyer needs to measure the depth of the chair’s seat to make sure that the seat is fully supporting both their bottom and legs. To do that, measure from the back of one’s bottom to the underside of one’s knees when sitting. 

• The last measurement to consider is to measure from the seat to the bottom of the rockers to make sure that your legs and feet are not hanging, your lower limbs are leveled to the floor, and your feet are also flat on the floor. 

How Long Should Rockers Be?

The size of the rockers on a rocking chair will be dependent on the size and the style of the design. There is no set of predetermined sizes for a rocker. However, here is a general rule of thumb for rocker sizes:

• 32 inches: This is on the shorter side and will result in a more pronounced rock motion. This size is best for those who have a smaller room or when a smaller footprint is needed.
• 36 inches: This length provides a more stable, gentler back-and-forth motion. This is best for children, the elderly, and nursing mothers to help reduce the risk of tipping over.

If you are a person with advanced woodworking skills, an excellent project for you is building a sturdy furniture piece that could be passed from generation to generation. Generally, there is no fixed measurement or size for a rocker for a rocking chair. Many measurements are provided to measure a single rocker, like the rocker’s curve or its overall length. 

Children’s Chair Dimensions

Children’s rocking chairs come in three sizes: child, junior, and youth. Although there is a predetermined standard for children’s sizes, they could still vary depending on the brand and manufacturers carrying them. 

The smallest tiny tots rocking chair is the child-size that have widths of 17 inches or 43 centimeters, 18.5 inches or 47 centimeters in length, and a height of 23 inches or 59 centimeters. This size has a depth of 9.5 inches or 24 centimeters. 

For junior rocking chairs, they have a width of 22 inches or 56 centimeters, 24 inches or 61 centimeters in length, and a height of 29.5 inches or 75 centimeters. The depth for junior chairs is 13 inches or 33 centimeters. 

The most oversized children’s rocking chairs are the youth-size that have 25.5 inches or 65 centimeters in width and length of 27.5 inches or 70 centimeters.

The height size will average at 33.75 inches or 86 centimeters, while the depth is generally 14.5 inches or 37 centimeters from side to side. 

Standard Size For Chair Cushions

The standard size will depend on what style your seat is, so to present you with a comprehensive compendium of measurements; we will consider the different types of rocking chairs commonly purchased for homes. 

The traditional rocking chairs measure 37″ to 45″ or 94 cm to 114 cm tall, 26-30″ or 66 cm to 76 cm in width, while their depths are generally 32″ to 37″ or 81 to 94 cm. 

Glider rockers are characterized by the flat plane in which the mechanism to rock is framed. Gliders are usually 26″ or 66 cm long, 25″ or 64 cm wide, a height of 40″ or 102 cm, and a seat depth of 18″ or 46 cm. 

If rocking chairs only rock forward and backward, swivel chairs can rock side to side, and the spring in these seats is what makes the wide range of motion possible. 

For a swivel rocker chair, their most standard dimensions are 23″ or 58 cm in width, a height of 40″ or 102 cm, and a chair depth of 20 by 25″ or 51 by 64 cm. 

How Much Space Do These Chairs Need?

Ensure that the rocking chair also has a space to rock forward and backward without hitting anything. A patio or indoor area that’s 10 square feet in size will be enough space for a single one depending on its type and size.

See our list of patio furniture layout tools for more help determining how many you can fit into your space. The recommended distance among multiple rocking chairs, whatever type they are, should at least be 2 to 3 feet apart. 

Visit our types of chairs buying guide for more related content like this.