By mid-afternoon the desk has been at standing height since lunch, and the thin carpet tiles over the concrete slab are starting to tell. Your heels ache, the laptop screen sits too low and the charger lead has pulled tight again. None of that needs a new desk. The right standing desk accessories fix each problem, and one of them turns a fixed desk into a sit-stand one.
Below we go through mats, converters, shelves, monitor arms and desk charging from our desk and office accessories range, and suggest which to buy first.
Anti-fatigue standing mats: the first thing your feet notice
Standing still on a hard floor is tiring. A mat gives your feet a softer surface and a defined spot, which makes it easier to shift your weight instead of locking your knees.
The Rapid Refresh Mat ($134) is 900mm wide, 600mm deep and 19mm thick, made entirely of PU. Massage points and moulded areas across the top are there to promote blood circulation while you stand. Underneath, a skid-proof, non-slip base keeps it planted, and it carries a 10 year warranty.
At 2.4kg it is light enough to nudge aside with one foot when you sit, which matters because chair castors and a cushioned mat do not mix. The Anti Fatigue Standing Mat is the same size in polyurethane, built to absorb shock.
Sit-stand converters: standing without replacing the desk
At a fixed-height desk, a converter is the accessory that matters most. It sits on the existing top and lifts screen and keyboard to standing height.
The Rapid Riser height adjustable converter (from $459) uses a gas spring, with a control lever on each side. It offers 15 height levels from 150mm to 500mm and comes 680mm or 890mm wide, both 590mm deep, in black or white. The small size carries up to 15kg and the larger up to 18kg, and both have a large keyboard tray and a 10 year warranty.
The Rapid Flux Electric Height Adjustable Converter (from $648) does the lifting with a hidden motor and up and down buttons. It travels from 120mm to 500mm at 22mm per second, runs below 50 decibels and carries up to 25kg. At 880mm or 950mm wide and 415mm deep, it takes less desk depth than the Rapid Riser.
The Rapid Flux adds a quick-release keyboard tray, cable management and a monitor arm grommet, with a 5 year warranty. The Rapid Riser needs no power point and has the longer warranty. The Rapid Flux carries more, takes less depth and moves at the touch of a button.
Add up the weight of your screens, laptop and any arm, and keep it under the rated capacity. Then, standing with elbows bent square, measure from the floor to your forearm and subtract your desk height: that is roughly how far your keyboard needs to rise. On the Rapid Flux the keyboard tray sits below the main top, so allow for that gap.
Desk shelves and hobs: storage that rides with the desk
On a sit-stand desk, a side cabinet is at the wrong height half the day. A shelf fixed to the desk moves with it, so files stay within reach sitting or standing.
The Clamp Mount Shelf (from $128) fixes to the desk with clamps and measures 600mm wide and 270mm deep, standing 475mm above the desk top. Its 25mm E1 rated Enviroboard melamine shelf sits on powder coat uprights, in Oak or White, with four chrome wire dividers for folders.
A desk hob is the longer cousin, 1500mm or 1800mm wide in our range, and suits fixed desks, reception counters and workstation dividers. On a height-adjustable frame, every kilogram on top is load the frame must lift, so check its capacity first.
Monitor arms, cable spines and desk charging
A monitor arm frees the desk surface and sets screen height separately from desk height, and a desk-mounted arm rises with a sit-stand frame. Our guide on how to choose a monitor arm covers single, dual and VESA fittings, and our monitor arms range shows the options.
A cable spine guides leads from desk to floor in one flexible column, so nothing snags as the desk travels. The Desk To Floor Snake is 1300mm long with four segregation channels, a weighted foot at the floor end and provisions to screw it under the desktop. Check it covers your desk at full height, with slack.
Desk charging replaces loose chargers. The Echo Wireless Fast Charge Module ($197) gives 15W wireless fast charging in a round module 60mm across and 46mm deep. One style has a 1500mm three-pin lead for a single desk; the other has a 500mm tag lead and L3F splitter for adjoining workstations.
On a sit-stand desk, check each lead reaches its power point at full height, or plug it into a board that travels with the desk.
Which standing desk accessories to buy first
Start with the problem you feel most.
| Accessory | Fixes | Buy it first if | Watch for | From our range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sit-stand converter | No way to stand | Your desk is fixed height | Weight capacity and desk depth | Rapid Riser or Rapid Flux |
| Anti-fatigue mat | Sore feet and legs when standing | Your floor is hard | Keep chair castors off it | Rapid Refresh Mat, $134 |
| Monitor arm | Screen too low, desk too crowded | You use a laptop or two screens | Room for the mount | Monitor arms range |
| Cable spine | Leads snagging as the desk moves | Several leads run to the wall | Slack at full height | Desk To Floor Snake |
| Desk shelf or hob | Files and trays out of reach | You work from paper files | Added weight on the frame | Clamp Mount Shelf, from $128 |
| Desk charging | Loose chargers on the desk | Phones charge at the desk | Lead length at full height | Echo Wireless Fast Charge Module, $197 |
With a sit-stand desk, the mat usually comes first, because comfort decides whether you keep standing. At a fixed desk, start with the converter and add the mat.
Standing at work in Australian offices and homes
Safe Work Australia's guidance on sitting and standing says workstations should let people vary their postures and movements. For standing tasks, it lists suitable cushioning on concrete and other hard floors where possible. A converter and a mat give a fixed desk both.
Many Australian offices sit on concrete slabs under thin carpet tiles, and plenty of home offices have tiled or timber floors, which are no kinder in a southern winter. Hybrid workers with a sit-stand desk at the office and a fixed one at home can even that out with a converter.
Safe Work Australia also states that work health and safety laws apply when people work from home, just as they do in an office. Every product linked in this guide lists metro Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide on its Delivery line, and most items dispatch within 3 to 12 business days.
Standing desk accessories — frequently asked questions
Do I need an anti-fatigue mat for a standing desk?
Yes, if you stand on a hard floor for more than short stretches. A 19mm PU mat adds cushioning and a defined place to stand. On thick carpet it matters less.
Is a standing desk converter as good as a standing desk?
For one person at a fixed desk, a converter does the main job: it lifts screen and keyboard to standing height. The trade-offs are desk depth and a weight limit, from 15kg to 25kg across the two here. A full sit-stand desk suits wider set-ups and heavier loads.
Can I put a monitor arm on a standing desk converter?
Yes, on the right converter. The Rapid Flux has a grommet hole in its worktop that accommodates monitor arms, and the arm's weight counts toward its 25kg capacity.
Will a desk shelf work on a height-adjustable desk?
Yes. A shelf clamped to the top, like the Clamp Mount Shelf, rises and falls with the desk. Count its load toward the desk's lifting capacity.
Shop the range
Mats, desk shelves and charging modules are in our desk and office accessories collection, and converters sit with our standing and height-adjustable desks. If you are starting with one item, make it the Rapid Refresh Mat for a sit-stand desk, or a converter for a fixed one. Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, and prices include GST.
