How to determine where the TV will end up when selecting different lengths of TV ceiling mount
Our ceiling mount lengths are measured from the ceiling down to about the middle of the screen. Here is how to use your TV's height, VESA pattern, and mounting hole offset to calculate exactly where the middle, top, and bottom of the screen will land.
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The length measurements we give on our TV ceiling mounts are from the surface the ceiling plate is attached to the building structure down to approximately the middle of the screen. Except with product DD which is designed to hold the TV horizontal.
Why the middle of the screen and why approximately?
- Mounting holes on the back of the TV can be offset towards the top or bottom of the TV. To precisely determine where the TV will end up, we need to know how much the mounting holes are offset up or down on the back of the screen and the VESA mounting pattern of the TV.
- TV heights vary based on diagonal screen size and bezel thickness. For a rough approximation of screen height based on diagonal screen size, you would multiply the screen size by .4903, but you would need to add some to account for the bezel of the TV. We recommend adding 1 inch. For example, a 70-inch screen would be 34.3 inches tall and with bezel it would be 35.3.
| Screen Size | Calculated Height | Height with Bezel |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | 15.7 | 16.7 |
| 43 | 21.1 | 22.1 |
| 50 | 24.5 | 25.5 |
| 55 | 27.0 | 28.0 |
| 60 | 29.4 | 30.4 |
| 63 | 30.9 | 31.9 |
| 65 | 31.9 | 32.9 |
| 70 | 34.3 | 35.3 |
| 75 | 36.8 | 37.8 |
| 80 | 39.2 | 40.2 |
| 85 | 41.7 | 42.7 |
How to calculate where the middle, bottom, and top of the screen will end up
Measurements needed
(these measurements are usually best taken directly from the TV. If you don't have access to the TV, sometimes they can be looked up online.)
- Overall Height of TV
- Measure the TV
- Look up on manufacturers website
- Look up on TV retailer's site
- Use the diagonal screen size times .4903 and add 1 inch
- VESA Mounting Pattern - Width and height of the mounting holes. Usually displayed in Millimeters, such as 200x100 or 400x400
- Measure the TV
- Look up on manufacturers website
- Look up on TV retailer's website
- Assumptions. Most 32-inch screens are 200x200mm. Most 55 and larger screens are 400x400mm. But there is no fixed rule for these.
- Distance from top of TV to top mounting hole on TV.
- Measure the TV
- Look up on manufacturers website
- Look up on TV retailer's website
- Assume they are centered top to bottom.
How to calculate how far offset up or down the mounting holes are on the back of the TV
- Take the distance from the top of the TV down to the top mounting hole on the TV and add half the height of the VESA Pattern. This will give you the distance to the vertical middle of the mounting hole pattern on the back of the TV
For example. If you have a TV that has a 400w x 300h pattern. You measure from the top of the TV down to the top mounting hole and it is 16 inches. Since there are 25.4mm per inch, half of the 300mm mounting pattern is 5.91 inches. 16 + 5.91 = 21.91 inches to the middle of the mounting hole pattern on the back of the TV.
- Divide the height of the TV in half and subtract the distance from the top of the TV to the middle of the mounting hole pattern.
For example. If the TV is 32.7 inches tall the center of that TV is 16.35 inches from the top of the TV. If you subtract 21.91 from 16.35 that means the center of the TV is -5.56 inches. Or 5.56 inches higher than the middle of the mounting hole pattern.
How to calculate where the middle, bottom and top of the TV will end up
- To find the middle of the TV, you would add the previously calculated offset. Or how far up or down on the back of the TV the mounting holes are.
We have many mounts that have an adjustable length of 17 to 33 inches. For example, 17 + (-5.56) = 11.44 (since we calculated a negative value of -5.56 you are really subtracting or 17 - 5.56 = 11.44) or the middle of the screen for our example TV would be 11.44 inches down from the ceiling. A second example would be the mount fully extended to 33 inches would put the middle of the TV at 27.44 inches from where the top plate is attached to the building structure.
- To find where the top of the TV would end up, you would subtract 1/2 the height of the TV from the middle point of the TV we calculated.
For example, if you subtract 16.35 from 11.44 you would get negative 4.91 inches. In a normal situation you can't have the top of the TV 4.91 inches above the ceiling or surface the ceiling plate is attached to the building structure. So, let's assume you are using the mount fully extended to 33 inches. If you add the negative 5.56 offset, you get 27.44 inches. And then you subtract 1/2 the height of the TV (16.35 inches) you would get 11.09 inches from the surface that the top plate of the mount is attached to the building structure down to the top of the TV.
- To find where the bottom of the TV would end up, you would add 1/2 the height of the TV to the middle point of the TV we calculated.
For example, if you add 16.35 to 27.44 you get 43.79 inches from where the top plate is mounted to building structure down to the bottom of the TV.
