Where to Drill the Grommets in Your Standing Desk (Before You Regret It)

A grommet is the round hole in your desktop where cables pass through to the underside, capped with a plastic ring (the grommet itself) that keeps the edges from being sharp. Most premium standing desks ship with the grommets pre-drilled — usually one or two — in fixed locations. But many DIY builds (butcher block tops, custom slabs, sometimes Flexispot mid-range models) ship without them. You decide where to drill.

You only get one shot. The hole is permanent. r/StandingDesk has a recurring sub-genre of "I wish I'd put it on the left" posts, paired with photos of cables running awkwardly across the desk because the grommet ended up six inches from where it should have been. This post is the decision tree to avoid joining them.

The four questions that determine placement

• Where does the cable bundle land under the desk? Your fabric cable tray (the cable management post covers this) is the destination. The grommet should be directly above the tray — typically along the back edge, centered between the two legs.
• How many monitors do you run, and where? Each monitor needs power and data cables passing through somewhere. One grommet near the monitor stand's position is cleaner than running cables across the desk surface.
• Which hand do you favor for the mouse? Right-handed users get more clutter on the right side (mouse, phone, notebook); left-handed users get it on the left. The grommet should be away from your dominant side so cables don't pile up where you're trying to write.
• Where's the wall outlet? The coiled power cord runs from the wall up the desk leg into the tray. The grommet on top should drop cables down into the tray near where the power strip lives, which is determined by which leg the cord goes up.

The default placement that works for most setups

If you don't want to think about it, this placement works for 80% of users:

• One grommet, 2 inches forward of the back edge of the desk, 8 inches in from the right-hand side of the desk (if you're right-handed; mirror for left). Diameter: 2.5 inches (the standard grommet size). This works for: single monitor or dual monitor at the back of the desk, right-handed mouse user, power strip in the cable tray near the right leg.

That one hole handles your monitor cables (which run down through it to the strip), your laptop dock cable (same), your desk lamp cable, and basically everything else. The placement keeps the hole out of your working zone and close to the back edge where the tray is.

When to do two grommets

Two grommets is right if:

• You run dual monitors at the back of the desk, separated. One grommet behind each monitor lets each monitor's cables drop directly down. Avoids a horizontal cable run across the desk surface.
• You have a tower PC on the floor and a laptop dock on the desk. One grommet for the tower's cables (typically on the side closest to the tower), one for the laptop and accessories.
• You want a "neat" main grommet for visible cables and a "junk" grommet for laptop charger / device chargers / one-off cables. The neat one is in the cosmetic-optimal spot; the junk one is out of sight.

Two grommets, placed 18–24 inches apart along the back edge, cover most multi-monitor setups cleanly.

Where NOT to put grommets

• Center of the desk. The center is where your keyboard or laptop goes. A grommet under your typing position is bizarre and uncomfortable when you rest your wrists.
• Within 4 inches of the front edge. Cables hanging from a front-edge grommet are visible from the user side and look messy. Keep grommets behind the monitor line.
• Directly above a desk leg. Some frames have cable channels in the legs; some don't. Above a leg, you risk drilling into the mounting plate hardware. Stay at least 3 inches from any leg position.
• Where your monitor base sits. The base will cover the grommet, making it useless. Plan around the monitor footprint or use a monitor arm to avoid this entirely.

Drilling the hole

If you're committing, the process:

1. Pick the grommet first. They come in standard diameters: 1.5", 2", 2.5", 3". 2.5" is the most common and fits most cable bundles. Buy the grommet before drilling so you know the exact diameter you need.
2. Use a hole saw. A drill bit doesn't work — you need a circular cutout. A 2.5" hole saw mounted in a drill makes a clean cut in 30 seconds.
3. Drill from the bottom up, with the saw's pilot bit started from the top. This avoids tearout on the visible surface. Start the pilot hole on the top, flip the desk, finish from the bottom.
4. Sand the edges of the hole lightly. Even with the grommet ring covering them, smooth edges are better.
5. Insert the grommet ring. Press fit. Snap it in.

Grommets vs. routing cables around the back

The alternative to grommets is routing cables around the back edge of the desk. This works but has drawbacks: visible cables on the back-side of the desk, more drag during height transitions, harder to keep the cable bundle directly above the cable tray.

If your desk sits against a wall and you don't mind some back-edge cables, no-grommet is acceptable. If your desk is freestanding or visible from behind, a grommet is genuinely tidier.

Bottom line

One grommet, back-right (or back-left if you're left-handed), 2 inches forward of the back edge, 8 inches in from the side, 2.5" diameter. That single hole handles most setups cleanly. Drill it before you assemble the desk if you can — easier to work with the top flat on the floor than installed. The grommet is permanent and visible. The five minutes you spend thinking about placement pays off for the next decade.