Map the underside without installing anything
Make a simple top-down sketch as though you could see through the desktop. Add the rear edge, support rails, drawers, controller and existing mounting points. Mark which parts remain still and which move. Photograph awkward areas for reference rather than guessing from a catalogue image of a similar desk.
Then add where you normally sit and where the chair moves. WorkSafe Victoria's desk guidance calls for unobstructed leg access. Treat that as an early design constraint: the tray should serve the workstation rather than make you change your normal access to accommodate it. A centred tray is not automatically the best location.
Compare the complete installed shape
A tray's basket height may omit the bracket above it. Ask for total drop below the desktop, overall width, operating depth and the space needed by its clamps. If a removable basket slides or tilts out, map that movement too. An external dimension is not the same as usable internal capacity.
For illustration, a proposed 120 mm total drop reaches 30 mm below a frame that hangs down 90 mm. It does not follow that the tray is harmless because it sits mostly behind the frame. Compare its location with the chair and leg area, and check the desk's full intended movement. These numbers are only a sketch exercise.
Plan how connectors enter and leave
Lay out unplugged equipment that is safe to handle according to its instructions, or measure it in place. Include adapters and connector projections, not just the powerboard's rectangular body. A tray can have enough nominal capacity while leaving no access to a switch or no route for a large plug.
As an invented example, a 300 mm body plus a 45 mm end connector needs more length than the body alone. Do not turn that sum into a cable-bend allowance; use the equipment's instructions for its route and ventilation. Avoid packing components into every available gap simply because a dimension calculation says they fit.
Choose mounting only after checking the location
For a clamp, confirm desktop thickness, surface suitability, underside contact area and installation access. For a screw-mounted tray, confirm the desk maker permits attachment and follow the tray's specified fixing arrangement. This guide does not prescribe a drill depth or substitute screw length. Those depend on the actual desktop and accessory.
A cardboard outline can show where an empty tray would sit, but it must not carry electrical equipment or serve as a temporary mount. If the best-looking location prevents later maintenance, consider another position or a different mounting design before buying. Reaching the contents is part of fit, not an afterthought.
Keep electrical safety separate from storage capacity
Energy Safe Victoria warns against piggybacking adaptors and recommends a powerboard with a built-in safety device. A larger tray does not increase a powerboard's electrical rating. Use equipment according to its instructions; do not modify plugs, powerboards or desk wiring to make the layout fit.
Finish with a location note: mounting approved or unresolved; complete tray dimensions; free leg and chair space; connector access; equipment instructions checked; desk movement checked. If one part fails, change the layout. Hiding more equipment is not a useful result when you can no longer reach a switch, inspect a connection or move the desk as intended.
Sources and further reading
- WorkSafe Victoria: Office layout and design
Reviewed 15 October 2026. Supports the brief leg-access constraint; the mapping exercise and numerical example are original.
- Energy Safe Victoria: Using electricity safely
Reviewed 15 October 2026. Supports the short advice about avoiding piggyback adaptors and choosing a powerboard with a built-in safety device. Safety information adapted from Energy Safe Victoria, © Energy Safe Victoria, under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Wording summarised; the desk-planning exercise is FAQEver's original work.