As one of the leading office furniture suppliers in the UK, we frequently come across employees and employers asking how long office chairs should last. As with most other office furniture, sooner or later it’ll start to break down and will need replacing at some point in the future.
Office chairs should be a long term investment to provide both functionality and comfort for your staff, which is why on average, most office chairs last around 7-8 years. Whilst this is a ball-park figure, different chairs can be replaced sooner or later than this recommendation.
In this guide, we outline how often you should replace your office chairs and the tell-tale signs that indicate you should purchase new ones
The lifespan of different office chairs
Fabric office chairs
Fabric-based chairs have been a mainstay in offices for decades so it’s easy to see why businesses choose to have them in their work buildings. Providing both style and comfort, they are a great choice for a range of purposes and are typically cheaper to purchase than a leather counterpart.
The hardwearing nature of fabric office chairs typically ensures a lifespan of around 8 years and a good return on investment. You may want to invest in new fabric office chairs before this date as the technological advancements in modern fabric office chairs ensure an effective solution to back problems amongst staff.
Leather office chairs
Leather office chairs are arguably the most durable and hardwearing type on the market with an average lifespan of 10 years. Leather has long been considered one of the best materials money can buy thanks to its functionality and premium qualities.
Whilst not all leather chairs will last a long time like our Nautilus Aura High Back Leather Executive Chair, you can always repair or replace the upholstery if needed.
Mesh office chairs
The least durable of the three types of chairs we provide are the mesh-based office chairs. Whilst not a bad solution by any means (the style, back-support technology and low cost is a great alternative to leather or fabric) the fabric can be prone to small tears and rips which can lead to a reduction in lifespan.
If you have a mesh office chair, you should look to replace it with a new one every 6 years.
How to know when you need a new office chair
You may start to notice some obvious signs that your office chair is due for an upgrade such as the padding on your seat cushion is no longer comfortable, but there are some subtle tell-tale indications that you should start looking at replacement office chairs.
Aches and pains
Office chairs are designed to improve posture and support across your whole body – from the height and angle, they should help employees throughout the day. When you start to notice an increase in the number of aches and pains you experience whilst at work, this could be a sign that your office chair needs replacing.
Damage
The most common reason why you’ll need a new task chair is down to damage or general wear and tear. Loose or stuck wheels are a prime example that your office chair may need to be replaced. If you find you have to push harder to roll across the floor and the wheels will not respond to our motions then it may be time to look at getting a new chair.
Style and fit
This reason can be interpreted in a few different ways. It can be that the chair simply doesn’t feel right anymore, you’ve given your office a facelift and are looking for new office chairs to go with the decoration or that some people need chairs that are custom-fitted to their needs. You’ll be spending around 40 hours a week in an office chair so you’ve got to make sure it suits your needs and wants.
View our Bespoke Office Chairs
Where can you get new office chairs?
At Think Office Furniture we supply businesses across the UK with the highest-quality chairs for office breakout areas, meeting rooms, and reception areas.
From ergonomic high back chairs to folding mesh task chairs, we have a wide range of brand-new office furniture that meets your requirements.
If you would like to find out more information on how our office chairs can go that extra mile for your business, then please do get in touch and we will be more than happy to help.
Your office chair has a finite life beyond which it needs to be replaced – just like any other piece of equipment. One of the best indicators that it’s time for a new chair is when your old one is no longer as comfortable as it once was. This is a gradual thing and creeps up on you without you realizing it. You might find you aren’t as productive as you ought to be and start losing concentration, particularly in the afternoon.
A strong indicator that your chair is ready for changing is when you find it starts getting really uncomfortable once you’ve been sitting in it for a few hours. And if it’s always been that way chances are you didn’t have a very good quality chair to begin with. Either way it’s probably time to take a look at the state of your chair and see if it’s time you parted company with it.
Top of the list to check if your chair lacks comfort and your work is suffering is the foam padding. Has it lost its springiness and does the seat feel really hard? Cheap chair foams rapidly lose their ability to remain springy and often become brittle and hard after just a few months’ use.
Many people see an office chair as something that just needs to be replaced every couple of years. If you believe this to be true you will be locked into a spiral of discomfort and distraction as each new chair quickly deteriorates. It’s surprising how little things like these can affect your productivity. If you had to sit on a wood seat all day naturally you would expect it to be uncomfortable after an hour or so. Once the foam in your chair has failed, it’s effectively just like sitting on a wooden chair and it distracts you from your work. When an arm work loose or the backrest slops around all over the place it forces you to compensate by moving your body unnaturally. Having to do this means you loose concentration and your productivity suffers as a result.
For a lot of people the thought of spending even $100 on a chair is something they struggle to accept. The truth is that a chair in this price bracket is always going to be made to meet the price at the expense of quality. This is why these chairs don’t last. The emphasis is on keeping costs to a tight budget and this is done by reducing the standard of components used.
If you have a problem with the thought of spending several hundred dollars on a new chair, try looking at things differently. What is your time worth per hour? Let’s assume it’s $30 an hour. What if by having a good chair that properly supported you all day you gained an extra 10 minutes work? This would mean you got $5 a day more work done than before. Guess what? In just 6 months your gain would have saved you $600. Enough to buy you a top quality ergonomic chair designed to give you 8 – 10 years of productive service.
Once you look at things this way it’s easy to see how investing in the right tool for the job will benefit you many times over your initial outlay.