How Long Do Office Chairs Last? (Lifespan)

Office chairs are known to last really long depending on the actual quality. Based on the average lifespan of a chair, it should last between 1 to 10 years in your typical office environment.

There are many factors that can decrease the lifespan of an office chair, and one major factor is improper care and maintenance for your chairs. The quality of chair also play a huge role in their longevity, let’s look at how long office chairs last and factors influencing the lifespan of an office chair.

How Long Do Office Chairs Last?

There are different qualities of office chairs at every price point “cheap” office chairs last way shorter when you compare to normally priced and higher-end chairs. Low-priced chairs are known to last only a couple of months, whereas a good but not great quality chair can last 2-5 years and Higher-end chairs can last 5 years all the way up to 10 years.

Factors influencing office chair longevity

Quality of the Chair:

A good quality chair will last you much longer than a cheaply made chair. The mark of a higher-quality office chair is the thickness of its padding and its frame. A higher-quality office chair usually has a bit of weight to it, but most importantly, the frame is made of metal or wood and not plastic.

How thick is the padding on your office chair? The thicker the padding on the arms and backrest of your chair, it will last you longer than if it had thin pads.m What is your chair’s frame made out of? If your chair has a metal or wood frame, it will hold up to everyday wear and tear much better than a cheaply made plastic frame.

Usage Frequency:

Usage frequency is how much you use your office chair. The higher the usage frequency, the shorter your chair will last. House of Ergonomics claims that heavy usage over 10 hours a day or 300 hours a month will cause additional stress on your office chair and should be looked after more than if it was used at a lower level of intensity.

Your Weight and Height:

As mentioned in the “Usage Frequency” section, heavier people or taller people will wear out their chairs faster. Your weight matters because as you sit on your chair, the combination of your weight, sitting in the chair, and touching down on the floor all at the same time puts a tremendous amount of stress on your office chair.

On top of this, heavy people have more mass which needs to be supported by the chair. Taller people have more stress on their office chairs because the chair is at an angle and can’t support their weight as well. If you are heavier and taller, then get a chair with thicker padding.

How you sit:

If the chair positions you at an angle, you will create more stress for your office chair. A good way to test this is to sit in a car seat that was designed for toddlers when they are sitting on a car seat designed for adults with more weight and height.

How often should your office chair be replaced?

Although it may seem that 5 years is a long time for a chair to be functional, you should replace your office chair every 2-4 years to keep you comfortable at work and increase your comfort if you went with a standard good office chair, for lower quality chairs you should replace it every year and the high-end ones its recommended you replace it every 5-6 years.

When should you replace your chair?

It is best to replace your office chair when your chair starts to feel uncomfortable on the back, the back is uneven, your chair squeaks, or it feels like it is sunken in. If you have been using your office chair for more than 5 years and it has started to fall apart you may want to consider buying yourself a new one.

However, if your chair doesn’t show any signs of falling apart you may want to consider holding off on buying a new office chair. Proper maintenance can go a long way in increasing the lifespan of your office chair.

Conclusion

Most office chairs never reach 4 years in use. Only if you take good care of your chair and it is a high-quality chair will it make it past 5 years. If you sit on a regular basis for 10 hours a day or more, you may want to consider looking into better-quality chairs because the cheap mass-produced chairs will not last very long.

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