What is the allowed office chair weight limit? The Duramont Ergonomic has a 330lbs weight capacity. The Autonomous MyoChair has a weight limit of 250lbs. Aeron from Herman Miller has a weight capacity of 300pounds.
An office chair weight limit is influenced by its design and materials. It is different from one chair to another and it is, generally, between 220 and 350lbs. This equates to a range between 99 to 158kg.
Office chairs are among the best solutions when it comes to office ergonomics, but they are not the heaviest. They can share this place with gaming chairs. However, office chairs are very supportive and they can handle higher weights compared to other types of computer chairs. Here are a few general guidelines for office chair weight.
In the table below, we take a closer look at a few office chairs and their maximum weight limit. While there are many brands to consider, the included names are somewhat addressing different needs. Steelcase can be considered among the solutions for those seeking the office chairs which support the most weight.
IKEA office chairs can be considered lightweight alternatives, mainly abiding by a strict budget. A few other quality names involve the likes of Global Furniture Factor or Knoll, with mid to high range weight limit capacity. Of course, Herman Miller also has its line of office chairs, with various options from lightweight to highly-supportive office chairs.
| Office chair | Weight limit |
| Steelcase Gesture | 400lbs |
| Steelcase SILQ` | 300lbs |
| Steelcase Amia Air | 300lbs |
| Steelcase Leap | 300lbs |
| Steelcase Think | 400lbs |
| Steelcase Jack | 225lbs |
| Autonomous ErgoChair | 250lbs |
| Autonomous AvoChair | 250lbs |
| IKEA Flintan | 242lbs |
| IKEA Markus | 242lbs |
| Ikea Jarvfjalet | 243lbs |
| Herman Miller Aeron | 300-350lbs |
| RFM Seating Essentials | 300lbs |
| Global Furniture Factor | 300lbs |
| Knoll Generation | 300lbs |
| Humanscale Different World | 300lbs |
| Urban Office Sayl | 350lbs |
| Furmax MidBack | 265lbs |
| Walmart Essentials OFM | 250lbs |
The influence of materials on the office chair weight limit
The design, the size, and the materials have their role in the weight limit of an office chair. Of course, just because there are lightweight doesn’t mean the final product will only deal with small weights. But understanding an office chair weight limit is understanding how its parts work together and how much each of these parts weighs on its own.
Gas lift weight
A typical gas cylinder can be 2” wide and 9” tall. Its weight sights just above the 2.3lbs mark for many such replacements parts. As seen from post gas lifts, their weight is not high at all, even if they can expand to 16”.
Chair base weight
The chair base weight is normally heavy as it has a supportive role. It is not unusual to see a chair base with a weight above the 5lbs mark. Together with the caster and the gas lift, they need to be heavy enough to support the actual backrest and seat pan.
Headrest weight
A typical mesh headrest comes with a weight of around 5lbs. This weight seems unlikely as first due to the mesh materials, but the added metal frame and backrest support add to its final weight.
Office chairs with a weight limit for the heaviest users
Apart from having a good weight capacity for all users, office chairs also need to be wide enough. Many choose gaming chairs as an alternative. One of the most supportive gaming chair examples is the Arozzi Torretta XL.
However, office chairs may need to deal with various users weights and this is why they are normally chosen to offer high weight capacity. A few benefits of a high weight capacity office chair include.
- Better stability in general and even with rocking movements
- Supportive backrest, especially useful in the recline position
- Better overall lateral stability, highly suitable when taking a break and sitting to a side
- Improved support for multiple users in an office environment
- Generally higher density foam for added durability
- Improved cover materials to deal with the extra weight
- Added support in the lumbar area
- Stronger casters
- Extra durable (7”, 9” or 14”) gas lifts
Warranty and extra benefits of a high weight limit office chair
When it comes to a higher weight limit, the manufacturing materials are improved as well. It is not unusual to see a high weight capacity office chair being sold with a 5-year warranty. This means all of its components are covered for this period. This includes the foam cushioning.
It is known that foam cushioning flattens when not made from high-density materials in an office chair with a low weight limit. At the same time, the high-density foam used in high weight capacity office chairs keeps its practicality better in time
But are there any drawbacks to office chairs weight limit being situated closer to the 400lbs mark? At the moment, there are no real drawbacks, apart from the actual weight of the chair, which is higher. Unless the office chair is moving around often, this is not a real problem in itself.
However, some of the office chairs with the highest weight limit are also the most expensive. This is why most users will need to spend a bit more on such a design. Unlike general office chairs which can be found in superstores, those with the highest weight capacity are rarely found offline. Most of them can be purchased from various online retailers.
Final consideration
The office chair weight limit is not sufficient to establish the durability of the product. One of the areas which shows the first signs of wear are the armrests and they have nothing to do with the weight limit.
But in the end, office chair weight limit needs to be respected. Do you know that users can lose their warranty if they load the office chair with higher weights than officially supported?
What is your preferred office chair? Do you know its maximum weight limit? Have you ever broken a chair with a higher load than it could handle? Feel free to drop a few lines on these ideas below.