If you are a office furniture distributor or ergonomic chair brand manufacturer or dealers,

When you’re looking to buy a new ergonomic office chair to add to your product range to conquer the market ,

, one of the first things that comes to mind is the price and whether it fits your market. When you start looking at the available options from different manufacturer in China, it quickly becomes clear that there are huge differences. The wholesaling prices of office chairs in China varies considerably. You can expect to pay from 20-30 USD for a cheap office chair, to well over 300-400USD for an high end ergonomic chair.

1.Design

As refer to the ergonomic office chair design in China, there are not big difference only judging from first glimpse. As there are not so many manufacturers who are focusing on so much in designing. Some simply copy others’ design and change a little bit. For such suppliers, it is hard to judge that their design are based on data and analysis of human body. That is to say, the ergonomic feature they claimed have to carefully evaluated.  For such manufacturers, as they spent on less in R&D, less investment in designing , the price will be cheaper.

For some ergonomic chair manufacturer in China, they invested big amount of money in designing. They have big team dealing with R&D, employing the professional designers or the designer who have made great achievement in the industry to design, and they keep on refining and remodeling till the design to be the best  in function and aesthetics. To be sure, the price for such design is higher, and the quality stand the test of time. For those design, they normally can get patent, so if you are dealing with ergonomic chair business, or you are an professional purchasing department , it is better to pay attention to the manufacturer’s R&D team and how many patents they get for their products.

2. Warranty.

Warranty is a factor which you can not ignored which is very important in selecting products.However, it is also a factor affecting product price.

In China, the warranty offered in different manufacturers is varying.

Some offer one year warranty, some offer 3 years warranty, and some offer 5 year warranty.

They write their warranty policy in their company website.

It is better to ask more carefully on there warranty policy.

Some manufacturers offer one year free replacement policy, three year on frame and plastic parts, and 5 year warranty on mesh.

The better warranty the factories offers, the price may be higher.

3. Weight

For ergonomic office chair, there are different application. Some are designed for standard weight. There are also big and tall chair.

The  standard office chairs that normally have a weight capacity of 250 lbs.

Some manufacturerer may produce office chair which can support up to 300 lbs, but it’s rarely the case if it’s on the cheaper side..

On the other hand, big and tall office chairs can support a wider weight limit from 300 to 800 lbs.

Based on this, the price are quite different. It is better to ask about the specification on this. The weight matter much.

4. Ergonomic

Taking about ergonomic rating , it is a difficult question, there is no explicit rating on ergonomic in this industry.  It is a scientific evaluation system that rates the various ergonomic features of a chair to calculate a final score.

You can set up a ergonomic rating standard,for example,Chairs with a 1-star rating include visitors chairs that are not adjustable and are only suitable for short-period usage.

2-Star chairs have only basic ergonomic features like fixed armrests and height adjustment. They are not suitable as task chairs to be used for extended periods.

Chairs with a 3-Star rating include task chairs suitable for workers like nurses and production foremen. These employees usually spend most of their time on their feet, with frequent short periods sitting at a desk or workstation.

4-Star task chairs are suitable for users that spend at least 6 hours a day sitting at their workstation. Typically these chairs will include a synchronous or free-float mechanism, adjustable armrests and a fully adjustable lumbar support.

5-Star chairs have all the latest ergonomic features to enable you to adjust the chair to your exact requirements. These chairs are suitable for anyone that spends their entire day sitting at their workstation, including multiple shifts and 24/7 usage.

There are some other factor which affect the price

1. Chair adjustments(Are there adjustments for the seat pan depth, the back height, and arm supports?)

2. Seat comfort(After at least 90 minutes of use,how comfortable is the seat cushion,the backrest cushion,and the armrest?)

3. Ease of use(How easy is it to change the recline position and the armrest height, the two most important adjustments)as well as the chair height?)

4. Body support(How does the back support and lumbar support feel and how is  the armrest support range?)

5. Overall chair experience(How would the user rate the overall ease of use of the chair,its overall appearance,and its overall comfort?)

All these affect the price of the ergonomic chair, there are great knowledge on this topic, as an distributor of ergonomic chair , you should evaluate all these to know if the chair price they quoted worth the price they claimed.

5.Compliance with International test Standards

For some big ergonomic chair manufacturers, they will send their products to the international test center to test and get the certification.

For example, in the office furniture industry, BIFMA is a very important standard. BIFMA is the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association.

For Distributors and dealers of ergonomic products and office furniture, it is important to know if the products you are interested have the BIFMA compliance.  

There are some other standard too, in EU, they require the EN1335.

UL GREENGUARD Certification Program

Products that have achieved GREENGUARD Certification are scientifically proven to meet some of the world’s most rigorous third-party chemical emissions standards, helping to reduce indoor air pollution and the risk of chemical exposure.

6. Mechanism

Mechanism is considered to be the heart of an ergonomic office chair, that is to say, this component is the most important part for the ergonomic chair.  You can not ignore this part when consider the price for the chair.

Standard swivel and tilt mechanisms are commonly used in cheap office chairs. These affordable mechanisms offer only basic functionality and will allow the chair backrest to tilt and lock in a single position. 

Chairs fitted with synchronous  mechanisms allow for Dynamic Sitting. Not only are these chair more comfortable, but they also allow far greater adjustability and are mainly used on office chairs with a 4 or 5-Star Ergonomic Rating.

At the upper-end of the scale, mechanisms that incorporate seat depth adjustment provide additional functionality, and improve the seated comfort for taller people.

Mechanism is a an very important factor which affect the price of the chair.

7. Material.

Material used in an ergonomic desk chair has bigger difference.

Expensive chair use much aluminum, which is used in the frame and mechanism. Some expensive executive chair use some percentage of aluminum components in stead of plastic, some task chair is made of plastic.

Upholstery material at the same make some difference in the price.

For example, mesh has different brand ,different quality, different brand,  Wintex brand from Korea and Metrix from USA is the famous brand, the office chair made with such brand would cost higher.

Gaslift  – The various grades and weight ratings of gaslift  all come at a different cost.

Conclusion

There are other individual options that can also affect the price of a chair: Upholstery and finishes, big/tall options, designer names, etc. A chair can be as unique as the person sitting in them and the cost varies.

It’s easy to dismiss the price of a chair as simply too high, but if you’re working with a reputable  office chair manufacturer, you’re getting what you pay for – before and after your purchase. Consider the value the chair, its features, options, warranties, and service guarantees can bring to you and your business.

So now that you know more about the factors affecting the price of an office chair, maybe the question to ask isn’t “Why is that chair so expensive?” but rather “Why is THAT chair so cheap?”