The A to Z of Office Chairs

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Office Chair Anatomy
By Andrew Kelly

The office chair is something you see in every part of the office - cubicles, CEO's room, conference rooms, even in the cafeteria. Wherever the area may be, an office chair has one purpose - to allow you to sit down in a comfortable and healthy manner.

Contrary to what many may think, the office chair is no longer a piece of furniture. Behind each and every office chair, there are a lot of thought and science being implemented. The reason for this, is because an office chair can be harmful to your health and also your body.

The principles of ergonomics are used with office chairs to give you comfort and safety. Below, you'll find some key points to look for in an office chair.

1. Chair height
The height of an office chair should always be easy to adjust. In order to do this, the chair must be equipped with a pneumatic adjustment lever. This lever should be able to move your chair between 16 and 21 inches off the floor.

This is important simply because the person sitting in the chair needs to sit according to the height of the table or desk. The chair shouldn't be too high or too low, so the user doesn't slouch or strain at their desk.

The important thing to remember is that the knees should be at a lower height than your hips. This will encourage the natural "double C" of the spine and help to provide upright support for your body.

2. Chair width and depth
An office chair should always be wide enough to support users of all shapes and sizes. Normally, the width will vary between 17 and 20 inches. The chair depth area is the area found from the front of the seat to the back of the chair.

The depth of the office chair should be big enough for you to lean back against the backrest with 2 to 4 inches difference between your knees and the seat of the chair.

3. Armrests
Armrests are adjustable and will allow you to rest your elbows, arms, and shoulders in a comfortable manner.

4. Backrest
The backrest on an office chair will vary from 12 to 19 inches. Like all other parts of office chairs, the backrest should be adjustable enough to move either forwards of backwards.

5. Swivel
Working in an office requires you moving about, from one computer to another or even to a file cabinet. Therefore, an office chair should provide a swivel at the bottom to allow you to move around your area freely.


Author Details:
Andrew Kelly, copywriter for various websites including, Office Chairs Info a subsection of Tartan Gems a growing information portal, The A to Z of, an ambitious project to cover various subjects plus a great many other sites.

NOTE: This article may be reproduced ONLY if the author details and links remain in place.

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