What are the ideal dimensions for an office chair?

The choice of an office chair can be compared to that of a work tool: therefore, be careful to choose a cheap office chair, because it may not be suitable for our physique and may lead, in the long run, to contractures and pain resulting from incorrect positions. The first step is to know the dimensions of a standard chair and to understand if they are the most suitable for our physical structure.

Dimensions of a standard chair: how big is an office chair?

The standard dimensions of an office chair are partly regulated by the European regulation on the subject, which identifies the following characteristics for an office chair approved for 8 hours of work:

• Seat: surface depth from 380 mm and width from 400 mm;
• Backrest: minimum height of 220 mm with adjustable backrest and 260 mm with non-adjustable backrest; top edge height of 360 mm; width of 360 mm;
• Base: projection from 365 mm maximum.

This we have listed are the standard dimensions for a chair to be used in an office: but we must consider that these dimensions, although suitable for a "standard" physicist, may not be the most suitable for us.

Office chair dimensions: a "sartorial" choice

We have seen the measurements of a standard office chair, at least according to the regulations: but in order to choose the most suitable chair for us, which can allow us to work in maximum comfort and at the same time to maintain a correct position, we may need something different, taking into account the size of our body.

To have an idea, at least a rough idea, of the most suitable chair size, we can use one of the different calculators available online: just enter our anthropometric data to get an indication of the type of chair that may be the most suitable for us. Moreover, we can take into account some "general" indications, useful to choose the most suitable chair.

These are the angles that have to be created between the elbow and the keyboard (a right angle, like that of the knees), the fact of resting the entire sole of the feet on the ground and keeping the monitor in line with the horizontal visual axis: if these conditions occur, we are working on a suitable chair for us.

Obviously the height of the desk also plays an important role, an important parameter to refer to when choosing an office chair.

Ergonomics of the office chair

Choosing a certified ergonomic office chair, such as the Cody Chair, provides additional safety: this certification certifies that the model chosen has the measurements of an ergonomic chair and has therefore been designed and created to offer not only maximum comfort, but to allow us to maintain the correct position of the spine during working hours in front of the computer. A non-ergonomic chair could lead to our body being sunk into the chair, with all the problems, especially in the lumbar area, that may arise in the long run.

On the other hand, an economic chair, perhaps equipped with all the useful accessories such as lumbar support cushion, height adjustable armrests and adjustable headrest, allows us to maintain the "S" curved nature of our spine. Moreover, ergonomic chairs offer the possibility to adjust not only the height of the seat (which is very important especially when working on desks or worktops of different heights) but also the inclination of the backrest: in this way we do not risk leaning incorrectly, but the chair is made to accompany the movements made during working hours.

Advantages of the computer chair

Considering everything seen so far, the conclusion is that an office chair is not simply a seat, but must be chosen in the same way as other work tools, therefore seeking the highest quality, although always with an eye to price.

Therefore, the choice of a chair model made specifically for personal computer work, such as the Detroit Office Chair, allows you to have the security of a quality product, always at the right price.

In fact, a computer chair not only has all the ergonomic features we have seen before (therefore the possibility to adjust height and inclination, the presence of accessories that increase comfort and the right size), but it is also made of materials that are both light (to facilitate movement) and resistant (an office chair is used for several hours a day, so it must withstand stress and have easily replaceable parts).

Moreover, it is important that the computer chair has a waterproof covering (to avoid the classic coffee stains), soft and breathable, to ensure maximum comfort.