How we collect data and score chairs
The short version: we read the manufacturers' documents so you don't have to, we write down where every number came from, and we never fill a gap with a guess.
Updated By The Best Office Chairs Europe editorial team
Principles
- Published data only. Specifications come from manufacturers' product pages, data sheets, EPDs and certificates. Where two of their documents disagree, we show both.
- No invented testing. We have not sat in or measured these chairs, and we say so. There are no star ratings, user reviews or testimonials on this site.
- Gaps stay gaps. If a maker doesn't publish a figure, the page says "not published". Every chair profile ends with a list of what we could not verify.
- Competitors win where the data says so. Comparisons mark the better published value row by row, whichever chair it belongs to.
- Dated prices. Prices are read from official brand stores, with the country and date next to every figure.
Where the data comes from
- Specifications: the maker's European product page and data sheet, in metric. Seat height is taken as published, normally on the standard gas lift.
- Place of production: in order of preference, the place of production stated in an EPD, the site named on a GS or ISO certificate, then the maker's own statement.
- Standards: what the maker declares, quoted as declared. A declaration is not an independent certificate; the GS mark or a named lab report is stronger evidence.
- Environmental documents: we count an EPD only if it is third-party verified and registered with a programme operator.
- Prices: official brand stores only, including VAT where the store states it, converted to euro at the ECB reference rate of the day.
- Standards and law: EUR-Lex for EU law; for paywalled standards, national standards bodies' previews, accredited test reports and test-institute publications. We never reproduce the standards' text.
The whole register, with every score on this page and every price on the site, is published as open data in JSON and CSV under CC BY 4.0.
The Spec Index
The Spec Index is a score from 0 to 100, computed by the same code for every task chair. It rewards what a maker publishes and how much a chair adjusts. A missing value scores zero. Kneeling chairs, saddles and stools are not scored, because the criteria are written for task chairs.
| Criterion | Points | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Adjustability | 40 | Seat depth: standard 8, option 4. Lumbar: height and depth 8, one direction 5, option of unpublished type 4. Arms: 4D 8, 3D 6, 2D 4, 1D 2, option of unpublished type 2. Recline tension (manual or automatic) 4. Recline lock: several positions 4, one 2. Forward tilt: standard 4, option 2. |
| Seat-height range vs EN 1335 type A | 20 | Share of the 400–520 mm Type A range that the chair’s published seat-height range covers, × 20. |
| Load and standards disclosure | 15 | Published maximum user weight: 150 kg or more 8, 120–149 kg 6, under 120 kg 4. A declared European or BIFMA standard (EN 1335, EN 16139, ANSI/BIFMA X5.1) 7. |
| Warranty | 10 | Published warranty years ÷ 12 × 10, capped at 10. |
| Environmental disclosure | 15 | Third-party verified EPD 6. At least one third-party environmental or emissions label (for example EU Ecolabel, Blauer Engel, Möbelfakta, NF Environnement, Greenguard, LEVEL) 5. A published take-back or spare-parts service for the chair 4. |
The seat-height criterion uses the EN 1335-1:2020 Type A range of 400–520 mm. A chair whose published range covers all of it gets 20 points; one covering half of it gets 10. Scores are rounded to whole numbers.
All current scores
Not scored: HÅG Capisco 8106 (saddle chair), Varier Move (active stool), Varier Thatsit (balans) (kneeling chair), Varier Variable (balans) (kneeling chair).
What the method cannot tell you
- Comfort, build quality and how a chair feels after a year: none of that is in a data sheet.
- Whether a chair fits you: use the height calculator and, where you can, sit in one before buying.
- Prices change daily, and dealers may beat brand stores.
All data was last checked on 20 October 2026. Research notes and sources for every figure are listed on each page.
Questions buyers ask
Do you test the chairs yourselves?
No. We have not sat in, measured or lab-tested the chairs. Every figure comes from the manufacturer’s published pages and data sheets, or from official stores for prices, and is cited. The Spec Index scores what is published, not how a chair feels.
Cite this page
Best Office Chairs Europe, “How we collect data and score chairs”, https://bestofficechairs.eu/method/, updated .