Office Chair Certifications: What They Test and Why They Matter

An office chair certification or test report is independent evidence that a specific chair model was assessed against a published standard for dimensions, safety, durability, or ergonomics. Any brand can call its chairs "ergonomic." A test report names a model, a standard, a laboratory, and a result, and that is evidence you can check.

One thing to know before reading on: our chairs are manufactured by a supplier whose product models have been tested against recognised office chair standards. The documents belong to the supplier and apply at the model level, so we only reference a standard where supplier documentation supports the corresponding model. This page explains the four trust signals you will see on quality office chairs in Europe, shows exactly which evidence applies to each of our chairs, and teaches you how to verify any certification claim yourself. Ours included.

What do office chair certifications actually verify?

Each standard or seal covers a different part of chair performance. EN 1335 and BIFMA are product standards that define what a chair must do. TÜV organisations are testing bodies that verify products against standards. The IGR seal assesses the ergonomic benefit to the person sitting. Here is how they compare:

A chair does not need every mark in this table to be a good chair. What matters is whether the evidence names the exact model, states the testing scope, and can be traced to the issuing organisation.

What does EN 1335 cover?

EN 1335 is the main European standard for office work chairs, published by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). It has three parts: Part 1 covers dimensions and adjustability, Part 2 covers safety, strength, and durability, and Part 3 defines the test methods laboratories use to check both. The full standard text is not free. It is sold by CEN and its national members, such as NEN in the Netherlands, and we link to the official catalog entries below.

A report for one supplier model does not automatically apply to every chair from the same factory. The model named in the document must match the product connected to the claim, which is why our evidence table further down lists models one by one.

EN 1335-1: dimensions and adjustability

EN 1335-1 defines the measurements an office chair must offer: seat height range, seat depth, backrest size, armrest position, and the adjustment range for each. The current version (EN 1335-1:2020, amended 2022) sorts office chairs into four types based on how adjustable they are:

The type system describes dimensional criteria, not a quality ranking. A chair assessed against Type C criteria can pass every safety and durability requirement in the standard. The practical use of the type is fit: if you are notably shorter or taller than average, compare the published seat height and depth ranges of the specific chair against your own needs.

The supplier test reports for the models behind our current chair range assess them against EN 1335 Type C criteria, and every listed model passed. Several measured values exceed the standard's minimums. The Icon-H and Syno-H samples, for example, offer a 110 mm seat height adjustment range against the required minimum of 80 mm. You can compare each chair's published dimensions and adjustments on its product page.

EN 1335-2: safety, strength, and durability

EN 1335-2 covers the other half: safety, stability, strength, and durability requirements. Its tests are based on the use of 8 hours a day by persons weighing up to 110 kg. Laboratories load the seat and backrest repeatedly, check stability in every direction, verify rolling resistance, and confirm the chair holds together under conditions that simulate years of daily use. A pass applies to the model and sample identified in the report, not to a factory's whole catalog.

Sitting for full workdays is exactly the situation these tests exist for. The Dutch government's workplace portal Arboportaal notes that screen work is usually done sitting, and that a poorly set up workstation without proper arm support can lead to shoulder and neck complaints over time. A chair built and adjusted to a recognised standard is the starting point for avoiding that.

What does ANSI/BIFMA X5.1 test?

BIFMA is the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association, the American trade body that writes furniture performance standards. For office chairs, the key standard is ANSI/BIFMA X5.1, which tests the safety, durability, and structural strength of general-purpose office chairs through defined mechanical tests: backrest strength, seat impact, stability, swivel and tilt durability, arm strength, caster performance, and structural loading.

The numbers involved are not gentle. A BIFMA test program includes 120,000 swivel cycles under a 122 kg load, 300,000 tilt mechanism cycles under 109 kg, and 100,000 seating impact cycles from a 57 kg drop weight. A chair that passes has been through the mechanical equivalent of years of office life.

Based on supplier documentation, the Mike-H supplier model behind our CloudOne passed the full ANSI/BIFMA X5.1-2017 test program at SGS, covering the complete chair rather than a single component. As with all evidence on this page, the result applies to the model named in the report.

One more distinction worth knowing: BIFMA maintains the public BIFMA Compliant registry of products verified through its own program. A supplier laboratory report showing a pass against X5.1 is strong evidence, but it is not the same as an entry in that registry.

What does TÜV testing mean?

TÜV is not one standard, and it is not one company. TÜV organisations, including TÜV Rheinland and TÜV SÜD, are independent German testing bodies that assess products and components against the requirements named in each certificate or report.

The distinction that matters most for buyers is TÜV versus CE. A CE mark is a self-declaration by the manufacturer. Nobody outside the company checks it. A TÜV test mark or report requires independent laboratory work, which is a different level of proof.

The second thing to check is scope. A TÜV document may cover a complete chair, or only a battery, gas lift, mechanism, or material. Supplier documentation for our CloudPlus includes a TÜV SÜD certificate for the JHX 18650 lithium-ion battery in its powered lumbar unit, tested against IEC 62133-2 under the international CB Scheme (certificate SG PSB-BT-06779, verifiable in the IECEE certificate database). That evidence covers the battery, not the complete chair, and we present it that way.

Every genuine TÜV certificate has an ID number you can look up. TÜV Rheinland certificates are searchable on Certipedia, and CB Scheme certificates like the one above are searchable at IECEE. If a seller claims TÜV certification but cannot show a certificate ID, treat the claim with caution.

What does the IGR seal assess?

The IGR is the Institute for Health and Ergonomics (Institut für Gesundheit und Ergonomie) in Nuremberg, Germany. It brings together physiotherapists, physicians, and ergonomics specialists, and its assessments are based on DIN EN ISO 26800 and DIN EN ISO 15537.

The IGR seal answers a different question than EN 1335 or BIFMA. Those standards test the chair: its dimensions, strength, and durability. The IGR evaluates the ergonomic benefit to the person sitting in it. An IGR seal is an ergonomic product assessment, not a medical guarantee, and it should never be presented as proof that a chair prevents or treats back pain.

We have not received model-specific IGR documentation for our chairs or their supplier models, so we do not claim the IGR seal. If that changes, this page will be updated with the document reference.

CE marking and EU product safety

CE marking on furniture indicates the manufacturer declares conformity with applicable EU product safety rules. As explained above, it is a self-declaration, which is why the supporting evidence behind it matters more than the mark itself.

For our chairs, that evidence exists at the supplier level. The supplier holds certificates of conformity for the tested models, issued on the basis of the EN 1335 test reports listed in the table below. The most recent, for the Syno-H model behind our CloudPlus, was issued in 2025 under the EU's current General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR, Regulation (EU) 2023/988), the framework that replaced the older product safety directive in December 2024.

What these standards mean for Dutch and EU workplaces

If you buy chairs for a company in the Netherlands, standards stop being a nice extra and start being part of your legal homework. Dutch working conditions law (the Arbowet) makes employers responsible for ergonomically sound workstations, and Arboportaal warns that prolonged sitting without regular movement raises the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Two references matter most for office chairs in the Dutch market:

1. NEN-EN 1335, the Dutch adoption of the European chair standard covered above.
2. NPR 1813, the Dutch practice guideline that builds on the European furniture standards for the Dutch working population, which includes some of the tallest people in the world. Where EN 1335 requires a seat height range of roughly 40 to 51 cm, NPR 1813 asks for 41 to 55 cm, along with deeper seat adjustment and fully adjustable armrests. Facility managers and Arbo advisors use it as a purchasing benchmark for chairs that fit roughly 95 percent of the Dutch workforce. NPR 1813 is separate from EN 1335 testing, so no chair should be called NPR 1813 compliant without model-level evidence, and we make no such claim for ours.

Standards do not replace correct workstation setup, employee instruction, or regular movement. But they give buyers defined, comparable criteria instead of marketing language. Businesses furnishing several workstations can explore our office furnishing service, which includes workspace planning, delivery, and installation support.

How do Paperloops chairs measure up?

Our chairs are sold under Paperloops product names, while the supporting documents use the supplier's factory model codes. Based on supplier documentation, the following evidence applies to our current chair range:

These reports support model-specific statements only. They belong to the supplier and testing laboratories named in them, and they do not certify Paperloops as a company or every unit produced. Supplier documentation for the exact model is available on request.

What we can state as our own commitments: every Paperloops chair comes with a 5-year warranty, a 30-day trial with free returns, and components rated for more than 40,000 hours of use. If a chair does not fit your body or your way of working, you can send it back within the trial period.

Not sure which chair fits your workspace? Compare our office chairs by adjustment features and specifications, or contact us for advice.

How to check a chair's certification claims yourself

You should be able to verify any certification claim in a few minutes, on any brand's website. Here is how:

1. Find the exact standard. "Tested against EN 1335" identifies a requirement you can check. "Built to premium ergonomic standards" identifies nothing.
2. Match the model. The model name or factory code in the document must correspond to the chair being sold. A certificate for one model does not cover a similar-looking sibling.
3. Check the scope. Confirm whether the document covers the complete chair or one component such as a battery, gas lift, or mechanism.
4. Look it up, or ask for it. Use the issuer's public database where one exists: Certipedia for TÜV Rheinland, the IECEE database for CB Scheme certificates, the BIFMA Compliant registry for BIFMA-verified products. Supplier laboratory reports are not always in public registries, so ask the seller for the document and check the model name and report number yourself.

This works on us too. If anything on this page raises a question, email info@paperloops.com and ask for the supplier documentation for the exact model you are considering. That is what it is for.

FAQs

What is EN 1335? 

EN 1335 is the European standard for office work chairs, published by CEN. Part 1 defines dimensions and adjustability and sorts chairs into four types (Ax, A, B, and C). Part 2 defines safety, strength, and durability requirements, with tests based on 8 hours of daily use by persons up to 110 kg. Part 3 defines the laboratory test methods.

Are Paperloops chairs EN 1335 Type C? 

The supplier test reports for the models behind our chairs assess them against EN 1335 Type C criteria, and every listed model passed. Type describes adjustment ranges rather than quality. For fit, compare the published seat height and depth ranges on each product page against your own body and desk.

What is the difference between BIFMA and EN 1335? 

Both address office chair performance, but from different standards systems. EN 1335 is the European reference and includes the dimensional type system. ANSI/BIFMA X5.1 is the American reference focused on safety, stability, and durability testing. Neither is simply better, and a chair sold in both markets is often tested against both.

Does TÜV testing cover the complete chair?

 Not necessarily. A TÜV report or certificate covers exactly the product or component named in it. The TÜV SÜD evidence associated with our CloudPlus applies to its lithium-ion battery under IEC 62133-2, not to the complete chair, and we present it with that scope.