Blogs
2026-09-14
If you're sourcing office chairs from Asia to sell into Europe, EN 1335 is a standard you'll run into constantly.
In short, a chair that meets EN 1335 has to pass testing on dimensions, safety, strength, and durability.
But don't just ask a supplier "does your chair meet EN 1335?" and stop there. A "yes" doesn't settle anything. What you actually need to know: which version of the standard was tested? Which chair model does the test report cover? And is the configuration you're about to order the same one that got tested?
Those questions matter a lot more than a product page that just says "EN 1335 Compliant."
EN 1335 is Europe's standard for office work chairs. EN 1335-1 covers dimensions — seat, backrest, adjustment ranges, that kind of thing. EN 1335-2 is more about safety, strength, and durability.
You don't need to memorize every requirement in there. What you do need is clarity on which version your customer, project, or target market requires, and whether the supplier's paperwork actually matches it.
Start with the test report. The question isn't whether they have a PDF — it's which exact chair that PDF covers. A factory might make dozens of models, and one passing testing doesn't mean the whole lineup is EN 1335 compliant.
Then cross-check it against what you're actually ordering: seat and backrest dimensions, adjustment features, the mechanism, gas lift, base, casters. This is where OEM orders get messy. Say the original test sample used chassis A, but you later switched to a cheaper chassis to cut costs — now the production chair doesn't match what was tested, and whoever's asking will want to know if that old test result still holds.
So before placing a bulk order, line up the sample, the spec sheet, and the test report side by side. Don't review them separately.
Sourcing from Asia, you'll also run into BIFMA a lot. It's not interchangeable with EN 1335. EN 1335 is the standard for the European market, BIFMA is the one used across North American commercial furniture — and the testing methods aren't the same.
A chair passing BIFMA doesn't automatically mean it passes EN 1335, and vice versa.
Which one you need comes down to your customer, your project, and where you're actually selling. If a customer specifically asks for EN 1335, get the EN 1335 documentation for that exact product — don't try to substitute a different certificate and hope it's close enough.
Price matters, sure, but for importers, distributors, and project buyers, it's rarely the whole story. You'll also want to know:
Can they provide a test report for the exact model? Can they send samples? How far can they go with OEM/ODM? What's their MOQ? How do they handle quality control during production? Are lead times and capacity reliable? Do they have real export experience?
If you're specifically after EN 1335 compliant office chairs, don't just go with whoever slapped "EN 1335" on a product photo. What you really need to confirm is that the model, the spec, the test report, and your market requirements all line up.
