Office Chair Upholstery Guide

Quick answer: For an office chair used every working day, choose a wool or wool blend fabric, or a quality polyester, rated at 40,000 Martindale rubs or more. In a UK workplace it should also meet BS 7176, which for offices means passing the cigarette and match ignition tests. If the frame, mechanism and gas lift are sound, reupholstering a premium chair usually costs less than replacing it and keeps it out of landfill.

We repair and reupholster office chairs in our Bradford workshop, from single branded task chairs to bulk batches for offices, schools and universities. This guide explains what we look at when a chair comes in: what it is covered in, whether that covering is fit for commercial use, and whether recovering it is worth the money.

In this guide:

• What office chairs are upholstered in
• The two ratings that matter: abrasion and fire
• Reupholster, repair or replace?
• How reupholstery works in our workshop
• What affects the cost
• Cleaning and care
• FAQs

What are office chairs upholstered in?

Most commercial office chairs use one of five coverings: woven fabric, mesh, genuine leather, faux leather (polyurethane) or vinyl (PVC). Fabric is the most common on task chairs because it breathes, is easy to recover and comes in contract grades built for daily use.

If you are choosing between the two most common options, our guide to mesh vs leather office chairs covers comfort and temperature in more detail. You can also browse our refurbished mesh office chairs and refurbished leather office chairs.

How do you know if upholstery is good enough for office use?

Two ratings decide it: the Martindale rub count, which measures how well a fabric resists wear, and the fire rating, which in a UK workplace is set by BS 7176. A fabric that passes both is safe to specify for daily commercial seating.

Martindale rub count: how long the fabric will last

The Martindale test, set out in BS EN ISO 12947, rubs a fabric sample in a figure-of-eight pattern until it shows wear. The higher the number, the tougher the fabric. Industry guidance groups results roughly like this (Kothea Martindale guide):

For a shared desk or a call centre seat used across two shifts, we recommend aiming above 100,000 rubs.

Fire rating: what UK office chairs must meet

Upholstered seating used in UK workplaces should comply with BS 7176, the standard for non-domestic seating. It grades buildings by fire hazard. Offices and schools are classed as low hazard, which means the chair must pass the smouldering cigarette test (BS EN 1021-1) and the match flame test (BS EN 1021-2). Hotels, hospitals, restaurants and universities are medium hazard and also need the tougher BS 5852 Crib 5 test (Rosehill guide to contract furniture fire regulations).

This matters when you reupholster. The new fabric and foam must still meet the standard for the building the chair will go into. Always ask for the fabric's fire certificate and keep it with your fire risk assessment.

Should you reupholster, repair or replace an office chair?

Reupholster when the chair is a good model with a sound frame and mechanism but tired covers or flattened foam. Replace the part when only one component has failed. Replace the chair when the frame is cracked, the mechanism is worn out, or the chair was cheap to begin with.

Our rule of thumb: if a new chair of the same quality would cost several times more than recovering it, recovering is the better buy. That is almost always true of premium brands such as Herman Miller, Steelcase, Orangebox and Senator. It is rarely true of a budget chair that cost less than a reupholstery job.

Many chair problems are not upholstery at all. A sinking seat, a broken castor or a cracked arm pad can often be fixed with one part from our office chair parts range.

How office chair reupholstery works in our workshop

A standard task chair recover takes six steps, and the chair keeps its original frame, mechanism and base throughout. This is what happens to a chair from the moment it arrives in Bradford.

1. Inspect

We check the frame, mechanism, gas lift, arms and castors first. There is no point recovering a chair with a cracked shell.

2. Strip

The seat and back are removed, and the old fabric is taken off by pulling the staples or unclipping the cover. We keep the old cover as a template.

3. Check the foam

If the foam has compressed or crumbled, we replace it with new fire-retardant foam cut to the original shape.

4. Cut the new fabric

The new cover is cut from a contract-grade fabric that meets BS 7176, with the pattern lined up so it sits straight on the seat.

5. Recover

The fabric is stretched evenly over the foam and stapled or clipped to the seat board, working from the centre out so there are no wrinkles at the corners.

6. Refit and test

The seat and back go back on, and we test every adjustment: height, tilt, lock, lumbar and arms.

How much does it cost to reupholster an office chair?

The price depends on five things: how many parts are recovered, the fabric, whether the foam is replaced, how the cover is fixed, and how many chairs are in the order. Send us photos and the chair model for a fixed quote.

Bulk orders cost less per chair because the fabric is cut in one run and the chairs move through the workshop together. If you are refreshing a whole floor, it is also worth comparing recovering your existing chairs against buying matching bulk refurbished office chairs. Our guide to buying refurbished office chairs in bulk explains how that works, and how much a good refurbished office chair should cost gives you a price benchmark.

How to clean and care for office chair upholstery

Vacuum fabric chairs weekly, blot spills straight away, and always test any cleaner on a hidden area first. Most damage we see comes from harsh cleaners and rubbing, not from normal use.

Check the cleaning code on the chair's label before using any product. Fabric suppliers publish cleaning instructions for each fabric, and following them protects the fire-retardant treatment.

Office chair upholstery FAQs

What is the best upholstery for an office chair?

For daily office use, a wool blend or quality polyester fabric rated at 40,000 Martindale rubs or more, and compliant with BS 7176. Choose mesh if you run warm, and leather for executive and boardroom chairs.

Is it worth reupholstering an office chair?

Yes, if it is a quality chair with a sound frame and mechanism. Recovering a premium task chair usually costs a fraction of a new one and extends its working life by years.

Can a mesh office chair be reupholstered?

Not usually. Most mesh backs are fixed to a moulded frame, so a damaged mesh is replaced as a panel or frame rather than recovered. Fabric seats on mesh-back chairs can be recovered.

What fire rating does an office chair need in the UK?

Office seating should meet BS 7176 at low hazard, which means passing the cigarette (BS EN 1021-1) and match (BS EN 1021-2) tests. Medium hazard sites such as hotels and hospitals also need BS 5852 Crib 5.

What Martindale rub count do I need for an office chair?

At least 40,000 rubs for general office use. Above 100,000 rubs for chairs used across shifts or 24 hours a day.

Why is my faux leather office chair peeling?

The polyurethane coating breaks down with age, heat and body oils. It cannot be repaired well, but the chair can be recovered in fabric or a more durable vinyl.

How long does office chair upholstery last?

A commercial-grade fabric on a well-made chair typically lasts many years of daily use. Foam usually needs replacing before a quality fabric wears through.