Export of Office Chairs to the United States

The export of office chairs to the United States faces two main challenges: market contraction and stringent standard requirements.

Market Data

In 2025, China's export value of office chairs reached $3.60 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 8.9%. Among this, exports to the United States amounted to $590 million, experiencing an even sharper decline of 21.6%. Furthermore, China's market share in U.S. office chair imports has plummeted from 68.4% in 2018 to just 16.4% in 2025. This indicates a decline in the competitiveness of Chinese office chairs in the U.S. market, with a relatively severe export situation likely influenced by factors such as domestic production in the United States, competition from other countries, and trade policies.

Standard Requirements

• ANSI/BIFMA X5.1 Standard: This is the core testing standard for office chairs in the United States, covering over a dozen items such as stability, fatigue, impact, and tilt mechanisms. It applies to office chairs that frequently adjust the seat, backrest, armrests, or height, including office chairs, conference chairs, swivel chairs, and manager chairs. It does not apply to completely stationary seats or seats without adjustment functions. Its core requirements include stability testing, backrest strength testing, seat fatigue testing, sandbag drop/seat surface impact testing, five-star base strength and fatigue testing, armrest strength testing, caster/leg fatigue testing, rotation testing, and tilt mechanism testing. Office chairs exported to the United States must meet these testing requirements to ensure product safety and quality.
• Other Related Requirements: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has previously issued recalls for ergonomic chairs due to improper installation of backrest fasteners during production, which could cause the backrest to detach during use, resulting in the user falling. This reflects the high structural safety and durability requirements for ergonomic chairs exported to the United States. The ANSI/BIFMA series standards are commonly used industry standards for evaluating the safety, durability, and structural strength of office seating. General-purpose office chairs typically refer to the ANSI/BIFMA X5.1 standard. If the product is explicitly designed for larger users, further consideration of whether the ANSI/BIFMA X5.11 standard applies is necessary.