Commercial Grade Office Furniture Primer

What is Commercial Grade Office Furniture?
Commercial grade is high quality office furniture designed for the “use and abuse” of today’s fast-paced business environment. It is often customized to your needs and designed to last. Read below to find out if commercial grade furniture is right for your needs.

Commercial Grade Furniture

Non-Commercial Grade Furniture (sometimes call RTA – Ready-to-Assemble)

Available through office furniture dealers
  • Preview items at dealer showrooms
  • Experts trained to help understand your functional, visual, and ergonomic needs
  • Personnel trained in product to help you find the product to meet those needs
  • Free space planning available to help you find your ideal set-up
  • Available in 5-25 business days
  • “Installers” set up the furniture for you and fix it if something is not right
Available at office super stores, warehouse clubs and catalogs
  • Preview some items in showrooms of retail stores
  • Limited professional expertise in office furniture
  • Space planning usually not available
  • Available immediately
  • You set it up yourself. Most of this product comes in many parts and pieces
Custom furniture to fit your needs
  • Made for you in hundreds color combination to meet your desired image or match your existing environment
  • Built to order in a wide variety of sizes to fit your space and your work needs
Limited size and color availability
  • Choose from pre-selected color combinations
  • Chose from limited pre-selected sizes & set-ups
Long term ownership
  • Durable furniture made for 40 hour/week+ use in a business environment
  • Made to be moved and rearranged
  • Slightly higher initial cost
  • Lasts for 10+ years
  • Ability to add-on later
Short term ownership
  • Similar to home office furniture construction
  • Made to be set up once. Moving this furniture weakens joints.
  • Lower initial cost
  • Shorter lifetime

Isn’t built-to-order commercial furniture more expensive?
Yes, but don’t let the word “custom” scare you. When you look at long-term ownership costs, commercial grade, custom furniture is actually less expensive. Also, take into account other value-added benefits such as free space planning, set up, needs analysis, and the ability to add-on later.

How much should I expect to spend per person?
For a simple desk, you could spend as little as $500-1000 per person depending upon size and configuration. For a full-scale cubicle with writing surfaces and files, you should expect to spend between $1200-2500 per person. A trained professional can help you find what is right for your needs and your budget.

What if this is out of my budget this year?
There are many options such as financing, or purchasing in phases that can make commercial grade furniture available to anyone with any budget. A trained professional can help find the options that are right for you.

How can I get more information?
Click here to find an expert in your area.