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When I was younger, office chairs for obese people weren’t really a thing. Or maybe I just didn’t notice because I wasn’t as fat as I am now. Whatever the reason, I hadn’t given the issue a single thought until my work chair started making some pretty concerning sounds.
I know I’m not alone in this, but the point was really driven home in a Facebook message that I got through our blog page the other day. Here’s the gist of it:
“I had been working at my computer all day, pretty much pounding my head on the keyboard trying to get the job done that had taken me the better part of a month. I honestly wasn’t even close to finishing, but I figured getting lunch (and Diet Coke) would do me some good.
I leaned back in my chair for one of those “I’ve-been-sitting-so-long-I-shrunk-an-inch” stretches, raised my arms above my head, and, with a giant *CRUNCH* my head smacked the ground. At first, I thought my chair had tipped over, (it wouldn’t have been the first time,) but I realized my butt was still in my chair and I was just draped over it. The back had literally broken off my chair! Do you have any recommendations for a new chair? I’m a pretty heavy guy and need a chair with more than a 300lb capacity. Thanks!
Well, my friend, you’re in luck. I just recently spent a week cruising every online and local store trying to find a 500lb capacity office chair. In the end, I didn’t find very many. Which made the decision of which one was best pretty easy!
The Best Office Chairs For Big & Heavy People
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With only a few options coming up it wasn’t much of a deal to acquire and sit in each of these chairs for a while. So, if you need more info, we’ve got it. Let’s review them!
1. BestMassage Big and Tall Executive Chair
If you have never experienced a high-quality office chair, prepare to be shocked. This thing is BIG, STURDY, and HEAVY! Unless you have extra cash, just trust me and get this chair or the one below. Even though it was specifically designed as an office chair for big guys, it is similar in looks to a regular office chair and will outperform and outlast it in every regard.
- High-quality PU Leather Covering.
- 500lb weight capacity. (This is the common “high capacity” office chair amount)
- An excellent choice for taller users. In fact, users up to 6’10” report that this chair is perfect for their needs!
In the end, the best 500lb capacity office chair is one that you can get easily and comfortably afford. So if you’re looking for something for home use or office use I would stick with BestMassage as a company and, if you like the leather-like covering, this chair in particular.
2. QWORK High Back – The Best Office Chair For Heavy People
If anyone under 400 pounds ever asks me what chair they should get, I recommend this one every time. No matter your size, this is an incredibly well-built, heavy-duty chair that will last for years!
Some highlights include:
- Bonded Leather Covering. No one likes seeing a chair with a heavy-duty frame that has split seams and the color has worn off. The cover will look great and last for years on end.
- Generous Padding. The padding is great for relieving pressure points and has carried me through many grueling, 12-hour workdays. It also doesn’t seem to be squishing or losing loft, unlike traditional chair padding.
- Tall Back. Works well for both tall and short people. If you’re on the shorter side, you may not realize that tall people can very rarely lean their heads back against their chairs. That’s why we always have our heads on our desks! If you’re 6’1 (or a bit more, depending on your build), you can rest your head on this one!
- Rounded Chair Edge. The “waterfall” edge of this seat drops smoothly away in an arc that doesn’t cut off the blood flow in your legs. I have a habit of resting my feet on castors, so this has never been a big problem for me, but shorter people who have taken my chair for a test drive have loved it!
- It’s a 400lb capacity office chair! If you only need an office chair for 300lbs, this might just be overkill. But you can rest assured that it will be safe and last forever! While I don’t offer any guarantees, I would imagine this chair would hold even more weight (and it’s obviously better than anything else most workplaces offer!).
So if you need the best office chair for big guys, save your brainpower for actual work and just go order this one now!
3. Steelcase Leap Plus – Best High-Budget Option
Let me preface this by saying that the Steelcase Gesture is one of the most amazing office chairs I have ever sat in. With that being said, I know it isn’t for everyone, mainly because of the cost.
This chair costs about the same as my first car so it will probably only appeal to a few types of people:
- Those whose work is so important or whose time is so valuable that they don’t want to lose any time messing with an inferior chair.
- Those who have back pain or other pain when they sit for too long and need extra support.
- People who need a 300lb capacity chair that will last for 10+ years.
If any of those describes you then this could be exactly what you’re looking for. Steelcase makes some of the most ergonomic chairs for heavy people so let’s take a look at what makes the Gesture great:
- Pneumatically adjustable seat height
- Adjustable seat depth
- Recline tension adjustment
- Back locks in 4 positions of recline
- Upholstered with comfortable but hardwearing fabric (say goodbye to a sweaty back!)
Also, if you fear putting together a plus-size office chair (many people do, they weigh 50-100 pounds) then don’t worry, this one ships fully assembled! One of the main reasons that they ship it assembled is so that they know that the quality control is perfect. This allows them to offer an astounding 12-year warranty!
If you have the capital to be forward-looking, this chair will pay for itself. It will last as long as 4-5 other heavy-duty office chairs without the hassle of replacing them every couple of years.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this is one of the best (if not the best) office chairs for heavy people. You might find a cheaper option but you won’t find a better one!
But do I really need a special office chair built specifically for heavy people?
One of the most common questions people ask when they notice that my chair is different (and way nicer) than theirs is: is it really worth it? Do I really need a 300lb capacity office chair (or more)?
While I obviously can’t answer that question for you, the answer for me is clear. It is worth it. 10x over.
5 Tips For Choosing A Heavy Duty Office Chair
Since chairs for big guys and girls are usually of the more expensive variety, it begs the question: what are we paying for? After all, most seats look remarkably similar. Well, it turns out that there are a number of highly engineered differences: let’s delve into them.
1. Double Check The Weight Capacity
The typical office chair is designed with one goal in mind: to hold a small butt as cheaply as possible. They have a weight limit of 250 pounds which is hardly ever accurate. If you weigh 200 pounds and plop down onto your seat, you just exceeded the weight limit for a moment.
Now, if you are a larger person, fitting into and being comfortable in a standard office chair is just laughable. You are literally trying to use a tool that was not designed for you. You are showing up to the Tour-De-France riding on a kid’s bike. It might work for a bit, but it sure isn’t going to be fun and won’t take you far.
But what weight of chair do you actually need? Well, as with everything, there are different levels of heavy-duty chairs meant for different maximum weights. However, my thought has always been: why get one that’s too close to your weight?
The higher the weight capacity is, the slower the chair will wear out, and the safer you will be. The last thing I need is for my daughter to come to visit me at work and for my chair to collapse when she jumps up on my lap. Because of this, a 500lb capacity office chair is about the lowest I recommend.
As there is little-to-no cost difference, I typically buy the most heavy-duty chair available that is both attractive and comfortable. Manufacturers typically label any chair marketed to heavy or “overweight” people as heavy-duty, but some of them barely hold more than the average chair. Be sure to read the fine print as you will find 300, 400, and 500 pounds versions of office chairs, all with varying seat widths.
2. Look For Firmer & Thicker Padding
Heavier people compress the cushioning in a regular seat more, which leads to less comfort and support as well as the chair wearing out faster.
Nicer chairs naturally have higher-quality padding and more of it.
In fact, some seats have too much padding for me! One of my previous chairs had 5″ of padding on the seat and back which felt good for about 15 minutes before my back started aching. Similar to sleeping on too soft of a mattress, it didn’t give me the support I needed.
The secret, then, is to find just the right amount of padding for your weight! If you are looking at office chairs that support 300lbs or more, you’ll find that they generally have sufficient padding.
In addition to the padding, you may want to consider what type of material is covering the padding.
I prefer mesh chairs over fabric options and will take leather over either of them. I find fabric chairs to be scratchy and less durable than leather chairs. Mesh chairs do have the advantage of being slightly less sweaty, but this comes at the cost of them being, in general, less supportive. While this really comes down to what you want to sit on, the highest-rated chairs are almost always leather and that is what we included here.
3. Opt For Back Support!
For obvious reasons, this one is important to me. I tend to lean back in my chair a lot (and have even been known to put my feet up when I’m feeling super managerial). If the back is not constructed correctly (my broken one was just screwed into the wood seat), it will likely break when used.
The heavy-duty chairs we recommend typically have a one-piece metal frame construction, and the back wouldn’t break off if a bulldozer sat on it. Let’s face it, a seat made of nothing but plastic and foam was probably never going to support you or me.
4. Look For Wider Legs and Heavy-Duty Casters
If you need a 500lb capacity office chair then you better have casters that match. Whether you are stable on your feet or not, your own balance can’t always save you when your seat has a narrow stance.
I still remember my burly (okay, he was fat) football coach from high school fell flat on his butt when his rolling chair hit a piece of chalk and tipped over. I think back to that moment sometimes and realize that as funny as it was if someone who runs drills at football practice 5x a week can end up on the ground, so can I.
For that reason, the best office chairs for overweight people are constructed with wider legs and heavy-duty casters that won’t crack or break.
5. Consider The Adjustability
Adjustments that don’t work are simply not adjustments. In one of my first jobs, I had to type up a night report. For some reason, the desk had been set on cinder blocks so it was a foot taller than a normal desk. For some other (unknown) reason, the only chair available was one that slowly sunk under my weight. I had to type furiously fast before the chair sunk far enough that my nose was level with the desktop. Needless to say, I now look for a chair that will consistently adjust and hold my weight.
A Quick Note: extra-wide vs. high-capacity desk chairs
It’s worth noting here, that there is a big difference between heavy-duty chairs for large people and extra-wide chairs for large people…
I have a friend who ordered a chair with a weight limit of 500lbs. When it arrived and he got it assembled, he could have fit only a single butt cheek on it. Since it had arms, buying two chairs and tying them together wasn’t an option. For some reason, the maker of this particular piece of furniture had decided that the user of the chair was made of iron. Very heavy, but the same dimension as a much smaller person. Any reputable seller will include the width of their seat, so be sure to measure a chair you use (and your own “chair”) to be sure it’s wide enough.
In the past several years, I have owned several of the best office chairs for big guys which are stronger and more comfortable than any office provides its employees.
During that time I have also sat in dozens of nice (and hundreds of terrible) computer chairs. After my wealth of experience (and several hours of additional research), I believe I am eminently (perhaps uniquely) qualified to have brought you my recommendation for the best office chair for large and heavy people!
Now, this list isn’t perfect. No list of the “best” office chairs for fat people could be. I could have included many more options, but it was a shortlist out of design and kind of by necessity. It may come as a shock, but even with the large number of people who exceed the capacity of normal chairs, manufacturers and employers still go the cheapest route, resulting in weak chairs that are only comfortable for the smallest people.
So if there are only 10 options on Amazon, why would I list all 10? My purpose here was to narrow it down! However, even with limited options, I have found several that I believe anyone could be happy and comfortable in.
Because of the additional cost of these chairs, it is unlikely that your boss or workplace is going to foot the bill for something different than what you already have (at least that has been my experience).
Before you drop the money on a chair, be sure to talk to your boss and mention that it’s safer and more productive for you to have an ergonomic chair that is actually DESIGNED for larger people and that you’ll be taking the chair with you when you leave. I’ve never heard of anyone having a problem bringing in their own chair. After all, how much work could you get done if you weren’t fighting your puny chair?
If you disagree with my chair choices, that’s okay! While I think all of my recommendations are excellent choices that will be a good fit for the majority of people, you might have some personal preferences that lead to a difference of opinion.
Conclusion – Things To Think About
In closing, I will mention – unless you have specifically sought out a chair that is built for a large/heavy person, any of the chairs I mentioned are better than what you currently have. While one may beat the other in a side-to-side comparison, the most important thing is simply to have an office chair that is meant just for you, whether that means the most budget or the most expensive. I hope this has been helpful.
Also, if your chair is for your home office, gaming station, etc. don’t forget that you probably need a heavy-duty floor mat. Normal ones are just not up to snuff, and typically crack within a few months. Check out our new article which reviews The Best Chair Mat For Heavy People (up to 1000lbs).
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