BIFMA and EN1335: Gaming Chair Standards Explained

When people think of CORSAIR gaming chairs, they typically think about comfort level, the materials being used, the amount of padding, dimensions, and the overall aesthetic. However, behind the scenes every CORSAIR chair is built to meet stringent standards for safety, reliability, and ergonomics, which we will explain in this article. Every gaming chair manufactured and sold by CORSAIR meets both ANSI/BIFMA certification and EN1335, which is a European standard for ergonomics and safety. Let’s take a closer look at each of these specifications.

ANSI is The American National Standards Institute, and BIFMA is the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association, which is a not-for-profit trade organization that was established in 1973 to help set industry standards relating to safety and reliability for furniture.

These are voluntary standards company can apply to their products, guaranteeing features such as chair casters that always roll smoothly, desk drawers that open without resistance years down the road, and chairs that are safe and reliable throughout their lifespan.

When it comes to CORSAIR gaming chairs, they all meet or exceed the BIFMA X5.1 standard, which is the latest, for “General Purpose Office Chairs.” This means they are tested and certified as meeting the following standards:

• Strength: It is able to support a person’s weight over its entire lifecycle without breaking and becoming unsafe.
• Durability: Able to withstand repeated use of a person sitting, reclining, and rolling around in it without incident.
• Stability: Designed so it will not tip over when in use in either direction.
• Safety: Is every component safe to use, including the backrest, armrests, casters, etc.?

When it comes to the individual tests that are run on each chair, it is a battery of tests that include over one million cycles of overall testing to ensure reliable operation and safety for the owner.

The tests are quite demanding, and as we noted in our article about the TC80, they include activities including putting 270lbs of weight on the chair and swiveling it 120,000 times, as well putting 240lbs of weight on it and tilting the chair back and forth 300,000 times.

Here is a breakdown of all the tests performed to achieve BIFMA X5.1

This is a European standard for dimensions, safety, and durability. The main difference between EN1335 and BIFMA, besides the former being a European standard and the latter being for North America, is EN1335 includes ergonomic requirements in addition to tests for durability similar to those measured by BIFMA.

Some of the ergonomic requirements include:

• Seat height adjustment range
• Seat depth
• Backrest dimensions
• Armrest adjustment options
• Recommended dimensions to fit a wide range of users

Every gaming chair sold by CORSAIR meets the rigorous BIFMA and EN1335 standards, so you can rest assured, pardon the pun, that every CORSAIR gaming chair has been thoroughly tested to perform reliably, safely, and to specification, so there will be no surprises throughout your time with the chair. We hope it provides you with a comfortable, adjustable, and reliable gaming throne for years to come!