To adjust an office chair, work through six settings in this order: seat height, seat depth, lumbar support, backrest tilt and tension, armrests, then headrest if your chair has one. EasyMart Australia's guide below walks through each step, explains how to match your chair to a standard fixed desk of about 730mm, and lists the mistakes that undo a good setup. If you are still choosing a chair, start with our guide to the best ergonomic office chairs for lower back pain and better posture.
Each setting depends on the one before it. Seat height decides where your hips sit, which changes where your lower back meets the backrest, so lumbar set before seat height ends up in the wrong place. Do the steps in order, then fine tune after a day or two.
Stand in front of the chair and set the front edge of the seat just below your kneecap, then sit with your feet flat. Your thighs should be roughly horizontal, with knees level with or slightly below your hips. On most chairs this is the paddle or lever on the right under the seat: lift it with your weight off the seat to go up, and with your weight on the seat to go down.
Check the seat height range of your chair against your height. Ranges in EasyMart's range vary a lot:
| Chair | Seat height range | Other adjustments listed | Listed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapidline Lotto Medium Back Mesh | 430 to 530mm | Synchro, seat slide, lumbar, removable adjustable arms | $222 to $272 |
| Rapidline Ergo Midi | 470 to 560mm | 4 lever mechanism, seat slide, optional adjustable arms | $367 to $434 |
| Rapidline Ergo Air High Back | 490 to 580mm | 4 lever mechanism, pneumatic lumbar pump | $417 to $484 |
| Rapidline Merida High Back Mesh | 515 to 585mm | 4 lever mechanism, seat slide, height adjustable ratchet back | $459 to $525 |
Shorter users usually do better with a lower range such as the Lotto. Taller users should look for a top height near 580mm, like the Ergo Air or Merida. Our office chair sizing guide goes into seat width and back height in more detail.
Sit right back so your lower back touches the backrest. Slide two to three fingers between the front edge of the seat and the back of your knees. If the gap is bigger, slide the seat forward; if the edge presses into your calves, slide it back. You need a seat slide for this, which is one reason to choose a chair with a 4 lever mechanism. Chairs without a slide can sometimes be helped by moving the lumbar or backrest height instead.
The lumbar zone should fill the inward curve of your lower back, roughly at or just above belt height. Depending on the chair, you adjust it in one of three ways:
You should feel even contact, not a hard lump. See the importance of lumbar support.
Unlock the backrest lever and lean back. If the chair throws you back, wind the tension knob (usually a large knob under the front of the seat) clockwise to make it firmer. If you have to push hard to recline, loosen it. The right tension lets you rock back slightly with light pressure and come forward without effort.
A synchro mechanism tilts the seat and back together at different rates, so your feet stay on the floor when you recline. Many people leave the back unlocked to change position through the day.
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Sit with your shoulders relaxed and elbows bent at roughly 90 degrees. Raise or lower the arms until they just touch your forearms, at or slightly below desk height. Arms set too high push your shoulders up, and arms that sit above the desk edge can stop you pulling in close. If they stop you getting close, lower them below the desk edge or remove them, which the Lotto allows.
Headrest: if your chair has one, such as the adjustable headrest on the Artiss Ergonomic Chair with Footrest, set it behind the base of your skull for reclined breaks.
Most fixed desks in EasyMart's range sit at about 725 to 765mm. For example, the Rapidline Rapid Span desk is 730mm high, and many Artiss study desks are 725 to 765mm.
Once your arms are level with the desk surface, check your feet:
Finish with the screen: top of the monitor at about eye level, roughly an arm's length away. Our desk posture guide covers screens, keyboards and lighting.
EasyMart Australia delivers Australia wide, with Afterpay available at checkout. Click and Collect is available on Rapidline, OLP and Statewide products, which includes the Rapidline chairs above; other brands are delivery only. Browse ergonomic operator chairs for fully adjustable models, or compare budget picks in our guide to the best office chairs under $300. Fitting out a team? Request a quote through the bulk office furniture page.
