How Much Does Office Furniture Cost? (2026 Guide)
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Short answer: in 2026, budget office furniture per employee, not per item. UK ranges are roughly £500–£900 for budget, £900–£1,800 mid-range, and £1,800–£3,500 premium — each covering a desk, chair, storage and a share of shared furniture. As a rule of thumb, that's about £20–£60 per square foot.
Furniture is usually quoted separately from your fit-out, so it's worth understanding on its own. Here's what drives the number and where your money works hardest.
Office furniture cost per employee (2026)
The most useful way to budget furniture is per head — each bundle includes a workstation plus an allocation of shared and meeting-room furniture:
Specification | Per employee | What it includes |
Budget | £500–£900 | Desk, task chair, basic storage, share of communal furniture |
Mid-range | £900–£1,800 | Sit-stand desk, ergonomic chair, better storage and breakout |
Premium | £1,800–£3,500 | Bespoke joinery, high-end ergonomic seating, feature furniture |
For a 20-person office at mid-range, that's roughly £18,000–£36,000. To size the space those people need, a reliable rule is 150–175 sq ft per person, including circulation.
Office furniture cost by item
If you'd rather build the budget up piece by piece, these are typical UK ranges in 2026:
Item | Typical UK range (2026) |
Desk (static to electric sit-stand) | £120–£1,800 |
Task chair | £80–£900 |
Storage (per person) | £60–£700 |
Meeting table | £200–£2,000+ |
The spread comes down to ergonomics, materials, warranty and whether items are bespoke. A mid-range electric sit-stand desk often costs two to three times a basic static desk — but lasts far longer.
Where to invest your furniture budget
Not every item deserves equal spend. The highest-return choices:
Task chairs — the single best investment. The £250–£500 range delivers 80–90% of the ergonomic benefit; sub-£150 chairs cause real problems over daily use.
Sit-stand desks — now a wellbeing standard, not a luxury, and they reduce long-term replacement cycles.
Acoustic and breakout furniture — pods, booths and soft seating that make hybrid offices actually work.
Remanufactured furniture — high-quality pieces at a fraction of new, with a strong sustainability story. Increasingly used by major occupiers.
Budget your whole workspace in two minutes. Furniture is one line in the total. The Zentura Office Budget Calculator builds your full fit-out, furniture and running-cost estimate in one click — or download our Office Fit Out Cost Guide.
How Zentura handles furniture
Furniture is part of our turnkey, fixed-price delivery — specified around how your people actually work, not bolted on at the end. What you see is what you pay, the contract price is final, and it's all delivered on time, on brief and on budget, backed by our 3-year post-contract care. See our office fit out service.
A real Zentura workspace: Alteryx
When fast-growing software company Alteryx outgrew their London office just 18 months after moving in, they needed more space, more flexibility — and a workspace that felt unmistakably 'Alteryx'. We delivered a 24,000 sq ft design-and-build in EC1 where the furniture and finishes express the brand and bring teams together, with room to grow. See it alongside our other work in the Zentura project portfolio.
Frequently asked questions
How much does office furniture cost per person in the UK in 2026?
Budget on £500–£900 per employee for basic furniture, £900–£1,800 for mid-range, and £1,800–£3,500 for premium — each covering a desk, chair, storage and a share of shared furniture.
How much does office furniture cost per square foot?
Furniture typically works out at around £20–£60 per square foot depending on specification, separate from construction and fit-out costs.
How much should I spend on an office chair?
For daily use, £250–£500 is the sweet spot — it delivers most of the ergonomic benefit. Chairs under about £150 tend to cause problems over full working days.
Is office furniture included in a fit out cost?
Usually not — furniture is quoted separately from construction. Always confirm whether a fit-out quote includes FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment).
Is remanufactured office furniture worth it?
Yes — it offers high-quality pieces at a fraction of new-cost with a strong sustainability benefit, which is why many major occupiers now specify it.
Kitting out a new office? Talk to Zentura about furniture as part of a fixed-price fit out designed around your team — get in touch.
