If you have ever looked for or mounted a chair , be it gaming or office, you will have noticed that as a general rule it incorporates a lifting piston which is what allows us to modify the height of the seat. You will also have noticed that, generally, the manufacturer defines it with a class that goes from 1 to 5 , although it is a parameter that we do not pay much attention to. In this article we are going to tell you why it is important to look at the category of the lift piston of your chair, and what influences it being of one kind or another.
The elevator piston, also called gas piston, pneumatic piston, hydraulic or simply “elevator” is categorized by classes, defined by the BIFMA standard (non-profit association for furniture standards) that stipulates the “minimums” of quality and durability . For this reason, it is quite important to take into account what class is the chair lift you intend to buy, whether it is gaming or a cheap office chair.
What kinds of piston are there and how are they different?
To differentiate the piston classes, we have compiled the following table as a summary:
| Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 4 | Class 5 | |
| Maximum weight | 100 Kg | 120 Kg | 150 Kg | 150 Kg | 220 Kg |
| Inside diameter | 1.2 mm | 1.2 mm | 1.5 mm | 1.5 mm | 2 mm |
| External diameter | 1.5 mm | 2 mm | 2 mm | 2.5 mm | 2.5 mm |
| Characteristics | Not approved by BIFMA. Quality not guaranteed. |
Used in many low quality office chairs. | Used in many low quality gaming chairs. | The standard in good quality office and gaming chairs. | Only used in XXL models and top of the range. |
As you can imagine, the vast majority of chairs, whether gaming or office, use class 3, leaving class 4 reserved only for good quality models. Some manufacturers do not indicate the class and instead indicate the maximum weight that the chair supports, leading to a possible error because class 3 and class 4 pistons have the same maximum weight supported. If the manufacturer does not say what class the piston is clearly, be suspicious because it is probably class 3.
What pistons are the most recommended?
Only XXL-size chairs and those of the highest range incorporate class 5 pistons , which is not only the one that supports the most maximum weight but is also the most durable thanks to its larger diameter. However, its construction is quite expensive, and some manufacturers choose to use class 4 pistons with a reinforced encapsulation, guaranteeing in this case up to 180 kg of supported weight as in the case of the Secretlab Titan XL.
As for class 1 pistons, you should not worry because they are practically extinct, and currently they are only used in chairs of questionable origin or children’s chairs. Class 2 is used more in “cheap” office chairs or also aimed at young children, which will obviously mean that the chair does not have to support too much weight.
The use of class 3 pistons is quite widespread, but you will usually find it only in low quality or “standard” office chairs. Be very careful with the famous IKEA chairs, because the manufacturer does not announce neither the weight supported nor the class of its piston, but it has been seen that even in its most expensive and high-end models they use class 3 pistons, probably in pos to lower costs since obviously those of class 4 cost more.
Therefore and in summary, for an adult regardless of their weight, we would only recommend looking for chairs that have class 4 pistons, since although class 3 ones support the same weight, the quality and therefore the durability they have is much lower . For very large people who need an XL size chair, we recommend looking for reinforced class 4 (like the TITAN XL we mentioned before) or even paying more and going for a class 5.
