How to choose a chair mat ？

How to choose a chair mat

An office worker moves his or her office chair more than 300 times in the average eight-hour workday. Chair mats are an ergonomic tool that reduces the likelihood of repetitive stress injuries and lowers fatigue. Chair mats also protect your rugs, carpets and flooring from damage caused by chair casters.

There are three factors to consider when choosing your chair mat.

Chair Mat Thickness: do you have carpeted or hard floors?

Chair Mat Size

How big is your "roll area?" Do you sit still or move from your desk to your file cabinet? It's important to choose a chair mat the right size for your work area. Determine the farthest points of your workspace and choose a mat that covers that area. Do not buy a chair mat so large that you have to put it under office furniture. Chair mats are not designed to support more than you and your office chair. Placing furniture on your chair mat causes cracks and voids your warranty.

Can't find a chair mat that fills your workspace without lapping under furniture? Choose a smaller chair mat with beveled edges so you can roll on and off smoothly.

Final Chair Mat Considerations

Unrolling your chair mat: the curls at the edges will flatten naturally in about a day. You can speed up the process by placing books or other weights along the edges.

Chair casters: only use plastic chair casters on your chair mat. If your office chair has metal wheels, consult our chair caster guide for tips on measuring and replacing your casters.

Chair Mat Shape
Once you've determined how large your chair mat needs to be, you can pick out a shape. Chair mats come in three basic shapes: Light Bulb , Lip and Rectangular. Our infograph shows you which chair mats are best suited to the most common office layouts. Rectangular chair mats are the most versatile and fit the most office desk
configurations. Light bulb mats are best suited for corner and l-shaped desks.