EPDs for Chairs in the United States
Planning chair, seating, or office chair EPDs in 2026? Here is the definitive snapshot for the United States, built from the public registry most specifiers rely on. The category counts 74 current EPDs across 8 manufacturers, handled by 3 program operators, with the latest issued on Jul 16 2025. Use this to benchmark where you stand and where to invest next.
Chairs in the U.S. at a glance
The market is active and consolidating. We count 74 current chair EPDs in the United States across 8 manufacturers and 3 program operators. Momentum improved after 2023, with 45 EPDs published in 2024 and 2025 combined. The most recent entry is Steelcase’s Gesture AMER/APAC on Jul 16 2025 under NSF International, expiring Jul 16 2030.
EPDs issued per year
| Year | EPDs |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 18 |
| 2024 | 27 |
| 2025 | 18 |
Who is publishing the most
Steelcase leads with 30 EPDs, roughly 41% of the active set. Haworth follows with 14 (about 19%). Herman Miller and Bernhardt Design each hold 9, and Landscape Forms has 8. KI shows 2, while Interface and Vitra each have 1. This pattern tells a simple story. The largest office seating portfolios are using EPD coverage as table stakes in major bids, not as a nice to have.
Where chair EPDs get published
NSF International hosts 62 of the 74 EPDs, about 84%. SCS Global Services carries 11, and EPD International AB holds 1. NSF’s share spans five different manufacturers, which means competitors regularly meet on the same program operator. That usually helps comparability for specs and internal benchmarking, since documentation style and metadata line up.
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The rulebook that matters for seating
The BIFMA Seating PCR for UNCPC 3811 dominates usage with 52 EPDs, about 70% of the U.S. chair set. NPCR 026 Part B for Furniture appears on 8, ISO 21930 is used once, and 13 list their PCR as unknown. Versioning also matters. The current seating PCR is identified as v4 in recent declarations, published by NSF for the BIFMA category (NSF, 2024). Picking the same PCR competitors use keeps apples to apples comparisons intact. A PCR is the rulebook of Monopoly. Ignore it and the game falls apart.
Renewal timing and expiries you can plan for
The next five years bring 74 scheduled expiries. Seven EPDs expire in 2026, four in 2027, eighteen in 2028, twenty seven in 2029, and eighteen in 2030. The near term dates to watch are Feb 28 2026 for the one ISO 21930 EPD, plus a small cluster from late Sep to early Nov 2026 under the seating PCR. Most programs set validity at five years, so back-time your data and verification window accordingly (EPD International GPI, 2024). Renewal is logistics and data discipline, not guesswork.
What the latest EPD suggests
Steelcase’s Gesture AMER/APAC issued on Jul 16 2025 under NSF uses the BIFMA Seating PCR and runs through Jul 16 2030. That timing aligns with the category trend toward long-dated seating PCR coverage and shows continued investment in product-specific declarations for task chairs. If your launch calendar mirrors 2025 or 2026, anchoring new chair EPDs on the seating PCR keeps you aligned with spec expectations.
How often teams use an EPD service provider
Twenty nine of the 74 chair EPDs were developed with a third-party EPD consultant or service provider. That is roughly 39% of all current chair declarations. For teams juggling ERP pulls, supplier outreach, and utility invoices, outsourcing the heavy lifting can save months of internal bandwidth. If you prefer a white-glove approach, an EPD service provider like Parq handles data wrangling, LCA modeling, and operator coordination so engineers can stay focused on product.
Notably absent in 2026
A few big office seating names are quiet on current chair EPDs in U.S. registries we monitor. Allsteel shows historical entries but no current EPDs. The HON Company also shows no current EPDs. These gaps may reflect portfolio refresh cycles or in-progress renewals. If you compete with them, an active chair EPD is a practical way to reduce substitution risk in carbon-accounted projects this quarter.
Practical playbook for chair makers
Start by matching the BIFMA Seating PCR that competitors use to keep results comparable. Select a program operator that your priority accounts recognize and where your competitors already publish, since consistent formatting helps specifiers. Build a clean data room once, then reuse it across families and refreshes. Treat expiries like product lifecycle gates. If several SKUs age out together in late 2029, plan a single renewal wave to reuse foreground data and verification work.
What this means for sales and bids
An active, verifiable chair EPD removes penalties in project carbon accounting, which often favors products with product-specific Type III declarations. That advantage does not guarantee a win, but it keeps your chair in the mix on more projects where owners set carbon targets. We see teams using seating EPDs as a simple unlock for shortlist access while price and performance decide the finish. It is definately one of the cleaner commercial levers in sustainability.
One more thing before you go
This guide uses the global public registry most architects and specifiers check. Due to normal loading delays, some late 2025 chair EPDs may not have appeared yet. If you want the full, up-to-date background dataset for this article, connect with me on LinkedIn and send a message. I am also happy to hop on a quick call to help you pick the best fit PCR for an upcoming chair or seating EPD based on the competitive landscape.
(EPD validity period: EPD International General Programme Instructions, 2024) (EPD International GPI, 2024) (BIFMA Seating PCR reference: NSF, 2024)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many current chair EPDs exist in the United States and who publishes them?
There are 74 current chair EPDs across 8 manufacturers. NSF International hosts 62, SCS Global Services 11, and EPD International AB 1.
Which PCR is most commonly used for U.S. chair EPDs and why does it matter?
The BIFMA Seating PCR for UNCPC 3811 appears on 52 EPDs. Using the same PCR as competitors keeps results comparable and aligns with spec expectations.
When do most current U.S. chair EPDs expire and how should teams plan?
Expiries cluster in 2028 to 2030, with the largest wave in 2029. Start renewal planning 9 to 12 months prior and consolidate families to reuse data and verification work.
How often do chair makers use a third-party EPD service provider?
About 39% of current chair EPDs were developed with an external consultant or service provider, which can shorten timelines and reduce internal workload.
Which well-known U.S. seating brands currently appear light on chair EPDs?
Allsteel and The HON Company show no current chair EPDs in U.S. registries we monitor, though historical entries exist for Allsteel.
About the Author
With a passion for sustainability and a love for complex data, Toby helps manufacturers efficiently collect data from across their organization and get their EPDs done right. He’s especially interested in how AI can support human expertise, helping R&D and factory teams work faster, smarter, and with less friction.
