The lease is signed, ten people start in the new space soon, and the owner wants a furniture figure by Friday. A guess per head is hard to defend, because a lean fit-out and a premium one can be far apart. The reliable way to work out the cost to furnish an office is to price real items, line by line.
This guide builds that budget for a 10-person office from our office workstations, chairs and storage. It then shows where the total rises and where it can stay lean.
The per-person kit: desk, chair and pedestal
Every person needs somewhere to work, something to sit on and somewhere to lock things away. Those three items repeat ten times, so they drive most of the cost to furnish an office.
For the desk, a double-sided workstation seats two people facing each other on one frame. The Axis 2-Person Double-sided Desk Workstation (from $456) has a 50x50mm square-leg frame with a 140kg weight rating and a 10-year warranty. It comes in eight worktop sizes, from 1200 x 600mm to 1800 x 750mm, at a standard height of 715mm. Five of them seat ten people.
The chair is the item each person uses all day, so it is a poor place to cut too far. The Santa Task Chair ($213) pairs a mesh back with adjustable lumbar support, adjustable arms and a synchron mechanism with 3 locking positions. It has a 120kg weight limit and a 4-year warranty. Our ergonomic task chairs range covers other budgets.
For personal storage, the Steel Mobile Pedestal - Premium Grade ($197) has two drawers plus a file drawer for suspension files, and the drawers lock. It is a compact under-desk unit at 620mm high, 400mm wide and 520mm deep, with a 5-year Australian warranty.
Shared items: the meeting room and storage
Shared items are bought once, so they add far less per head. A 10-person office generally needs a meeting table, chairs for it and some lockable cupboards.
The Logan Boat Conference Table ($507) measures 2400mm by 1200mm and stands 730mm high, with 25mm tops and sides, PVC edges and adjustable feet. As a general guide, allow about 600mm of table edge per person, which fits four chairs along each long side.
For the chairs, the Monaco Chair ($187) arrives assembled, with PU upholstery, padded fixed arms and a 120kg user weight rating. Its seat is 510mm wide and it carries a 5-year warranty. Eight of them fill the table, and two task chairs can roll in when the whole team meets.
For storage, the GO Steel Swing Door Cupboard 910W x 1830H ($386) is a full-height steel cupboard with 3 adjustable shelves and doors that open to 180 degrees. A flush twist locking handle with 2 keys keeps the contents secure, and it comes assembled with a 10-year warranty. The example uses two, and our office storage range has other sizes.
A worked budget: the cost to furnish an office for 10 people
Here is the full list at listed prices. The workstation is priced from $456, so the table uses that starting price.
| Item | Qty | Unit price | Line total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axis 2-Person Double-sided Desk Workstation | 5 | from $456 | $2,280 |
| Santa Task Chair | 10 | $213 | $2,130 |
| Steel Mobile Pedestal - Premium Grade | 10 | $197 | $1,970 |
| Logan Boat Conference Table | 1 | $507 | $507 |
| Monaco Chair | 8 | $187 | $1,496 |
| GO Steel Swing Door Cupboard 910W x 1830H | 2 | $386 | $772 |
| Total | $9,155 |
The furniture comes to $9,155, and the flat $75 metro delivery takes the order to $9,230. Spread across ten people, that is $915.50 per person, including a share of the meeting room and storage.
The per-person kit accounts for most of that figure because it repeats ten times. Growth mostly means more desks, chairs and pedestals, while the meeting room and cupboards can stretch further.
Where costs rise, and where they can stay lean
Sit-stand desks are the clearest example of a cost jump. The Montana Electric Standing 2-Person Dual-sided Desk Workstation (from $1,399) has a dual motor frame that moves at 32mm per second across a 620mm to 1270mm range, excluding the desktop. It adds a 3-point memory control, a 140kg lifting capacity and a 10-year warranty covering frame and electronics.
Five Montana workstations come to $6,995 at the starting price, against $2,280 for five fixed Axis frames. A middle path is to fit a few sit-stand positions and fixed frames for the rest.
Screens are the next line to watch. The Axis page notes that screens and integrated cable ducts are sold separately, so give them their own row if your team wants them. Acoustic pods and phone booths are large freestanding enclosures that cost far more than a desk, so first check whether a bookable meeting room can handle private calls. Executive desks and leather boardroom chairs also belong on a separate line, so one office does not inflate the per-person figure.
Costs stay lean where furniture is simple and shared. Fixed-height frames and two people per frame keep the price down, and pieces that arrive assembled cut set-up time. Our guide to office furniture on a budget goes further into where to spend and where to save.
Budgeting an office fit-out in Australia
Every price here includes GST, so the table shows the furniture cost as you would pay it, before delivery. Many Australian businesses budget on the July to June financial year. If yours resets on 1 July, a January fit-out lands in the second half of the budget. You could buy the per-person kit now and add extras after 1 July.
Delivery is easy to plan around. Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, so one combined order means one delivery charge. Each product page has a Delivery line naming the metro cities that product can be delivered to. Every item in this example lists Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Deliveries go to the ground-floor entrance, and goods arrive flat-packed unless the product page says assembled. Here, the Monaco chairs and GO Steel cupboards arrive assembled, while the Axis workstations, task chairs and pedestals need building. If your office is upstairs, plan time and hands for carrying boxes and putting desks together.
Office fit-out costs — frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to furnish an office for 10 people?
Using the products in this guide, furniture for a 10-person office comes to $9,155 at starting prices, or $9,230 with metro delivery. That covers five double-sided workstations, ten task chairs, ten pedestals, a meeting table with eight chairs and two cupboards.
How much more do sit-stand desks cost?
In this example, switching to sit-stand desks more than triples the desk line. Five Montana electric workstations come to $6,995 at the starting price, against $2,280 for five fixed Axis frames.
Does delivery cost extra?
Yes, metro delivery is a flat $75 per order on top of the product prices. Ordering everything together keeps it to one charge, and every price already includes GST.
Does office furniture arrive assembled?
Not always: goods arrive flat-packed unless the product page says they arrive assembled. In this kit, the Monaco Chair and the GO Steel cupboard arrive assembled.
Shop the range
Browse our office workstations, ergonomic task chairs and office storage ranges for other sizes and price points. The products in this budget are listed below.
- Axis 2-Person Double-sided Desk Workstation (from $456): two facing desk positions on one frame for open-plan teams on a budget
- Santa Task Chair ($213): a mesh task chair with adjustable lumbar and arms for full days at a desk
- Steel Mobile Pedestal - Premium Grade (400mm wide) ($197): lockable drawers and a file drawer to keep each person's documents secure
- Logan Boat Conference Table ($507): a 2400mm boat-shaped table for meeting rooms, team briefings and client presentations
- Monaco Chair - Assembled ($187): a padded meeting chair that arrives ready to use, saving set-up time
- GO Steel Swing Door Cupboard 910W x 1830H ($386): a full-height lockable steel cupboard that works as the office's shared stationery store
- Montana Electric Standing 2-Person Dual-sided Desk Workstation (3 Stages) (from $1,399): an electric two-person sit-stand workstation for teams that switch between sitting and standing
Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, and prices include GST.
