The floor plan is taped to the wall: four rows of desks for 32 people, a training room for 40, and a lease that starts on the first of the month. Ordering one chair is easy. Ordering office furniture in bulk is a different job, where a miscount, two shades of white or a pile of cartons with nowhere to go can push back the move-in.
This guide covers counting, standardising, delivery and arrival, with examples from our office workstations, chairs and storage. It ends in an order-planning table you can copy.
Count every seat, then add spares
Start from the floor plan, not the headcount. Count desks, task chairs, pedestals, training seats and tables room by room. Then add a few spares of each model for new starters, visitors and the chair that drifts into the meeting room.
Workstation pods make the maths simple. The Axis 8-Person Double-sided Desk Workstation (from $1,675) seats eight people on a heavy-duty 50x50mm square-leg frame. Thirty-two desks is four pods. A team of 34 needs a fifth pod or a smaller unit at the end of a row.
Then multiply everything that goes with a desk. Thirty-two desks need 32 task chairs and, in most offices, 32 pedestals. The Steelco Trimline Mobile Pedestals (from $245) are slimline units, 390mm wide, 500mm deep and 615mm high. Each weighs 20.5kg and arrives pre-assembled, which matters on delivery day.
Training and lunchroom seating is often sold in packs, and the price covers the whole pack. The Set of 10 Zing Chairs ($1,005) is ten sled base stacking chairs rated to 120kg. The Function Chair (Pack of 4) ($467) is four upholstered stacking chairs. Forty seats is four Zing sets or ten Function Chair packs, so divide by the pack size and round up.
Standardise on a few models and match the finishes
Pick one workstation system, one task chair and one pedestal for the whole floor. Spares then fit any desk, and next year's order for new starters repeats this one. Axis screens, cable management and storage elements are sold separately, so give each its own line on the order.
Finishes need the most care. The Axis comes with a black or white frame and ten worktop colours, and several names sit close together: Studio White and Arctic White, or New Oak, New Oak Matte and New Oak Ravine. Write the exact name on every line and check it again before you pay.
Coordinate across product types too. The Trimline comes in White Satin, Satin Silver or Black Satin, so Black Satin pedestals sit naturally under a black Axis frame.
Sets lock in a match for you. The Set of 10 Flip Top Tables (from $3,966) is ten tables in one size and one top colour. Choose 1500 x 750mm or 1800 x 750mm, in White, Beech, Cherry or Natural Oak, on precious silver frames with locking castors. Our training and flip-top tables range has single tables for odd numbers, though a different model will not necessarily match the set's frame and top.
An order-planning table for office furniture in bulk
Give each product one line and fill every column before you order, as in this example.
| Line on the order | Sold as | How to count | Check on the product page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axis 8-Person workstation | One 8-seat pod | Desks ÷ 8, rounded up | Worktop size, exact worktop colour, frame colour; screens and cable management sold separately |
| Task chairs | Each | One per desk, plus spares | One model and colour across the floor |
| Steelco Trimline pedestals | Each | One per desk, plus spares | Colour and lock type; arrives pre-assembled; about 5 to 10 business days |
| Set of 10 Zing Chairs | 10 chairs | Seats ÷ 10, rounded up | Arms are an optional extra, not included |
| Function Chair (Pack of 4) | 4 chairs | Seats ÷ 4, rounded up | Supplied assembled; not available for delivery in WA |
| Set of 10 Flip Top Tables | 10 tables, one size and colour | Tables ÷ 10, rounded up | Size, top colour, linking mechanism option |
| The whole order | One order | One flat metro delivery charge | Every product's Delivery line names your city |
Keep the sheet after delivery. It becomes the checklist when the goods arrive and the reorder list when the team grows.
Delivery lines, the $75 charge and dispatch times
Each product page has a Delivery line naming the metro cities it can be delivered to, and they differ. The Axis pod, Trimline pedestals, Zing set and flip top tables list metro Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The Function Chair lists Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, and is not available for delivery in WA. For a Perth training room, the Zing set is the one to choose.
Metro delivery is charged per order, not per item, at a flat $75. One order holding four pods, 32 pedestals and a training room's chairs carries one charge. If you split the fit-out into separate orders to stage arrivals, each order carries its own $75.
Most items dispatch within 3 to 12 business days, and made-to-order items take longer, as shown on the product page. The Trimline page quotes about 5 to 10 business days from order to delivery. Find the slowest line on your sheet and set the fit-out date from that.
Cartons, crews and checking the order on arrival
Deliveries go to the ground-floor entrance, and goods arrive flat-packed unless the product page says assembled. The Axis pods arrive flat-packed, while the Trimline pedestals and Function Chairs arrive assembled and take far more room per item.
At 390 x 500mm each, 32 Trimline pedestals cover more than six square metres before packaging and weigh 656kg between them. Book a lockable room near the entrance or lift, clear a path and have trolleys ready. If staff will carry cartons, Safe Work Australia's model Code of Practice for hazardous manual tasks covers lifting and carrying at work.
Build in order. Assemble the workstations first and level them with the 80mm height adjustment in each Axis foot. Then roll in pedestals and chairs. Give the floor plan and order sheet to whoever builds, so each colour lands at the right desk.
On arrival, count cartons and items against the order sheet line by line. Open one of each product and check its size and colour. Photograph any damage and mark shortfalls or wrong colours on the sheet before anything is assembled, while the cartons and labels are still together.
Timing a fit-out around the Australian calendar
Many Australian organisations time fit-outs to the new financial year on 1 July. If yours does, order early enough to cover dispatch and any made-to-order lines. If the furniture is part of a relocation, our office move checklist for planning furniture covers the steps before this one.
Schools and training providers work to term breaks. A classroom or training-room refit that must be ready on the first day of term needs the order placed weeks ahead, plus time to build and test the layout.
In multi-tenant office buildings, the building manager usually controls the goods lift and loading area. Ask about lift bookings, protective covers and permitted hours before you pick a delivery week. A ground-floor delivery of thirty cartons still has to reach level three.
Office furniture in bulk — frequently asked questions
Is delivery charged per item or per order?
Per order. Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, however many items the order holds.
How long does a large office furniture order take?
It depends on the slowest item in the order. Most items dispatch within 3 to 12 business days, and made-to-order items take longer, as shown on each product page.
Can I mix colours in a set of flip top tables?
No. Each Set of 10 Flip Top Tables is ten tables in one size and one top colour, so order a second set for a different colour or size.
Does bulk office furniture arrive assembled?
Only when the product page says so. Goods arrive flat-packed unless the page says assembled: the Trimline pedestal and Function Chair pages do, while the Axis workstation arrives flat-packed.
Shop the range
Browse office workstations for team pods, office chairs for task, training and lunchroom seating, and office storage for pedestals and cupboards. The Steelco Trimline Mobile Pedestals are an easy one-per-desk addition. Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, and prices include GST.
