Steelcase vs Herman Miller — which holds value better on the UK secondary market?
Steelcase and Herman Miller are the two giants of the UK premium task chair market. Both make excellent chairs. But the secondary market treats them differently, and our buyback rates reflect that. Honest comparison below.
The headline rates
Herman Miller flagship: Aeron Remastered £250, Aeron Classic £180, Embody £200, Mirra 2 £200.
Steelcase flagship: Gesture £150, Leap V2 £100, Think V2 £50.
Like-for-like at the top tier: Aeron Remastered £250 vs Gesture £150 — a £100 per-chair gap. At the workhorse tier: Aeron Classic £180 vs Leap V2 £100 — an £80 gap. The pattern is consistent: Herman Miller holds £80–£100 more per chair on the UK buyback market.
Why the gap exists — secondary-market awareness
Both brands are excellent. The Leap V2 is arguably the most ergonomically capable task chair ever made — Live Back, four-way arms, adjustable lumbar, robust mechanism. The Gesture introduced 360-degree arm rotation specifically for tablet / phone postures. Engineering-wise, Steelcase is at minimum on par with Herman Miller, and on some specifications ahead.
But brand awareness in the home-office and start-up secondary market — which is where most refurbished chairs go — skews heavily Herman Miller. "I want an Aeron" is a phrase home-office buyers say out loud. "I want a Leap V2" is a phrase they don't. The Aeron has 30 years of cultural penetration; the Leap V2 was specified in corporate offices but never broke through to the consumer brand-awareness layer in the same way.
Practical effect: refurbished Aerons resell in 7–14 days, refurbished Leap V2s in 21–35 days. The longer resale cycle ties up our refurb capital for longer, which is reflected in a lower buyback rate to the seller.
Where Steelcase out-performs Herman Miller commercially
Volume corporate buybacks. A 200-chair Leap V2 clearance from a financial-services FM team is more reliably-priced than a 200-Aeron clearance because Leap V2 supply is more predictable. We do not discount the rate, but the certainty around cycle time means we can confidently quote on volume.
Headrest variants. Leap V2 with the optional headrest reseiles slightly faster than headrest-less, and we sometimes offer a small uplift (£5–£10) for headrest-equipped chairs. Aerons rarely had factory headrests; the after-market accessory does not lift the buyback rate.
Fabric upholstery range. Steelcase chairs come in dozens of fabric options; Herman Miller is more colour-restrained. The fabric variety does not particularly help resale (most buyers want black or graphite anyway) but it makes inventory management slightly easier on our side.
Which is the better chair to keep for daily use?
This is a comfort question, not a finance question. The Leap V2 is arguably more comfortable for fixed daily seated work — the four-way arms fit more body shapes, the Live Back is more accommodating to weight shifts. The Aeron Remastered is more comfortable for long sessions with frequent posture changes — the 8Z pellicle handles weight redistribution better.
If you are choosing one chair for your home office and have access to either at second-hand prices, both are excellent. The pure resale economics tilt towards Aeron (you would get more selling it later) but the daily ergonomics may tilt either way depending on your build.
Which is the better chair to sell back to us?
The Herman Miller carries the higher per-chair rate, so on a single-chair calculation it nets you more. On a mixed estate calculation, it depends on the brand mix. Most UK corporate offices are not pure-Herman-Miller — typically a blend of 30–60% Herman Miller, 20–40% Steelcase, 10–20% other. Selling the lot in one quote is simpler than picking favourites.
If you are choosing which 100 chairs to clear from an estate of 200, the maths suggests selling Aerons first (higher per-chair) and keeping Leaps if they are already in good condition. But that is a finance lens, not necessarily the right operational lens.
Will the gap close over time?
Probably not in the next 5 years. Brand awareness is sticky. The Aeron has been in production for 30 years and the cultural cachet shows no signs of declining. Steelcase's acquisition of Orangebox in 2018 and recent push into education / healthcare markets diversifies the brand but does not particularly lift the home-office secondary market.
What might close the gap: a successor model. The Leap V3 (rumoured but not announced as of 2026) could refresh secondary demand if it lands well. Until then, the £80–£100 gap is structural.
Get a quote on yours
Use the homepage calculator. Indicative quote in 30 seconds. Firm quote within the hour.