NPR 1813:2025 explained: what the new guideline means for your workplace

What NPR 1813 actually is

NPR 1813 is a Dutch Practice Guideline, published by NEN. Its full title is Ergonomics — Guideline for the application of office furniture and workstation accessories. The document runs to 32 pages and describes how to lay out an administrative workstation or office with furniture that suits the people working at it.

The guideline does not stand on its own. It builds on three European standards and translates them into Dutch practice:

The idea behind it is simple: a European standard describes what a piece of furniture has to be able to do, but says nothing about whether it suits the people in a Dutch office. The NPR makes that translation.

What changed in the 2025 version

The new NPR 1813:2025 replaces the 2016 version. Nine years is a long time in this trade: in that period not only the way we work changed — hybrid working, hot desks, far more screen work — but also the underlying European chair standard.

The main reason for the revision is a 2020 amendment to NEN-EN 1335-1. It added a new chair category: type Ax. The updated guideline makes sure that both existing and new office chairs match the requirements of the Dutch working population.

Chair type Ax: the core of the change

NEN-EN 1335 divides office chairs by the number of adjustment options. Type A is the most fully equipped, type C the most basic. Type Ax was added in 2020 and stands out for one thing: a larger adjustment range than the other types.

That sounds technical, but it solves a very practical problem. At a hot desk, a colleague of 1.62 m and one of 1.95 m sit in the same chair on the same day. A chair with a tight adjustment range then suits neither of them properly. The wider the range, the larger the share of your staff that sits on it decently.

In our NPR 1813 office chairs collection you will find the models we know score well on this point. Not sure about a specific model? Ask us about the adjustment range before you order — that is exactly the figure it comes down to.

What it is not: not a law, not a quality mark

This is where things most often go wrong in practice, and it is worth being clear about it.

• NPR 1813 is not a law. The Dutch Working Conditions Act obliges you to provide a workstation that does not cause damage to health; the NPR is a practical way of filling that in and counts as the usual yardstick. An inspector tests against the Dutch Working Conditions Act, not against the NPR.
• There is no NPR certificate. A guideline is not a certification scheme. Suppliers who speak of an “NPR-certified chair” usually mean that the chair complies with the recommendations in the guideline — but there is no independent quality mark attached to it.
• It is about the whole workstation. Not only the chair, but also the desk, the accessories and the way everything is set up.

Would you like to read the guideline yourself? NPR 1813:2025 is for sale at NEN, for about € 62. For most buyers that is not necessary — that is what we are here for — but anyone who writes their own purchasing policy will find it useful.

What this means for procurement

1. Ask about the adjustment range, not about the label. Seat height from–to, seat depth from–to, backrest height. Those are the figures that determine whether a chair suits your people.
2. Judge the workstation as a whole. A chair with a wide range under a desk that does not move with it still gives you the wrong height. Our electric sit-stand desks go from 65 to 130 cm, so that both sitting and standing work stay within reach.
3. Do not forget the accessories. A monitor arm puts the screen at eye level; a footrest takes up the height difference for anyone whose feet do not reach the floor flat.
4. Arrange the instruction. The most expensive chair in the Netherlands sits badly if nobody adjusts it. A short explanation on handover is the cheapest gain there is.
5. Think of the home workstation. If someone works from home structurally, your duty of care applies there too.

Four persistent misconceptions

• “Any sit-stand desk will do.” What matters is the actual range. Some desks stop well below standing height for a tall user.
• “A good chair is all you need.” The guideline looks at the combination of table, chair and accessories.
• “The NPR prescribes how long you have to stand.” It does not. Alternating is demonstrably good, but no compulsory schedule is laid down in it.
• “Our furniture is from 2018, so it no longer complies.” A new guideline does not make existing furniture invalid. Judge it on adjustment range and state of maintenance, not on year of manufacture.

Frequently asked questions