School furniture buying guide: classroom table and chair sizes by year level

Most primary classrooms need two size marks, not one. The Australian school-furniture standard, AS/NZS 4610:2020, sizes chairs and tables by student height in eight marks, A to H, not by year level. A Year 3 to 4 room buys marks D and E: seats of 350 and 380 mm, tables of 585 and 635 mm. Measure your shortest and tallest students, then order the marks that cover both.
Most primary classrooms need two size marks, not one; a secondary room needs one, usually G. The Australian school-furniture standard, AS/NZS 4610:2020, sizes chairs and tables by student height in eight marks, A to H, not by year level. A Year 3 to 4 room buys marks D and E: seats of 350 and 380 mm, tables of 585 and 635 mm. A Year 9 room buys G: seat 460 mm, table 755 mm. Measure your shortest and tallest students, then order the marks that cover both.

Which size mark does each year level need?

Each mark is a student height band, measured without shoes, with a seat and table height to match.

Mark A sits below school height; mark H (seat 510, table 815) is for the tallest seniors. The standard allows 10 mm either way on a chair and 15 mm on a table.

The year column is ours, not the standard's. We laid the marks over height-for-age growth charts (the US CDC 2000 charts), taking a NSW Kindergarten child as 5 turning 6. The chart is where to start; the tape on your own students is what you order from.

Why does a primary room need two sizes?

Because one year band spreads across about 30 cm of height, and one mark covers less. A Year 3 to 4 room spans 119 to 150 cm. D stops at 142 and E starts at 133, so together they cover it. The bands overlap, so the split need not be exact.

By secondary school the spread sits inside one mark: Years 7 to 8 in F, with a few E and G at the ends.

How many of each size for a class of 30?

Take a room of 30 in Years 3 to 4, half from each year. The middle height at 8 (Year 3) is 128 cm: inside D, below E. At 10 (Year 4) it is 139 cm, inside both; the tallest at 10 reach 150 cm, which only E covers. So Year 3 sits in D and Year 4 in E. The purchase order reads: 15 chairs of D and 15 of E. Then 30 T-Leg desks, or 15 doubles, with 15 set to 585 mm and 15 to 635 mm.

Can one height-adjustable desk cover both sizes?

For the tables, yes. Our T-Leg Student Desk with Storage Tub is 600 by 600 mm and adjusts from 560 to 800 mm in seven steps. That covers marks D (585 mm) to G (755 mm); only H (815 mm) falls outside. Prices below are as listed on 29 October 2026. The desk is $199, in stock, 3 to 7 business days. The double desk seats two at 1200 by 600 mm with two tubs: $299, same stock and lead time.

These chairs come in fixed seat heights, so buy them by seat height. Our Campus Stackable Plastic Child Chair comes in eight seat heights from 240 to 450 mm. The page names no size mark. By our arithmetic, within the 10 mm allowance: 260 mm is B, 305 C, 355 D, 440 F and 450 G. There is no 380 mm, so no E. We can supply codes 30 (305 mm) and 45 (450 mm) now and order the other heights from the maker. It stacks and is rated to 100 kg. $50, and the page takes Add to quote only. For mark E and for secondary rooms we quote from our wider training-chair range (21 chairs); ask us for seat heights.

Which classroom chairs stack and which tables fold?

Chairs should stack and tables roll or fold, so a room changes shape in minutes.

The Stackable Plastic School Chair is made in Australia, rated to 130 kg, and stacks. $58, made to order, manufacture lead time 7 to 15 business days. The page gives the overall height, 800 mm, not the seat height: ask us for it before you order to a mark.

The Skola Student Flip Table is 900 by 500 or 1200 by 600 mm and 750 mm high. It has lockable castors and folds to stow. At 750 mm it matches mark G's table height, 755 mm within the 15 mm, by our arithmetic; the page names no mark. A senior-room table. $555 to $565; the page says in stock, with a lead time of 15 business days.

Will the chairs last?

School furniture is tested at two levels: Normal for supervised classrooms, Severe for unsupervised areas or heavier misuse. An AFRDI Blue Tick means it passed and the maker is audited. The pages above give a rated load, not a test level; ask us for the test certificate before you order.

What storage does a classroom need?

Two kinds do most of the work: a tub under each T-Leg desk and a tote trolley that rolls to the wall. The Mobile Tote Box Metal Trolley holds 5, 10 or 15 tubs on lockable castors. $399 to $755; the page says in stock, with an order lead time of 15 to 20 business days.

The rest of the range is in our Education collection.

How long before term should you order?

Count back from the first day of term by the longest lead time on your list, plus delivery. Above, that is 3 to 7 business days (the desk) to 15 to 20 (the trolley).

We process an order within 1 business day of payment. Courier delivery takes 5 to 14 business days after that; large or custom pieces go by professional furniture removal, 7 to 15. A freight delivery needs a loading dock or someone to help unload. Interstate orders go by freight quote (our delivery page). The desks come flat; the page lists assembly at $60 a desk. Tell us the term dates and we plan the delivery around them.

Custom-made pieces cannot come back, so confirm the size marks before you order. Stock items can, within 14 days, unassembled and in the original packaging; see our returns page.

What goes on a classroom furniture quote?

Four lines per room:

1. Size marks: the two that cover your shortest and tallest students (one for a secondary room).
2. Chairs: the count per mark, stackable.
3. Tables: adjustable desks set to the two heights, or flip tables, with the count.
4. Storage: a tote trolley per room, and tubs if the desks need them.

Every product card has Add to quote. Send us the list, your floor plan or the room sizes and we will quote it. The rule: buy by size mark, not by age.

Common questions

What size chair for a Year 3 class?

Marks D and E: seats 350 and 380 mm, tables 585 and 635 mm. The shortest sit in D; the tallest in the room need E.

Can one table size do a whole primary school?

No. Kindergarten starts in marks B and C (table 465 and 525 mm) and Year 6 reaches F (705 mm). A height-adjustable desk covers D to G: Years 3 to 12, not the first three years.

Do size marks differ between states?

No. AS/NZS 4610:2020 is one standard for Australia and New Zealand, with the same marks A to H. We found no state education department rule that sets a size per year level. Numbered sizes with colours (2 to 6) belong to the European standard EN 1729, used in UK schools, and to some retail labels.

How much weight is a school chair rated for?

AFRDI puts the user limit for marks A to D at up to 110 kg. For E to H it is 110 kg at the Normal test level and 120 kg at Severe. A product page's rated load is a different figure.