I keep seeing BIFMA certification mentioned on office chairs — what does it actually mean?

BIFMA certification means the chair passed a battery of durability and safety tests run by the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association. They test things like how many times the tilt mechanism can cycle (100,000+), whether the base breaks under a drop test, and if the casters hold up over time. It's basically the line between furniture built for daily commercial use and stuff that's going to fall apart in a year. If a chair doesn't mention BIFMA, it's probably residential grade. FindOfficeFurniture.com only carries BIFMA-rated seating — call 888-719-4960 for help picking the right one.