You've found the piece. Now the project.
Trade terms for professionals and design studios
Control rooms and other rooms staffed through the night are where black dot 24 belongs. Sedus builds this version for continuous use and allows a user weight of 150 kg, where black dot, net and air stop at 130 kg. Within ergonomic office seating it is the version Sedus declares for that load.
The specification follows from that use. The sliding seat is standard, 495 mm wide and 420-490 mm deep, with thicker padding; 4D armrests are standard too, and the Sedo-Lift III spring runs from 420 to 520 mm. The back is membrane or upholstered, 620 mm. For 24-hour duty the covers narrow to Phoenix, Pure, Umber and leather, and other collections count as normal use. The GS mark on this model names DIN 4573, ANSI/BIFMA X5.1-2002 and BS 5459-2:2000.
By hours of use, the family continues downwards. For the ordinary working day there is black dot with three back heights, net in membrane and air in AIR KNIT, all at 130 kg. Presented at Orgatec, black dot next is the new generation, with a renewed design, three backs and two mechanisms: automatic weight adjustment for shared desks, individual adjustment for fixed ones. Sedus shows it at single desks and home offices. For short stays in the conference room, four-leg and cantilever visitor chairs are rated 110 kg, or 150 kg for occasional use. La Mercanti confirms which fabric holds up for 24-hour shifts before the chair goes on the order.
Share the finishes you wish to evaluate
Because that one point lets it move with the body in more than one direction. A flexible joint connects the back to its aluminium carrier, and Sedus has patented the principle as dorsokinetics. The result is 15° extra backwards and 8° for each sideways movement of the torso, and the back also follows when you rotate. It comes on all the swivel models, so the choice of version need not take this into account.
The material and its weight. net is a membrane of 620 g/m² with a memory effect, crease-free and easy to clean. air is AIR KNIT, a three-dimensional quilted knit of 1490 g/m². Both come in five colours and reach at least 50,000 Martindale. The chairs also differ underneath: net has the Sedo-Lift as standard and air a gas cartridge with Sedo-Lift optional, so a buyer comparing the two should compare the whole specification. The new black dot next offers both a membrane and a 3D back, each in six colours.
From Germany. The maker, Sedus Stoll AG, was founded in 1871 and is based in Dogern, and the family carries the Made in Germany mark. Of the steel, aluminium and wood Sedus buys, roughly two thirds comes from German purchases, and production runs on 100 % green electricity. The GS certificate on black dot, net and air comes from TÜV Rheinland LGA.
Three are within reach of each user. The seat height, with the lever. The back resistance, adjusted quickly between 450 and 1500 N with the handle. The seat depth, if the chair has the optional sliding seat with 70 mm of travel. Where different builds share a seat regularly, the Type A option is worth asking about, because it brings together the sliding seat, aluminium base, 4D armrests with 360° pads and castors.
Four names appear. Michael Kläsener of the Sedus Design Team signed the original black dot and the 24. Markus Dörner designed net, Carlo Shayeb of the same team designed air, and Stephan A. Preisig did the visitor chairs on four legs and on a cantilever frame. For architects keeping credits in a project book, each model therefore has its own designer rather than a single family credit.
Five parts of the chair call for five simple routines. Soap and water do most of the work, aggressive products are ruled out, and two jobs are left to trained hands.
On a black dot, the plastic parts need nothing stronger than soapy water. Sedus is firm on one point here: do not use aggressive cleaning materials on them. That one instruction, passed on to whoever cleans the office, covers most of the routine care these parts ask for over the life of the chair.
Fabric and membrane should be vacuumed regularly. Treat a stain at once, with a cloth dampened in lukewarm water. For light soiling use only a suitable delicate cleanser or Sedus's own foam. Replacing the upholstery or the membrane on the backrest is a job for skilled persons only, so it does not belong in the routine.
Leather is a natural material, and its markings are part of it. A soft woollen cloth lifts light marks; heavier soiling calls for cleaners meant only for aniline-dyed leather. Semi-aniline leather should not be exposed to direct sunshine, so the position of the chair in the room matters as well as the cleaning.
Regular cleaning lengthens the service life of the castors and conserves the floor covering, so make it part of the routine. Each one simply pulls out and pushes back in, which is also how a castor gets changed. While one is out, check you have the right type: hard castors for soft flooring, soft ones for hard floors. The diameter is 65 mm on both.
Clean the piston rod of the height adjustment regularly with a cloth. Any other work on the gas spring, including replacing it, may be carried out only by trained staff. Lowering and raising the seat with the lever after cleaning shows whether it still locks at the point where you release it.
